VICOM Baking walked away with 53 blue ribbons at the 2009 American Pie Council championships held recently in Orlando, Fla.

VICOM Baking walked away with 53 blue ribbons at the 2009 American Pie Council (APC) championships held recently in Orlando, Fla.  

Last year, the Denver, Colo.-based pie producer took home 46 blue ribbons.  

"It doesn't get any better than this,” says Tim Kanaly, VICOM’s president. " We went into this competition knowing that exceeding last year’s record would be very difficult, but our team rose to the occasion."  

The APC is the only organization committed to maintaining America's pie heritage, passing on the tradition of pie-making and promoting the nation's love affair with pie, according to VICOM.  

VICOM entered pies on behalf of its many customers, including Bakers Square, which walked away with 34 blue ribbons. Two versions of each pie were presented, one for display and one for the judges to sample.

Preparations for the championships began weeks ago at the VICOM headquarters where the company's pastry chefs determined which pies were to be entered into each category.  

"Our management threw down the gauntlet and challenged us to beat last year's record,” Kanaly notes. “It was a daunting achievement but we knew going in that we had a chance to do it. We have in the past and continue to proudly make the claim of ‘The Best Pie In America.’”  

This year, the contest introduced trans fat-free pie crusts, which are used on all pie varieties made by VICOM.  

Some 31 producers from across the nation entered more than 500 pies in the commercial category judged during the three-day event.  

For a full listing of this year’s winners, CLICK HERE.  Or go towww.piecouncil.org.