Parsing pies a judge's dream at Great N.H. Pie Festival
Harrison Thorp 8:56 a.m.
MILTON - They came forks in hand from far and wide, all walks of life, with one mission in mind: to fill up their pie hole, with what else, pie. The 10th Annual Great New Hampshire Pie Festival was held at the New Hampshire Farm Museum on Sunday with hundreds of pie lovers turning out on a gorgeous day perfect for pie eating. About a dozen judges sat at a long table sampling the homemade offerings of amateur bakers, while pies from local restaurants were judged under a separate tent by festivalgoers.
When it was all over the grand prize winner in the amateur division was from the savory category, a Easter Meat Pie made by Noel Lyons Baker of Rochester. Her trophy-winning entry was made with many layers including prosciutto and cheese. It was her first time winning a contest and her first visit to the Farm Museum, she said. To the delight of Farm Museum Executive Director Kagen Weeks, Baker actually became a member of the Farm Museum on Sunday, too. John Hotchkiss,
president of the Farm Museum Board of Trustees, said the festival is a great outreach for the museum and an important fund-raiser. "This is a good fund-raiser for us, plus it exposes us to people that don't ordinarily come out to the museum," he said. Susann Foster Brown, a volunteer who checked in all the entries, said 41 pies had been submitted by amateur bakers for judging. Judges, including Rochester Voice President Martha Soto Galicia, were each restricted to one pie category so as not to confuse or overrun the taste buds.
"I've been training all my life for this," quipped Soto Galicia between bites. The list of winners is below: Apple 1st Place: Sheryl Olstad Apple 2nd Place: Elise Britton Apple 3rd Place: Denise Laroche Fruit, Non-Apple 1st Place: Elise Britton Fruit, Non-Apple 2nd Place: Jennifer Sullivan Fruit, Non-Apple 3rd Place: Lisa Marie Horne Non-Fruit 1st Place: Janet Barron Non-Fruit 2nd Place: Holly Noones Non-Fruit 3rd Place: Kenneth Markin Savory 1st Place: Noel Baker Savory 2nd Place: Judy Parisi Teen 1st Place: Jordan Krisanaz Child 1st Place: Addy & Alice Anderson Child 2nd Place: Aroara Govoni Child 3rd Place: Hannah Carter The People's Choice award for commercial bakers went to Lino's Restaurant of Sanbornville.
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