Love and a good crust: Bakers compete in first pumpkin pie contest at Plimoth Patuxet

PLYMOUTH – New Englanders know their pumpkin pie.

That much was apparent from Saturday's first "Great New England Pumpkin Pie Contest" at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, which re-creates the Pilgrims’ 17th-century settlement and the historical homesite of the Wampanoag Indians.

Bakers and their supporters gathered for one goal: presenting a pumpkin pie to earn baking bragging rights.

For the museum's resident baker, what makes a good pumpkin pie is simple: the crust.

"I just love what I do," baker Carolyn McMorrow said as judges roamed pie-laden tables.

Her friends and coworkers at Patuxet showed up to support her at the contest. Supporter Erin Allard held a bright orange sign that read "Go Carolyn #BestBaker" adorned with glitter.

"Everything that she bakes is baked with love," Allard said.

Love and a good crust turned out to be the secrets to success. McMorrow won first place in the adult professional baking category.

"I couldn't feel any better," McMorrow said after accepting her first-place prize of a gift basket and plush hat resembling a slice of pumpkin pie.

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Though the theme was all pumpkin, bakers submitted all sorts of pies to judges Saturday afternoon.

One pie was topped with berries and little bread balls shaped like pumpkins, complete with cinnamon stick stems. Others sported shapes cut out of crust, like maple leaves and the portrait of a Pilgrim.

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Others were more basic, with pinched crust edges ringing a plain pie.

Professional baker Kathy Goonan said her pie was simple, but that the crust was the key.

Her pumpkin pie secret? Using butternut squash instead of pumpkin.

"I just find the butternut to be a little sweeter, a little creamier," Goonan said. "I like the consistency that it brings to the filling."

Goonan bakes out of her home-based business called Log Cabin Bakers in Plymouth, and she said butternut squash is also easier to work with than pumpkin.

Some bakers came from as far away as Merrimack, New Hampshire, organizers said.

Sandra Peck, of Chatham, participated in the contest only because her sister-in-law Nancy Valentino-Weise entered Peck into the contest.

"She tried all different crusts," Valentino-Weise said with a laugh, describing Peck's flurry of activity after learning she'd be competing.

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Valentino-Weise said the best part of pumpkin pie comes down to one spice.

"I think the nutmeg," she said, after considering the question. "I've been drawn to pumpkin pie because I love nutmeg."

Judges were looking for a good-tasting, good-looking pie, and judge Maria Allen said she was also looking for a pie that stood out from the rest.

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"I think the challenge is having it taste like pumpkin but also having some other creative elements in there," she said, "and that's a balance, right?"

Allen is the editor-in-chief of South Shore Home Life & Style. She was one of seven judges to score about two dozen pies based on their taste and presentation.

To make her pie stand out, home baker Sheila Courtney said she adds a bit of orange zest in her filling.

That combination worked well for her. She took home first place in the adult home baker category.

Eight-year-old Samantha Rich, of Sharon, won first place in the youth baking category.

Christina Coleman, event organizer and director of public programs and hospitality for Plimoth Patuxet, said she hopes the contest becomes a regular fixture at Plimoth.

"We're just really excited to start this tradition," she said before the contest. "Pumpkin pie is just a New England staple."

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Reach Alex Weliever at aweliever@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: New England pumpkin pie contest draws bakers to Plimoth Patuxet