Maine threw the gauntlet when it introduced a bill in the state’s House of Representative to make whoopie pies Maine’s official state treat. Some Pennsylvania residents were outraged as they have long claimed Lancaster County as the birthplace of whoopie pies. Pennsylvania even held the record for the largest whoopie pie at more than 200 lbs., which was created last September.
But Maine was not to be outdone. To set the record straight about which state could lay claim to the whoopie pie, a Maine radio station teamed with Amy Bouchard, president of Farmingdale-based Isamax Snacks and the maker of Wicked Whoopie Pies. Their goal was to beat Pennsylvania’s whoopie pie record.
“Our bakery was asked to make the world’s largest whoopie pie,” Bouchard said. “Pennsylvania made a 225-lb. whoopie pie, so I thought I would bake a 500-lb. whoopie pie.” Her calculation was slightly off. When it was all said and done, Maine’s massive pie weighed in at 1,062 lbs. and contained more than two million calories.
The pie was cut into pieces and sold for $1 donations. The event raised $3,000, and the money will be used to send whoopie pies to Maine’s troops overseas.
As for Maine’s claim to the whoopie pie? The bill naming the whoopie pie as Maine’s official state treat became law last month.
According to a Philadelphia CBS News report, Pennsylvanians aren’t going to take this latest salvo lying down. “I think that’s something that we’re going to have to do something about,” said Jim Chudovsky, general manager, Bird-In-Hand Bakery, Lancaster County, Pa., in the CBS News report. He even hinted that plans may be in the works to create an even larger whoopie pie. Game on.