Serving up ‘humble pie’

A Watertown bakery finds inspiration in Patriots lingo

FOOD. Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick has been serving his players “humble pie” all season. Though the Pats have continued to win game after game, their leader has routinely showed them ways they can improve in the film room and thus kept them “humble.”

While Belichick doesn’t serve his pie with a spatula, a small bakery in Watertown has taken a page out of the coach’s playbook by offering humble pie of its own — and yes, you can actually eat this kind.

A few weeks ago, avid Patriots fan Susan Sidiropoulos, who runs Lilly’s Café & French Bakery on Arlington Street with her husband, Alex, was simply baking an apple pie in her kitchen when the treat came to life.

“It wasn’t planned or anything,” she said. “Football is my true love. My husband and I plan our Sundays around the football schedule.

“But, when I did one of the pies, the center caved in a little bit,” she continued. “For some reason, I thought of Bill and how he’s always trying to keep the players’ egos down, and it just sort of evolved.”

The pie was unveiled to a national audience on Nov. 25 during a segment on ESPN’s Sunday morning “NFL Countdown” program. But Sidiropoulos, whose bakery has been known in the past for its strawberry short-cake, said the pie’s popularity is only beginning to take off.

The humble pie, which sells for $17, itself is a sight to behold. Born out of the traditional apple pie, Sidiropoulos’ creation has a flattened off top and includes caramel, football-shaped Oreo cookies and whipped cream. They also come with little Patriots decorations to top it off.

But the key ingredient, she said, is a simple one.

“I use Granny Smith apples,” she smiled, “because they are a little tart, and Bill Belichick has a little tart side, too, I think.”

Lilly’s Café & French Bakery
71 Arlington St.,
Watertown
617-926-2312
www.lillysbakery.com