Nothing says summer quite like a fluffy, tart, and cool dessert, and you’re in luck: We make just the thing! Our award-winning Key Lime Pie has a deliciously crunchy graham cracker crust and tons of whipped topping. We love it when we make them in the bakery–the lime zest aroma permeates the whole store.
But there’s more to this pie than meets the eye. We have a story to tell, and it was a pleasant surprise to us as much as everyone else!
In 2017, we received an invite to the National Pie Championship in Orlando, Florida. After some back-and-forth, Bobby and Janice decided to go. Bobby and Janice decided it was easier to drive with 30 pies vs flying. It was to be a two day trip–almost 1,000 miles away!
From watching KPRC and hearing from Khambrel Marshall how incredibly bad the weather was to be on the first day of travel, they waited (thank you, Khambrel!). There were something like nineteen tornadoes on what would have been the first day of travel. Bobby and Janice had to do the whole drive in a day, 6 AM to midnight and then be at the pie championship at 6 AM to finish off the pies and get them entered before the cutoff time.
There was a lot of planning for such a big trip. The pies would have to be transported in a way to keep the ingredients’ integrity. Some of the pies, like the Apple and Cherry Pie, were made before Bobby and Janice set off. However, others, specifically our Key Lime Pie, would have to be finished on the site.
Bobby and Janice packed their car with coolers, pastry bags, pie shells, and countless other tools. Then, they waved goodbye to the bakery, and set off for the Sunshine State!
They got to the hotel, and the only place to finish the pies was in the hotel’s loading dock – not ideal. Bobby would finish them, and then Janice would take them to be entered. It’s a blind taste test, so it is quite complicated on how pies are graded. It took an entire hour just to get all of the pies entered. While awaiting the award announcements, the Pie Championship hosts various seminars for the entrants.
But of course, it’s all about the pie. We pride our win on creating a Key Lime Pie that incorporates delicious whipped cream, Key Lime juice imported directly from Key West, Florida, and beautifully aromatic decoration! It was the biggest surprise to us when we won a blue ribbon for our Key Lime Pie–in Florida, of all places! It was a great honor to receive from the National Pie Championship. We want to thank the folks at the Pie Championship–who knew how many people like Key Lime Pie? Now we have it in the cases all the time! So come on by and grab a pie or a slice and tell us what you think. Interestingly enough, sales for our Key Lime Pie have increased numerously since the competition!
P.S. Are you a great baker of pies? They have two competitions – one for the professional and one for the home baker the next day. If you are a great baker, sign up and take a trip to the pie championship. You never know – you might actually win a blue ribbon!