SERENA SPRING | submitted
Chef Andrea Spring was taken by surprise after
learning that she was named the National Pie
Champion for the third time at the APC/Crisco
National Pie Championship this past weekend.
ANNA MARIA – Andrea Spring has made history once again as the first person to win the American Pie Council/Crisco National Pie Championship for a third time.
“I’m speechless,” Spring said Sunday after the winners were announced. “I’m completely blown away. I was so nervous. Everybody’s pies were so good.”
Spring won First Place in the peanut butter category and then Best of Show for her peanut butter cracker pie. Her prize was a beautiful trophy and a $5,000 check.
In addition, she won the Crisco Innovative Award for her coconut cashew apricot pie. This win got her a special trophy and a Golden Ticket to the World Food Championships in Las Vegas in November.
In this competition, chefs from all over the world vie for championships in categories such as BBQ, chili, burger, dessert, sandwich, bacon and on line recipes. The winner gets $25,000 and a chance to win $75,000.
“I’ve been trying to win this since I started,” Spring revealed.
Her start in the pie competition began in 2007, when she was crowned national champion with her key lime pie. In 2008, she won first place in the citrus category with her Key West crunch pie and honorable mention in the apple category with her apple oatmeal crunch pie.
In 2010, Spring made history as the first person to win the championship twice. The winning entry was her chocolate raisin walnut combination that won first place in the raisin pie category. She also won first place in the cream category with her hula hula pineapple pie with fried crust.
In 2012, she took first place in the fruit and berry category for peach melba pie with an almond crust and honorable mentions for Smoky Mountain apple pie and rustic cherry and cream cheese pie.
Spring said she was going to celebrate her win and noted, “I haven’t been able to breathe for a month. I worked hard for this.”
Spring and her husband, Ed, own the Sign of the Mermaid restaurant in Anna Maria, where her pies are featured.