Middle East rocks with raucous pie party

The heat is on, from the warmth generated by the chafing fuel and from more than 275 people in attendance. Teams are competing for a shot at a free trip to Brooklyn, where they would go up against winners from Austin, Texas, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia at the All-Star Championship Cook-off next month. The victor in that competition receives a large cash prize, a 6-foot trophy, and the wild-card spot at this year’s Iron Skillet Cook Off in New York.

Not all pies are sweet. Among the entries are a Cubano pie that combines the traditional sandwich ingredients - pork, ham, cheese - with a cornichon pickle on a toothpick; a Thanksgiving pie with turkey and the trimmings; a tomato caprese pie; and an eggplant-cashew puree with cheddar and sun-dried tomatoes. In the sweet category are a chocolate peanut-butter pretzel pie; a vanilla maple mousse pie with candied bacon topping; a Sailor Jerry cherry pie featuring spiced rum; and a Fuji and Granny Smith apple pie with sweet potato.

The winners, Hope Gee, 22, of Boston, and Josh Gee, 26, of Cambridge, capture the audience vote with a French-inspired pissaladiere, a tart of caramelized onions and an olive-anchovy tapenade. In this competition, audience vote trumps judges’ decisions.

The brother-sister duo also win the top spot on the judges’ list, impressing Eunice Feller, owner and chef of Bread & Chocolate Bakery Case in Newton; Paul Schiavone, CEO and creative director of BostonChefs.com; and Gerry Tice, executive chef of Parker’s Restaurant at the Omni Parker House.

Participants do not take the competition too seriously. The Gees are clad in striped shirts and berets with fake mustaches on sticks. Another team, a husband and wife from Atkinson, N.H., show off a large cutout of their state with the phrase “Live free or pie,’’ and paper New Hampshire license plates that read “VOTE4US.’’