The Friends of the Acton Libraries hosted its 3rd annual apple pie baking contest, with two categories, youth (15 and under) and everyone else. This year there were four youth bakers and 12 adult contenders, battling for the glory of the Best Baker in Acton title, and the privilege of judging next year’s delectable treats. While the goal of the Friends is to provide funds for all of Acton’s libraries (public and school), this event is just for fun and to build community in a most delicious way.
Pies were delivered to Acton Memorial Library on Saturday, October 26 and judged that afternoon by four lucky testers. According to Acton Libraries teen librarian Chris Bushie, pies were judged on presentation, crust, filling, and overall impression. The crust and filling categories were broken down into look, taste, and texture. Ms. Bushie noted that pie testing was very enjoyable, and, “It was so interesting to hear the opinions and feelings of our two young baker judges, as they often think about these things very differently than adults!”
After the judges completed their most arduous task, the pies were gently tucked in for a good night’s rest at Acton Memorial Library. On Sunday afternoon, the public was invited to the lawn by the library to celebrate the winning bakers and dispense with all of the pie that went untasted on Saturday.
This year’s winners were Mackenzie Grassia and her delectable Macintosh pie for youth baker, and Amanda Patel, with her deliciously spiced pie, in the adult category.
Mackenzie said that her secret is to grate the butter for the crust (and indeed, the crust was excellent) and to use Macintosh apples.
Amanda made sure that she had an extra-flaky crust and added some chai spices to her filling.
The Friends of the Acton Libraries is a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization dedicated to supporting all ten of Acton’s town and school libraries.
Miriam Lezak is an associate editor on the Acton Exchange, Acton Memorial Library Trustee, and a non-winning contestant in this year’s Apple Pie Contest.
