A crust above
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on October 1, 2014 1:46 PM
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Culinary arts student Savannah Blackman and Lenoir Community College lead chef instructor Pat Walston look over pies for appearance during judging of the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair pie baking contest Tuesday. This is the first year Ms. Walston has judged the contest.
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A prize-winning sundae pie sits among its competition topped with coconut, pecans, chocolate syrup and cherries.
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Summer Nelson and Colleen Jones listen to Kelsey Sanders as she gives them directions on what to do with their first-place prize after the awards ceremony for the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair pie baking contest Tuesday.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Joseph Williams takes a bite of a chocolate cream pie. This is the second year Williams has judged the contest.
Melody Thomas did not get a birthday cake this year.
Instead she got a pie -- nine nut pies, to be exact.
Mrs. Thomas celebrated her birthday at the fair as she does every year. She and her husband are responsible for the western gun show that is a fair favorite every year.
But this year she added a new title other than gunslinger. She judged the nut division of the fair's pie contest.
"This isn't someone who bakes a pie once a year," she said, looking at the pies in front of her. "You learn something every time you bake."
The judges had a tough time deciding between the 53 pies entered by the competitors.
"It's really not easy," Mrs. Thomas said.
Judges for the annual competition -- five in all -- each took on a category -- fruit, nut, custard, cream or other. They judged both the adult and junior divisions.
Judge Wes Dills knows a thing or two about pie.
The professional chef found himself out of the kitchen and at the table Tuesday.
Dills is an old hand at the pie contest. He competed for 15 years, even coming home from college to enter his pies.
When he started competing, he was the only male entrant. Now, there are quite a few male bakers in the junior division.
He judged the fruit pies.
All pies were judged on the appearance, texture and flavor.
Dills took no prisoners.
"I'm brutal about it," he said. "I'm not going to give them slack."
The judges did not know who baked each pie to keep the competition fair. However, the crowd watched anxiously, awaiting the decisions -- and for the pie-tasting afterward.
Judges looked at the pies before they were sliced to get a fair assessment of appearance. Dills lifted and sniffed each of the fruit pies.
The judges admired the lattice work and other creative toppings before slicing the entries up for tasting.
"You'll never get a pretty hot slice of pie," Dills said. He looked for pie pieces that held together and were firm.
The knack, he says, is the preparation.
"Pie is best the second day," he said.
But judge Joseph Williams hasn't met a slice he doesn't like. Williams is a fair child prodigy. Now grown, he is always excited to judge the pie contest.
"He knows all about some good country cooking," event director Leigh Sanders said.
Mrs. Sanders knows the competition is serious. Participants often go on to ribbon at the state fair.
"We have some good cooks in Wayne County," she said.
In the junior division, Summer Nelson won first for her cream pie, Colleen Jones for her custard pie, Alyssa Culbreth for her nut pie, Zach Daniels for his fruit pie and Josh Wells for his taco pie in the other category.
The adult blue-ribbon winners were Lori Jones for custard, Miranda Haskins for her nut pie, Susan Elliot for her cream pie and her fruit pie and Colleen Warrick for her other pie.
After the blue ribbon winning pies went to a showcase, the crowd eagerly sliced into the remaining pies.
"It's hard to beat a slice of pie," Dill said.