Fair pie winner sets up dad-daughter competition at State Farm Show

The winner of the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie contest at the Westmoreland Fair on Saturday will face a very familiar competitor when she bakes her apple pie for the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg in January.

Michelle Ganassi Forry of Berlin, Somerset County, qualified for the state Farm Show by winning the county contest. Her pecan upside down apple pie was judged the best among 12 other entries at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds.

But, come January, she will be competing against her father, Glenn Ganassi of Mt. Pleasant Township, and 73 other contestants in the field of apple pie bakers, for the best apple pie in the state.

“I’m just happy to go there. We do compete against each other,” in other apple pie-baking contests, said Forry, a Ligonier Township native. She is a Westmoreland 4-H leader and superintendent for the rabbit competition at the fair this week. Forry said it will be the first time she has competed at the state farm show.

Glenn Ganassi — cousin to famed race car driver and race car team owner Chip Ganassi — will be happy with a good showing — for him or his daughter. He has been the state farm show a few times with his apple pies. He’s made the first cut to the top 25, but not to become one of the five finalists.

“If either of us make it to the top five, that will be a win,” Glenn Ganassi said.

It was a good year for the baking showmanship contest at the fair, said Jackie Elliott of Unity Township, superintendent of the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie contest and the chocolate cake contest. They had more entries this year than last year — 12 chocolate cakes and the 13 apple pies, Elliott said.

To get ready for the state competition, Michelle Forry said they will bake their pies and have people taste test them.

When it comes to baking for the state competition, however, Forry said they will make their pies at their own kitchens using their own ingredients. Two chefs will not be mixing ingredients for either pie, she said.

The Westmoreland pie judges were Suzie Saxton, former owner of the Country Cafe & Video in Pleasant Unity, and Casey Columbus, manager of the Original Pie Shoppe in Ligonier. Bith said the taste of the apples is critical for pies.

The pies were judged on overall appearance, the consistency and moisture of the filling, flavor, creativity and the flavor and color of the crust.

“It’s all in the apples and the love they have in it,” Saxton said.

The key to a good chocolate cake is a moist, soft texture, said Terri Rodgers of Pleasant Unity, owner of Terri’s Gourmet Sweet Treats of Latrobe, and one of the cake judges.

“You want it not dense and want smooth frosting that does not overpower the cake,” said Rodgers, who judged the cakes on flavor, texture, inside and outside characteristics, as well as frosting.

Fellow cake judge Renee Galya of Unity Township, said they need to take a swig of water to wash away the taste of one piece of cake before trying another one.

“I went through 56 ounces of water,” on Friday, quipped Galya, a certified pastry chef.

As a treat to morning fair-goers, the remaining pieces of chocolate cakes were sliced and placed on plates for anyone to have.

“We can’t sell them, and we don’t want to waste anything,” said Elliott, a family and consumer science teacher at the Frazier School District in Perryopolis.