Australia’s premier event for recognising and promoting excellence in pie, sausage roll and pastie making will take place at Fine Food Australia next month.
Now in its 35th year, the Official Great Aussie Pie Competition (OGAPC), is renowned for celebrating the country’s baking traditions and setting industry benchmarks for quality and innovation in pastry making.
This year’s competition promises to be more expansive, with categories covering both gourmet and standard pies, sausage rolls, and pasties. Entrants include a diverse range of professionals from bakers and butchers to pastry chefs and caterers, all baking off for the coveted title of Australia’s greatest.
This year’s judging panel will include Sean “Pyney” Pyne (renowned for his entertaining pie reviews) and “That Smoke N Grill Guy” Reyan Fernando (adding his expertise in grilling and smoking). They’ll be joined by Chief Judge Mike French, Gourmet Pie Senior Judge Brendan Carter and Meat Pie Senior Judge Dean Musgrave.
The competition invites entries from across the industry. Whether a seasoned pastry chef or apprentice, participants are encouraged to showcase their skills and potentially earn national recognition. Registration details and deadlines are available on the competition’s official website.
“The OGAPC is a great opportunity for bakers, pastrycooks, chefs, and caterers, to be recognised for their pie, sausage roll, and pastie making talents,” says Danielle Lindsay, from the Aussie Pie Council.
“Every year we see improvements from entrants based on the feedback they received from the previous year’s judges. This makes us happy because we really feel as though we’re making a difference in the standards of pie-making.”
The OGAPC is recognised as the original, biggest, and longest-running pie competition in Australia. Founded with a mission to celebrate the quality of pies, sausage rolls, and pasties, the competition continues to generate a spirit of pride and passion among Australia’s pastry professionals.
The event is expected to be a focal point of Fine Food Australia, which will take place in Melbourne from 2-5 September at Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre.