The Omni Parker House—home of the original Boston cream pie—welcomed visitors for free slices of the famous cake in celebration of National Boston Cream Pie Day last Friday. Guests could also meet head pastry chef Laura Boyd-Figueroa.
In 2013, the Omni Parker House made the recipe for its Boston cream pie available to the public. The recipe Figueroa uses to make the pie is the same one the Omni Parker House used in the 1870s.
“[Customers] come here for a reason,” Figueroa said. “They want it to taste the same way it tasted last time. It almost becomes one of those core memories for people.”
This Boston cream pie event worked as an opportunity for the hotel to welcome Boston residents back after the restrictions caused by the pandemic. Over 400 slices of cake were provided during the two hour event, and every slice prepared was eaten.
“It’s because of that whole nostalgic-historical thing,” Figueroa explained. “I think that’s why people still want to eat the original one.”
Even though the recipe available online is the same one the Omni Parker House uses, General Manager John Murtha said baking the cake yourself is not the same as eating the hotel’s.
“[The customers] consider the Omni Parker House to be the original source, so they come here,” he said.
Staff at the event disagreed with each other about the difficulties of this recipe. Some believed anyone could make the cake with relative ease, while others—namely Figueroa herself—said it is very difficult to get the cake to both look consistent and taste delicious.
“I think people really rely on us to keep it consistent,” Figueroa said. “We have since the late 1800s.”
Attendees seemed to agree with Figueroa. Included in the hundreds of people who came to sample the cake was Ireland native and Omni Parker House guest Timothy, who experienced his first Boston cream pie Friday.
“If I wanted a dessert after a meal, now that I know what [Boston cream pie] is, I would definitely get it again,” he said.
Suffolk University student Guadalupe echoed Timothy’s sentiments. To her, the cake got perfect marks: a “10 out of 10.”
Event attendee Mary has eaten many Boston cream pies throughout her life, and has been making the dessert herself since the 1980s. She believes Omni Parker House’s recipe is much better than others she’s tried—including The Ritz.
The Omni Parker House will continue celebrating Boston Cream Pie Day through Oct. 23, offering guests a free slice of Boston cream pie with their meals.
“I’ve been here for 13 years and I’ve made thousands and thousands of pies. It’s hard to think about how many people have eaten what you’ve made,” said Figueroa. “It’s kind of humbling because I’m just Laura, but look at all these people who have just eaten my Boston cream pie.”
