John Sunvold

John Sunvold has won amateur Best of Show three times: in 2008, his first year in the competition, with US Route 1: Florida Key Lime w/Maine Blueberries; in 2012 with Peg’s Banana Cream Supreme Pie; and in 2014 with Park Avenue Chocolatier Pie. In 2012 he won from 237 amateur entrants, per Grit, and also placed first in Apple with The Apple of My Eye Pie. The APC lists his hometown as Winter Springs, Florida in 2008 and 2014 and as Orlando, Florida in 2012; Grit gives Winter Springs.

The winning pie

Grit describes a banana cream pie on a graham cracker crust, built so tall that the crust gave little support. Sunvold told Grit he had worked on the recipe for three years. No published recipe for the 2012 pie has been located.

“Since the ingredients make it a top-heavy pie and the graham cracker crust doesn’t offer much support, I really had to work to perfect the recipe.”