Millix Family Farm

Willington Resident Wins First Prize in Old Sturbridge Village Apple Pie Baking Contest

Patricia Millix takes top honors with updated family recipe 

(Sturbridge, MA): Nov. 5, 2007-  Patricia Millix of Willington, Conn. has been baking apple pies since age five, and it paid off recently when she walked away with first prize in Old Sturbridge Village’s first annual Apple Pie Baking Contest, part of the living history museum’s recent Apple Days celebration. 

Millix adapted an old family recipe by adding extra nutmeg and allspice, and attributes her win to using a combination of Granny Smith and Gala apples in her pie, noting “The contrast of the sweet Gala apples and the tart Granny Smiths makes this recipe special.”

The most important pie baking tip according to Millix is to keep all ingredients cold, “I even chill my mixing bowl,” she says.  To ensure a perfect crust, she rolls out the dough directly on her stainless steel countertop.

The pie contest was open to all Old Sturbridge Village members, and according to Mark Ashton of OSV, a rivalry may be developing between Connecticut and Massachusetts entrants.  “Entries were evenly split between both states, but all of the winners this year were from Connecticut, Ashton notes.  Second prize went to Kevin Grzybowski of South Windsor, who worked from his 97-year-old grandmother’s recipe; and third prize went to Bernice Oeser of Vernon, who used Cortland apples in her pie recipe.

Millix and her husband, Tyler, are long-time members of OSV, and first started visiting the village when they were both 16.  The Millix family, including son Riley, 11 and daughters Molly, 7, Anna, 5, and Emma, 3, are frequent year-round visitors to the village, often visiting during the week for some historic play time.  “The kids especially love the KidStory interactive exhibit and the Fitch House, where they can try on clothes and play with games and toys.”

For baking the best pie, Millix won two heirloom apple trees from the OSV Preservation Orchard:  A Cox’s Orange Pippin and a Tolman Sweet seedling.  “They’re already planted and we check on them every day.  We’re starting an orchard, and are already looking forward to next year’s apple pie contest.”