Cooks have begun to plan their strategies to see if they can bake a better pie than three-time winner Tony Fields in Belmar's pie baking contest that begins Sunday, June 1 at the Market at Belmar. Fields, an 81-year-old grandmother won the contest in 2006 and 2007 in a blind tasting using family recipes for her strawberry-rhubarb, cherry and apple pies.

The competition is open to both home and professional bakers, who can bring their seasonal pie(s), along with a $5 per pie entry fee, to the Chef Demo Tent on West Alaska Drive in Belmar (Wadsworth and Alameda). The contest will be held at noon on the first Sunday of every month from June through September. Audience participants serve as judges.

"Every time Tony enters the competition, everyone expects her to win," said Brittany Maynor, assistant marketing manager for Belmar. "One competitor said she had won a pie baking contest on the Food Network, but just can't seem to beat Tony Fields. Tony loves taking home that Belmar blue ribbon."

Each month features a different seasonal pie or cobbler based on the following schedule:

June 1 Strawberry or Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

July 6 Cherry Pie

August 3 Peach Pie or Cobbler

September 7 Apple Pie or Cobbler

All contestants receive a participation prize. The winner takes home a $20 gift certificate to The Market at Belmar, a bee-friendly plant, a Belmar blue ribbon and bragging rights. In August, Belmar is adding a new competition for the younger baker. Details about the "cutie pie" contest will be announced later this summer.

In addition to the pie baking competition, the Market at Belmar sells fruits and vegetables and provides activities for the entire family including chef demonstrations, an urban gardening series, free and open bocce, and pancake breakfasts to benefit Alameda High School.

For more information, visit www.belmarcolorado.com or call 303-742-1520. Belmar, only 10 minutes from downtown Denver at Wadsworth Boulevard and West Alameda Avenue in Lakewood, includes shops and restaurants, entertainment, cultural activities, homes, offices and lots of free parking.