By Julie Stratton
Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio

It is one of those big debates of life that always trip us up and last week it raised it's ugly head in a conversation with my friend, "cake or pie?"

If you have ever found yourself in this debate you will get a vast array of passionate answers. Most people are either one or the other. I have to say that I fall into the pie enthusiast category.

Wedding cake is fine, birthday cake is ok, but a good old fashioned sugar cream pie is just hard to beat! Well, let me think a bit, no, it's the pumpkin chiffon pie my grandma used to make, wait it's my mom's fresh strawberry pie made with Suter's strawberries, or I could be persuaded to say it might be a fresh peach pie with Michigan peaches.

Well, as you see, I got lost in all of the numerous pie recipes that make me salivate by just typing about them.

Pies, I just love them. Of course I can't make a good crust to save my life which is why it is easier and more enjoyable for me to taste the labors of others. Is there anything sweeter than a homemade pie?

Well you could have gotten your fill of "sweetness" at the Pie Baking Contest hosted by Maple Crest Senior Living Village in Bluffton.

Twenty nine pies were entered and judged in three different categories. Some of the famous local bakers brought their best to the table last Friday night.

Sorry if you missed it but then it left more for the masses to sample. Bluffton's own Roxie Kloeppel won the Title of Best Overall with her Apple Pie (which was still warm when the judges tried it) and took home the $100.00 grand prize. Each winner in the other categories took home $50 for first, $25 for second and $15 for third place.

First place in the cream category was John Gillett's Mississippi Mud Pie. Now you may remember John, he was in my class at BHS, the class of 1980. His family owned the bakery in town for years and I don't recall every having anything I didn't like from Gillett's bakery.

2nd place was a Caramel Apple Cheesecake by the Maple Crest Kitchen, and 3rd place was taken by Rebecca Luginbill with a Peanut Butter Cream pie.

In the Fruit Category; Rebecca Luginbill won first place with her Caramel Apple Pie. Again we have a person who just has great genes for baking pies. Becky was a Winkler before she married and if you were lucky enough to have eaten at "The Das Winkler Haus" in the 70's and 80's then you know what I mean. Her mother Helen and brother Mike could make a mean pie and Becky fits into the same mold.

2nd place in fruit was captured by John Gillett with his Strawberry Rhubarb Custard and 3rd place was taken by Jamie Nygaard with her delectable Pear Pie.

The last category was nut, where again first place was won by Rebecca Luginbill with a Pecan Chocolate Pie. 2nd place was a Maple Pecan pie by Anita Willow, I believe you can find her pies at the farmers market, and 3rd place was given to Jean Moening for her Hickory Nut Pie.

After the prizes were awarded, and the spaghetti dinners were eaten, the crowd was offered samples of the pies and allowed to bid on their favorite. Winning bidders went home with a delicious pie; the rest of us went home with full bellies.

One generous person paid over $40 for a pecan pie. The pie sale brought in over $400 and along with the dinner, $1000 was raised. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone - the bakers, the judges and those who came to enjoy the mouth watering samples of these wonderful pies.

I might to be able to compete with the bakers, but it won't stop me from honing my skills as a judge!