Weekly winners prepare for a grand finale, junior contestants make their mark, and Assemblyman Karl Brabenec makes a surprise appearance as a guest judge.
By Kat Leslie
WARWICK, N.Y. — Somewhere in the Warwick Valley, a small but determined group of people is preparing for a competition that could change their Thanksgiving travel plans.
Their training equipment?
A fork, a napkin and a healthy appetite.
Their opponent?
One of Masker Orchards’ award-winning apple pies.
And the prize waiting at the finish line?
A seven-day family vacation in the Orlando, Florida, area, complete with accommodations in a three-bedroom resort villa.
What began in September as a lighthearted weekend experiment at the historic Warwick orchard has grown into a season-long competition, with weekly winners earning their way toward a grand championship as the harvest season approaches its November finale.
Along the way, the contest has produced unexpected champions, a growing collection of memorable photographs, some thoroughly defeated apple pies and, most recently, a surprise visit from a familiar figure in Albany.
A Surprise Guest at the Judges’ Table
Last weekend, Assemblyman Karl Brabenec stopped by Masker Orchards during a visit supporting local businesses and the Warwick area’s agricultural community.
The visit brought an unexpected addition to the pie-eating festivities, with Brabenec joining the contest as a surprise guest judge.
For contestants already facing the considerable pressure of finishing an apple pie against the clock, the appearance of a state legislator added another layer of ceremony to an event that generally involves more crumbs than parliamentary procedure.
It was a fitting setting for a visit highlighting local enterprise.
Founded in 1913, Masker remains one of Warwick’s best-known agricultural destinations, drawing families from throughout the Hudson Valley, northern New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area for apple picking, farm-baked goods and sweeping views from Warwick Mountain.
Its bakery has also become something of a local attraction in its own right, producing the orchard’s distinctive high-top apple pies, recognized as Best Apple Pie in the Hudson Valley in 2025.
And now, apparently, those pies are producing champions.
Meet the Competition
The inaugural contest introduced Warwick to Jasper, a visitor from New York City who became the first winner of the season.
Jasper’s victory came with a $100 Masker gift card, Champion T-shirt, an apple pie, a dozen of apple cider doughnuts, a gallon of fresh apple cider and enough bragging rights to survive several family gatherings.
Then came David Reisner of Wayne, New Jersey, who proved that the appetite for victory extended well beyond Orange County.
David earned his place among the season’s qualifying winners and, perhaps more importantly, demonstrated that New Jersey was perfectly willing to challenge New York on its home turf.
The most recent qualifying winners include Adam Kuczynski from Garfield, NJ; Don, who came to Masker’s all the way from Pennsylvania; John Yates of NYC who will join the growing field preparing for the season-ending competition.
Each weekly victory brings the championship one step closer.
The Warwick Valley Dispatch has also joined the festivities, providing a complimentary one-year subscription to weekly winners and helping document the increasingly spirited competition.
For those who thought local journalism had nothing to do with competitive eating, this season has offered a persuasive counterargument.
The Junior Division: Small Contestants, Big Appetites
Not all of Masker’s competitors are old enough to drive themselves to the orchard.
The Junior Pie-Eating Contest, reserved for children under 12, has become a crowd favorite, giving younger contestants their own opportunity to compete without having to face adults whose appetite may have benefited from several decades of practice.
Among the past weekend winners was Vivienne, whose junior victory earned her a full-size, 10-inch Masker’s apple pie, and helped establish the younger division as an attraction in its own right.
There is something particularly satisfying about watching a child win a pie by eating pie.
It may be the only sporting event in Warwick where the trophy is larger than the equipment used to win it.
Parents cheer. Grandparents offer encouragement. Spectators discover that children can be remarkably competitive when dessert is involved.
And the contestants?
They appear to have little trouble understanding the rules.
Grandma Ev Keeps Everyone in Line
Presiding over much of the excitement is Evelyn Card, the 99-year-old Warwick institution affectionately known as Grandma Ev.
Card, who celebrated her 99th birthday in August and was subsequently recognized as Orange County’s Citizen of the Month, has become Masker’s official Apple Pie Ambassador and the honorary First Lady of the Apple Pie. Most recently, Grandma Ev added yet another distinction to a remarkable lifetime of service when she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Warwick Valley Rotary, recognizing her decades of dedication to the community and the countless lives she has touched along the way.
Apparently, retirement remains somewhere near the bottom of her agenda.
At Masker’s, Grandma Ev has welcomed visitors, congratulated winners, posed for photographs and brought a familiar Warwick personality to the orchard’s newest tradition.
Her presence has helped turn a simple contest into something more memorable: a meeting place for generations.
Children compete for pies. Adults compete for prizes. Families gather to watch.
And Grandma Ev, who has witnessed nearly a century of Warwick history, gets to preside over an entirely new chapter.
The Grand Finale Is Coming
With the harvest season winding down, attention is turning toward the grand championship, expected to bring the qualifying weekly winners back to Masker’s for one final showdown.
The stakes will be considerably higher than an ordinary weekend contest.
The ultimate champion is competing for a seven-day stay in a three-bedroom villa at an Orlando-area resort, a prize that could turn one impressive afternoon of pie eating into a memorable family vacation.
That is a rather remarkable return on an apple pie.
Imagine explaining the vacation photographs to friends.
“Beautiful resort! How did you win the trip?”
“I ate pie.”
“How much pie?”
“Enough.”
The final competition promises a lively gathering of returning winners, supporters, families and spectators, all hoping to see who can claim the season’s ultimate bragging rights.
And while the championship may be the main attraction, there is still time for new competitors to join the story.
Think You Can Beat the Champions?
Masker’s is encouraging interested contestants to register in advance for the remaining qualifying competitions.
Prospective participants may inquire by email at maskersapples@gmail.com or ask in person at the orchard. Same-day registration may be accepted if spaces remain.
The separate junior competition remains open to children under 12, subject to the orchard’s participation requirements and available openings.
Families planning to attend should check with Masker’s for the final competition schedule, registration details and championship arrangements.
There is still time to turn an ordinary fall visit into a chance at the grand prize.
More Than a Pie Contest
For Masker’s, the competition has become another chapter in a story that began more than a century ago.
Visitors still come for the orchard’s heirloom apple varieties, its unusual drive-to-the-tree picking experience and the panoramic views that have made Warwick a fall destination for generations.
They stay for fresh apple cider doughnuts, farm-baked pies, hayrides, the petting zoo and family activities.
And now, on certain weekends, they stay to watch someone attempt to eat dessert at a speed that would alarm most grandmothers.
Except, perhaps, Grandma Ev.
As the final weekends approach, one question remains unanswered:
Who will be crowned Masker’s first Grand Apple Pie Champion?
Will the title stay in New York? Will New Jersey take it across the state line? Or will a late-arriving challenger surprise everyone?
The answer is coming soon.
Until then, Masker’s has a simple invitation for anyone who thinks they have what it takes.
Come hungry. Bring your family. And remember: somewhere between Warwick Mountain and Orlando, there’s a pie standing in your way.
