New Pie Baking Challenge Heats up 17th Annual American Pie Council Crisco® National Pie Championships®

ORRVILLE, Ohio, Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating 100 years of helping bakers achieve sweet success in the kitchen, Crisco has unveiled a new "Crisco Innovation" category to challenge pie makers at the prestigious 17th Annual American Pie Council (APC) Crisco National Pie Championships® this April.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110217/CL50100 )

The Crisco Innovation category encourages both amateur and professional pie makers to demonstrate their pie prowess by combining creativity with traditional pie baking skill. Bakers participating in the new category are required to use at least 1/2 cup of any variety of Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening as they strive to take time-honored pie making techniques to the next level of taste, creativity and originality.

"Crisco is known for the combination of flavor innovation and traditional baking excellence," said Maribeth Badertscher, Vice President of Corporate Communications, The J.M. Smucker Company. "As baking has evolved over the past 100 years, Crisco Shortening has remained a key ingredient that bakers trust for the very best in quality, performance and taste. We're proud to be on the cutting edge of baking by sponsoring the new Innovation category."

Crisco Innovation category winners will be selected based on their ability to combine creative flavors and techniques with classic pie baking.  Innovative pie bakers who claim victory in the amateur and professional divisions will each receive $2,000, a gift basket filled with Crisco baking products and a special trophy.  In addition to the first place awards in both divisions, there will be a second and third place in the amateur division and a first place and honorable mention in the professional division.

But bakers must work quickly to be considered. The Crisco Innovation category will be offered only at this year's APC Crisco National Pie Championships®, which will take place April 8-10, 2011 at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando.

Since 1995, bakers of all ages, skill levels and degrees of training from across the United States have been gathering in sunny Orlando to celebrate a rich tradition of pie making. Prospective APC Crisco National Pie Championships® participants can visit www.piecouncil.org for information about the competition, Official Rules and complete entry guidelines. Contest is open to legal residents of the United States and D.C., except Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont, 18 years or older. Entry ends on March 17, 2011. Void outside the United States and D.C., in Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee, Vermont and where prohibited. Recipes, trends, membership information and ideas also can be found on the site. And for expert advice, techniques and trend information, pie bakers can call the Crisco Pie Hotline at 1-877-FOR PIE TIPS (877-367-7438).

Pie Lovers can also find Crisco on Facebook or visit www.crisco.com and click on the "Pie Central" tab for recipes, step-by-step instructions and video demonstrations.

About The J. M. Smucker Company

For more than 110 years, The J.M. Smucker Company has been committed to offering consumers quality products that help families create memorable mealtime moments.  Today, Smucker is a leading marketer and manufacturer of fruit spreads, retail packaged coffee, peanut butter, shortening and oils, ice cream toppings, sweetened condensed milk, and health and natural foods beverages in North America. Its family of brands includes Smucker's®, Folgers®, Dunkin' Donuts®, Jif®, Crisco®, Pillsbury®, Eagle Brand®, R.W. Knudsen Family®, Hungry Jack®, White Lily® and Martha White® in the United States, along with Robin Hood®, Five Roses®, Carnation®, Europe's Best® and Bick's® in Canada. The Company remains rooted in the Basic Beliefs of Quality, People, Ethics, Growth and Independence established by its founder and namesake more than a century ago. The Company has appeared on FORTUNE Magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in the United States 13 times, ranking number one in 2004. For more information about the Company, visit www.smuckers.com.

The J.M. Smucker Company is the owner of all trademarks, except Pillsbury, the Barrelhead logo and the Doughboy character are trademarks of The Pillsbury Company, LLC, used under license; Carnation is a trademark of Societe des Produits Nestle S.A., used under license; and Dunkin' Donuts is a registered trademark of DD IP Holder, LLC, used under license. Borden and Elsie are trademarks used under license.

About the American Pie Council

The American Pie Council is the only organization committed to maintaining America's pie heritage, passing on the tradition of pie-making and promoting America's love affair with pie. The APC offers personal, professional and commercial memberships.  For more information, please visit www.piecouncil.org.

National Pie Championships is a trademark of American Pie Council.

Contact:  Mary Deatrick, DPR, 407-718-4640, [email protected]

SOURCE Crisco