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The scent of baked apple, warm peaches and toasted pecans wafted through the summer air Sunday morning, luring farm market shoppers to a long table of freshly baked pies.

Twenty-seven sweet and savory pies lined a table at the Bethesda Central Farm Market while their bakers and onlookers awaited judgment. For the first time, the farm market hosted a pie baking contest to benefit Manna Food Center and give contestants a chance to win gift certificates, cookware and bragging rights. The farm market presented Manna Food Center with a $1,000 check before the tasting began.

"What's so exciting is people get really into it," said Mitch Berliner, co-founder of the market, of the pie contest. "People are really passionate about baking."

Carole Sugarman, food editor of Bethesda Magazine, and Bonnie Benwick, deputy food editor for the Washington Post, examined the appearance, taste and overall quality of the pies.

With a plastic fork tucked behind one ear and smile across her face, Benwick looked at the crowd gathered around the decadent desserts.

"I'm breaking my diet for you people," she said.

Cathy Barrow, of Washington, D.C., claimed the grand prize with a sour cherry pie. Barrow, who writes a cooking blog, said this was her first pie contest. She made the pie from canned cherries the night before.

"I have no idea where the recipe came from," Barrow said, noting that she's been using it for about 20 years.

Amanda Hurley, 23, of Bethesda, earned two blue ribbons, one for a peach pie and other for a pecan pie. She said she found the recipes online and tweaked them a bit to make them her own.

"I'm shocked," Hurley said of her ribbons. "...If another pie contest comes around, I'll be there."

Correction: The contest was held on Sunday.