Imagine flying to sunny Florida and eating pie for three straight days in front of television cameras.
No, this isn’t some weird new reality TV show promoting the virtues of gluttony.
It’s the American Pie Council/Crisco National Pie Championships and Oxford resident Ed Hunwick got to help judge the competition back in April.
There’s a chance local viewers might see Hunwick on TV Sunday, Sept. 21 as the Food Network broadcasts highlights from the pie competition at 8 p.m. The show is called ‘Challenge: American Pie Festival.?
‘I don’t know how much exposure I’m going to get,? he said, not wanting to get his fans too excited.
Based in Kissimmee, Florida, the competition, which coincides with the Great American Pie Festival, features the nation’s leading commercial, professional, amateur and junior pie bakers all vying to be top pie in each division.
During his three days of judging, Hunwick sampled and scored 49 pumpkin pies and 24 cream pies, plus an additional 10-12 assorted pies as part of the finals.
Pies were judged on appearance, taste, overall impression and creativity.
By the time it was over, Hunwick had his fill of pumpkin pie and then some. After two days of eating the perennial Thanksgiving favorite, he told the folks in charge either give him a new pie to judge or he was done.
‘I couldn’t eat anymore,? Hunwick said. ‘I never thought I would lose my taste for pumpkin pie.?
So, they switched him to cream pies. But Hunwick admitted he brought the whole thing on himself. ‘I was one of the very few people who listed pumpkin as one of his four favorites,? he said.
So, how does one go about becoming an official pie judge. Easy, just apply on-line at www.piecouncil.org. That’s the American Pie Council’s (APC) website and yes, there is too such an organization, but don’t tell those cake lovers.
The APC is the only organization committed to preserving America’s pie heritage and promoting Americans? love affair with pies.
Hunwick learned about the APC and the competition while doing some consulting work for Achatz Handmade Pie Co.
A big reason he was selected was his 23 years of management experience in the commercial baking industry with Veri-Best Baking Company, Koepplinger Baking Company and Awrey’s Bakeries.
‘They wanted people who had some knowledge of the industry and the products,? he said. ‘Someone who could evaluate pies objectively.?
Hunwick started out as one of 100 judges in the preliminary commercial and amateur competitions, then as one of 80 preliminary round judges for the professional division.
He was then asked to sit on a 10-member panel that judged which pie would win ‘Best of Show? in the professional division.
‘They indicated that my judging in the preliminary rounds was very close to the professionals who evaluated the pies beforehand,? Hunwick said.
This elite group of judges included the head of the Culinary Institute of Florida, a Food Network chef, John Zehnder (a certified executive chef who’s the food and beverage director for Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth), a couple of newspaper critics and a chef from England.
In the end, it was professional chef Dionna Hurt who won ‘Best of Show? in her division with her bananas foster cream pie.
Although it won, the pie wasn’t Hunwick’s favorite. That honor went to an amateur-baked one called ‘Don’t Count the Calories.?
‘It was an incredible pie,? he said.
All in all, Hunwick enjoyed the experience and is looking forward to doing it again next year, if the pie council will have him back.
And don’t worry, Hunwick won’t be banning pumpkin pie from the table at his house this Thanksgiving.
‘I think I’ve gotten over my problem with pumpkin pie at this point,? he said.
For those who miss the pie competition on TV Sunday night, the Food Network will be rebroadcasting it at 3 a.m. Sept. 22; 7 p.m. Sept. 24; 2 p.m. Sept. 27 and 7 p.m. Sept. 28.