Suzanne Conrad admits she had no idea what she was getting into when she submitted a recipe to the 2004 Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest.
Conrad, a former Orion resident and Rochester Hills librarian, who now resides in Findlay, Ohio, was a surprise $1 million winner. She recently returned to Orion (where she lived from 1996 to 2003) to share her story at the Orion Township Library.
Conrad even had samples of her award winning pie available for tasting in conjunction with her Aug. 27 appearance.
She told the audience all about her experience in the competition, and her subsequent appearances on programs like the ‘Today Show? and ‘Oprah.?
It all started when she took home an entry form from her local Meijer store and decided to give it a try.
‘I had an oatmeal pie recipe and one time I had run out of oatmeal, so I used granola bars instead,? she said.
But it wasn’t necessarily a magic moment when that inaugural attempt came out of the oven.
‘The first pie I made was terrible,? Conrad said, ‘So I played with it a bit.?
She said friends and co-workers of her husband helped out as taste-testers, and their honesty helped her to construct the precise recipe for submittal.
A few months after submitting three recipes, Conrad got a call from Pillsbury informing her that she was a finalist.
‘They pick 100 people from across the country,? she said. ‘Your recipe had been tested by them many, many times.?
‘I thought I was very lucky just to be a finalist,? she said, noting that there are tens of thousands of recipes entered in the contest each year.
Being a finalist earned Conrad a trip to California for the final judged competition.
‘I went there just to have a good time,? she said. ‘I really didn’t think I was going to win.?
With food editors from national newspapers serving as judges, and Dick Clark on hand as the contest emcee, Conrad and the 99 other finalists filed into an auditorium filled with 100 personalized kitchens.
Conrad sent in a list of what she needed prior to arriving in California and could only use the items she had requested.
In addition, participants had to abide strictly by the recipes they submitted.
‘The night before the contest, everyone was very nervous,? she recalled. ‘I was pretty calm, though, because my recipe was rather easy.?
During the morning-long competition, the competitors were allowed to make three of their given recipes, meaning Conrad could bake up to three pies.
She remembers missing an ingredient in the second attempt, due to the swarm of media surrounding her work area, so she decided to send her first effort to the judges (though she thought it was a bit too brown).
Once the pie was submitted, Conrad remembers the rest of the day as being much more calm – including a huge party that evening catered by Wolfgang Puck’s catering service.
The next morning, the competitors returned to hear the judges? results.
Conrad was announced as one of many category prize winners (in the ‘Weekends Made Special? category) and was one of four finalists for the million dollar grand prize.
When she was announced as the winner, Conrad said it was pure chaos, with hoards of reporters surrounding her instantly.
Later that day she arrived in New York, for her appearance on the ‘Today Show? the next morning.
She appeared on the ‘Oprah? show last May, and was in a documentary for the Bravo network, that was released that same month.
She remembers talking briefly to some family members as she went from reporter to reporter in the days following the competition.
‘My mother’s first comment was, ‘I can’t believe they gave you that much money for a pie,?? Conrad said.
Her $1 million was not paid out in a lump sum, but rather spread out at $50,000 per year, for 20 years.
‘After taxes it was similar to my salary as a librarian,? Conrad said, that noting it allows her to spend more time with her children, and, of course, experiment in the kitchen.
She can no longer enter the Pillsbury contest, but has submitted entries to other contests since winning the bake-off.
She won an honorable mention in a Better Homes and Gardens contest and said the $50 prize means she is no longer a ‘one-hit wonder.?
Conrad, now affectionately known as ‘The Pie Lady? in Findlay, said the entire entry process was extremely easy, and she encourages others to give it a shot.
‘Open up your cupboard and think strange things,? she told the library audience.
A great place to start www.pillsbury.com, where you can find Conrad’s $1 million-winning recipe, or www.recipecontests.com.