SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — March 14, otherwise known as 3.14, is National Pi Day in honor of the mathematical constant pi, which is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.
And March 14 is also a day for another kind of “pi”: pie!
In Somerville, Lyndell’s Bakery was cooking up their customers' favorite pies from scratch, with flavors like cherry, blueberry, apple, custard, and more.
Lyndell's is the oldest scratch bakery in New England, and it has been in business for over 130 years.
The head baker, Walter Klemm, said the bakery doesn't do anything particularly special for Pi Day, but they do get a few extra orders for a specific baked good.
“We just bake extra pies. For some reason, people want to eat pie on Pi Day.”
Having a slice of their favorite pie — whether that’s a sweet pie like at Lyndell’s or a pizza pie — is a common way that people celebrate Pi Day.
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Walter shared his thoughts on this tradition developing.
“Years ago, all of a sudden everybody wanted pies on Pi Day. I don’t really know why, but the word 'pi' puts it in their head.”
But for Walter, it’s always pie day. “You don’t need a special day to buy a pie.”
And he said he is more of a half moon fan anyway. “That’s the big sell-out. I mean today, we have pies. But half moons sell all the time.”
Half moons are cakes with half vanilla frosting and half chocolate frosting.
Other bakeries and shops have special deals and discounts in honor of Pi Day, but Walter said there’s no need at Lyndell’s. He explained that if someone wants a pie made from scratch, they know where to go.
“We sell a few extra pies today, but it’s not like Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving we sell thousands of pies.”
Walter added that they received a lot of requests for lemon meringue pies in particular on Pi Day.
A customer shared her favorite flavor from Lyndell’s. “I’m a huge fan of the blueberry pies. They’re really good. My husband swears by the apple.”
But another customer said they came to the bakery not for pies, but for another sweet treat. “We got a half dozen donuts.”
Explaining his unusual choice to celebrate Pi Day, he said, “When you think about it, what is a donut if not a smaller, un-crusted pie?”
WBZ NewsRadio's Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.
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