Though 2020 has been a year of canceled events, some organizers in and around Milwaukee have thankfully kept at least some semblance of celebration alive in the city of festivals by transitioning to virtual events. The latest to do so is Honeypie, who just announced the dessert-forward restaurant’s 5th annual Great Midwestern Pie Championship will take place remotely this year.
For those not in the know, the Great Midwestern Pie Championship is a contest in which amateurs and pie professionals alike enter pies to be judged as they vie for sweets supremacy. Winners of specific categories get a Honeypie gift card, a Pie Championship Ribbon, and the opportunity to be featured as a Pie Of The Month at Honeypie.
In its first four years, the contest took place at Palomino—Honeypie’s sister establishment—during Bay View’s annual Beet Street Harvest Festival (which, like almost everything else, will not be taking place this year).
This time around, the competitors are asked to submit pie recipes instead of actual pies. Honeypie bakeshops in Milwaukee and Chicago will select six recipes from each market, bake them, and send them to community partners to judge. In addition to awarding honors for Best Pie Overall, entrants can also win awards for Prettiest Pie and Best Pie Story (explaining what the pie recipe means to you).
The entry period begins today (October 12) and runs through October 30. The finalists will be judged November 6 and winners will be named November 8. Consult the press release below for rules and more information:
For our 5th year we are going virtual…because we like being safe and love pie!
Submit your favorite pie recipe, win prizes, be featured as Pie of the Month at Honeypie, and be the envy of all of your friends! Enter your pie virtually at Honeypiecafe.com and Honeypiechicago.com – include your recipe, the story of why it’s your favorite pie (e.g. is it your grandma’s? did you make it for your partner on a first date?), and include a photo. Pies will be judged on the recipe, story, and the photo. Winners will be Best Pie Overall, Prettiest Pie, and Best Pie Story!
• 1st prize – $100 gift card & Pie Championship Ribbon
• 2nd prize – $50 gift card & Pie Championship Ribbon
• 3rd prize – $25 gift card & Pie Championship Ribbon
• Prettiest Pie – $25 gift card & Pie Championship Ribbon
• Pie Story – $25 gift card & Pie Championship RibbonJUDGING:
After the entry period ends we will go to the “Bakeshop voting phase”, where the bakeshops for each store will judge entries and select 6 pies for each market. Those 6 recipes will be baked by the Bakeshops in Milwaukee and Chicago, and then sent out to community partners for judging.Nov 6th will be “Judgement Day”. Both stores will have 8 total community partners. These community partners will receive a package with a slice of all 6 pies to judge.
On November 8th we will announce the 3 winning pies for each market. Winners will be announced on our websites, through our social channels, and through our mailing list.
