Great American Pie Festival- Our 2010 Experience

Marie Antoinette might have said “Let them eat cake”—but that’s only because she never went to the Great American Pie Festival! We found out about this event, ran annually by the American Pie Council, from some of our tweeps (twitter friends). Almost immediately there was a glimmer in my eye—there is a pie council?

It didn’t take too much research to decide that not only should we go to the event—it would be downright un-American not too! This large event actually has two parts—the championship, where some of the best pie-makers in the world compete for bragging rights and prizes, and the festival which is opened to the public.

The 2010 American Pie Festival was held in Celebration Florida. They couldn’t have picked a more perfect spot. As we drove up and down the streets aligned with large American-style baby mansions with perfectly edged yards, for some reason I started to crave apple pie and vanilla ice cream.

When we walked under the big red, white, and blue balloon arches, we got into the mood of the festival immediately—fun and full of sweet anticipation. As with most events, the vendors were right up front. There were some cool local sellers, with everything from homemade soap to kitchen accessories for the everyday Prima Donna. And the food choices were amazing. The smell of roasted corn, sausage, and gyros almost lifted me off the ground by my nose. Maybe, however, they seemed extra appetizing because I was so hungry; I had basically starved myself all day because I was going to try as much from the all-you-can-eat pie buffet that I could. That’s right, all you can eat pie! So I used all the self-control I could muster and kept walking past the food vendors.

However, to show we weren’t completely focused on our bellies, Jay and I headed to the stage that had live entertainment before the buffet. The stage was housed in spot that was built with kids in mind. The area was enclosed by kid-friendly activities—like large bouncing houses, giants slides, a kids-only pie-eating contest, a place to make mini-pies that could be baked at home later, and picture time with the Pillsbury Dough Boy—just to name a few. In the same area the stage was alive with performances that kept the parents happy with variety-show style acts, an Iron Pie Chef contest, and cooking demonstrations. One of the sponsors was even giving away goodie bags, one of which I was happy to snag.

We held off as long as we could before we weaved our way though the crowds and found the ticket counter. We paid our $10 entrance, received our wristbands and walked into dessertheaven: two rows of pie makers that were beckoning people to come over and have a slice. There were well-known and lesser-known companies. Just about every sort of pie you could think of was represented; apple, strawberry, pecan, raisin, you name it they had it. Jay went for the tried and true flavors, and I went to try something new. We both ended up having some great pie. Our favorite companies were:

- Rocky Mountain Pies, who had an amazing apple pie, with a fresh tasty filling, drizzled with caramel

- Publix Bakery, because they might be a large company but they sure can bake! Plus they had the free ice cream, and the Smucker’s was the next tent over so you could kick-up your pie al-mode. Ummm….

- Key Wet Key Lime Co. was an unexpected treat. There was constantly a long line of people waiting for something at their tent, and even though we didn’t know what it was we joined the line. Our reward? Frozen key lime pie dipped in chocolate, served on a stick. I could have died of a diabetic coma, at least I would have went with a smile on my face.

We enjoyed our pie with a bit of live music by a great local band called RJ and Company. Jay, being a music hound, even went up and talked to the drummer. I sat under the shade and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the festival.

See the English Version of our take on the Great American Pie Fest on our You Tube video!