Katheryn Hanson of Orlando, Florida, won professional Best of Show in 2018, out of 107 pies, with I Love a Great Love Pie, first in the Royal Wedding category, which the APC had also offered in 2011. Snack and Bakery, which calls her Chef Kathy Hanson, reported she had competed since 2007, first as an amateur, and placed first four times in 2018 in addition to Best of Show. The APC’s archived 2018 results list three of her first places: Hollywood Movies, Pumpkin and Royal Wedding. In 2019 she took five second-place ribbons.
The winning pie
A bananas foster cream pie. Crushed milk and honey cookies and toasted almonds form the crust; the filling is a vanilla bean pastry cream with almond extract, beaten with cream cheese and folded with whipped cream, layered with bananas under a vanilla whipped topping. Snack and Bakery describes “Markle Sparkles” sprinkled on top.
“Bake with love. Bake with your passion. Use your integrity with your ingredients - the freshest you can find.”
Sources
- 2018 APC Championship Winners (archived), American Pie Council
- American Pie Council announces best pies in America at 24th Annual APC National Pie Championships (May 2018), Snack and Bakery
- I Love A Great Love Pie (Banana Cream Pie), Katheryn Hanson (2018), American Pie Council
- American Pie Council names ‘Best Pies in America,’ and here are the recipes (May 31, 2018), Attractions Magazine
- Icelandic Vacation and a Unique Ingredient Inspire Professional Best of Show Pie At 25th Annual APC National Pie Championships (April 30, 2019), Perishable News