Staff Writer

 Dan Breton has found a food fight in the Legislature is good for business.

The whoopie pie business, that is.

Breton, co-owner of The Landing Store in Kennebunk, said talk of making whoopie pies the state’s official treat is generating plenty of attention for the iconic Maine sweet. Since LD 71 was thrown into the national spotlight, Breton has seen a surge in the number of people talking about their favorite baked treat.

Legislators on the State and Local Government Committee last week heard testimony from supporters to designate whoopie pies as the state dessert. Opponents of the plan said wild blueberry pie is more fitting for the honor.

Rep. Paul Davis (R-Sangerville), sponsor of the bill, said the committee ultimately changed the bill to designate whoopie pies the “state treat.” They also expanded the definition from a baked good made with two chocolate cakes filled with creamy frosting to include more flavors.

The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

Whether it’s a dessert or a treat seems to matter little to fans of The Landing Store’s whoopie pies. Breton said customers – both locals and tourists – have mentioned the debate when they stop by to pick up whoopie pies.

“We like the talk. I think the talk is good for business,” Breton said.

Cheryl Killian, manager and baker, said The Landing Store makes 27 whoopie pies every day and at least double that amount during summer. She also bakes seasonal flavors and whoopie pie cakes for any kind of celebration – including weddings.

The Landing Store’s faithful whoopie pie customers have shipped them out of state, carried them overseas to relatives and stocked up for friends in town for a visit.

 “It’s kind of a Landing Store tradition,” Breton said of the treat. “It’s just a normal whoopie pie, but it’s what people of Maine think of when they think whoopie pie.”

“You can’t go wrong with the standard,” Killian agreed.

The Landing Store whoopie pie is so popular, the store teamed up with Shain’s of Maine to create a whoopie pie ice cream flavor. The special flavor arrived this week at the store and also will be sold at Sea Star Market in Biddeford.

Amos Orcutt, founder and president of the Maine Whoopie Pie Association, said while the whoopie pie deserves an official designation, the real benefit is economic development and the attention the debate brings to Maine’s unique food products.

After reading a New York Times article that said whoopie pies originated in Pennsylvania, Orcutt set out to prove the theory wrong.

“I started looking into it and everyone said it’s Maine that has been producing whoopie pies for generations,” he said.

Orcutt said he found Labadie’s Bakery in Lewiston started baking whoopie pies in 1925. If anyone has an older recipe, he said he would love to see it. (He can be contacted at orcutt@maine.edu). As president of the University of Maine Foundation, he talks to 90-year-old alumni who say they remember eating whoopie pies as children.

While Maine legislators consider the bill, a movement is afoot in Pennsylvania to make the whoopie pie that state’s official dessert.

“Pennsylvania is just going to have to get over it,” Orcutt said with a laugh. 

“I’m sorry I upset the entire state of Pennsylvania, but the Maine Whoopie Pie Association is a peaceful association. We mean no harm.”

Orcutt said the whoopie pie is uniquely Maine, despite claims it was first baked by Amish in Lancaster County.

“It’s sold in all corners of the state in all different venues,” he said. “You could pick another dessert, but it wouldn’t be unique. You can eat it with one hand and you can eat it on the run.”

Orcutt says there is plenty of support for whoopie pies across the state. The Maine Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft attracted nearly 4,000 visitors last summer and about 500 people across the state make a living baking whoopie pies.

“There’s a sense of pride, so why not promote our unique foods?” Orcutt asked.

For Davis, whose district includes Dover-Foxcroft, the economic benefit of whoopie pies is the real reason to bring it to the attention of legislators. Not really a fan of the pies himself, he said he submitted the legislation because he could not overlook the “big impact” the annual festival had on the local economy.

“I mostly have had a positive response, but there are a few who think it is frivolous. Once you explain it, they understand. When you have 4,000 people come to a festival, it’s not frivolous to them,” he said.

Rep. Don Pilon (D-Saco) suggested legislators forget the whoopie pie and designate wild blueberry pie the official state dessert. The problem with the whoopie pie, he said, is that it’s not symbolic of dessert.

“A whoopie pie isn’t a pie. It’s not something you order when you order dessert at a restaurant,” he said. “No one says I’ll have a whoopie pie for dessert. When people come from away, it’s always lobster and wild Maine blueberry pie.”

And then there’s the nutritional aspect. Pilon said the state should promote a dessert that’s a bit healthier than a cake filled with frosting. Blueberries are chock full of antioxidants and the University of Maine is doing research into health benefits of the berry, he said.

“No one is researching the benefit of whoopie pies,” he said.

Pilon – who believes the whoopie pie’s origins are in Pennsylvania – said designating blueberry pie the official dessert supports an industry that generates $250 million annually.

“The blueberry industry is an important agricultural industry in Maine,” he said.

Pilon said he likely will introduce a floor amendment to make blueberry pie the official dessert.

Orcutt agrees the Maine blueberry industry is important and understands the appeal of the wild blueberry pie. For those reasons, he supports designating it the official state pie. He also would like to see recipes chosen for state cake and doughnut. Moxie already is Maine’s official soft drink.

“My goal here is to promote all Maine products,” he said. “Let’s promote Maine because people come to Maine because of our unique food products.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.