Which Publix pies earned blue ribbons in national commercial bake-off?
Whether it's warm apple, cool key lime or maybe tart cherry, who doesn't love a great piece of pie? Know how to make and bake a truly delicious one? Not many people do.
You know who does, and it's not some super-secret, tucked away place that only the pseudo-cool kids know about, it's Publix Supermarkets. If you doubt, well buckle-up buttercup, because they just won eight blue ribbons at the 2024 American Pie Council National Pie Championships in Orlando.
Yes, the America Pie Council is indeed a thing, and pie competitions are its thing — since 1995. This year, that competition was held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista Resort on April 29 and 30. And Publix took home the impressive first place wins in the commercial division in both the 6- and 9-inch pie categories.
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In the 6-inch category their apple, cherry, key lime, mango key lime and no-sugar apple all took the top prize and in the 9-inch category, they won with their cherry, key lime and mango key lime.
The annual competition features multiple divisions and this year APC judges reviewed more than 1,000 pies.
Competing in the National Pie Championships since 2001, Publix has brought home blue ribbons every year. To celebrate this year’s accomplishment, they will be placing special stickers on their blue-ribbon-winning pies. Pie lovers can look for the blue-ribbon stickers at their local Publix.
For more information on the competition, visit piecouncil.org/national-pie-championships
Some powerful pie facts from the American Pie Council
$2.2 billion pies were sold in grocery stores in 2022
50 million pumpkin pies are gobbled up each November. A pie council survey, however, reveals it's America's second favorite behind apple pie. Pecan, banana cream and cherry follow in that order.
1 in 5 Americans have eaten an entire pie by themselves
35% of Americans say they've had pie for breakfast and 66% have had pie for lunch
Also:
When faced with a problem that needs solving, The Men in Black's Agent K's fall back: We need pie. As K (Tommy Lee Jones) explains to Agent J (Will Smith) "My grand daddy always said, if you got problems that you can't solve, helps to get out of your head. Pie, it's good."
Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Publix bakers won eight blue ribbons for pie in national championship