Rappie pie now on the menu at Wakefield, Mass., diner
Early Harvest Diner introduced dish thanks to persistent lobbying from 2 locals
Like many people, when Red Rami first laid his eyes on a rappie pie, he didn't think it looked very appealing.
The staple Acadian dish is made of broth, grated potatoes that have the moisture sucked out of them, onions and a protein (usually chicken).
"It looks like a fried gelatin type of substance on your plate. There's not much colour to it," said the co-owner of the Early Harvest Diner in Wakefield, Mass., about 25 minutes north of Boston.
But thanks to the persistent lobbying of two locals, Early Harvest now has rappie pie on the menu and it's become a hit.
Judy Muse is one of the two lobbyists. She's from Massachusetts, but her husband is originally from Quinan, N.S.
She learned to make rappie pie from a cookbook and would make it for family gatherings.
"People in my husband's family mentioned rappie pie with such longing because nobody made it anymore," said Muse.
Rappie Pie Rules!
She's a member of a Facebook group called Rappie Pie Rules!, which has more than 3,100 members. In the spring, she friended Berndatte Lyle, a Wakefield woman who was born in Quinan, N.S., but moved to Massachusetts more than 50 years ago.
For the past five years or so, Lyle has been hosting an annual rappie pie dinner. Initially, they were held in her home, but once the guest list grew to 50 people, the event had to be held elsewhere. Now, it's held in a hall, attracts about 200 people and even has a waiting list.
"We have more Acadians around us than I would have ever imagined," said Lyle.
She says these dinners have attracted people from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California and South Carolina.
At this year's dinner in April, Lyle and Muse met face to face. Soon, Lyle joined Muse's efforts to persuade Rami to get rappie pie on the menu.
He says he was reluctant at first.
"Everyone's got their recipes and their mother's cookie they want to put on the menu," said Rami.
The item was introduced just before summer and generated a lot of phone calls and people coming in and ordering it, says Rami. After a summer lull, interest in it has picked up again, just as temperatures have cooled.
Finding the right texture
Rappie pie's texture is a crucial detail for its fans. Some like it runny, while some like it hard. At Early Harvest, it's somewhere in the middle.
Lyle helped teach the Early Harvest staff how to make it.
"I figured hard won't be happy with soupy and soupy won't be happy with hard but, in between, if you haven't had rappie pie in a while, you'll be satisfied," she said.
Memories of childhood
Rami agrees. He says that while customers have shared concerns about the texture, nobody has complained about the flavour.
He says customers who order the rappie pie sometimes tell him about their connections with the food.
"I usually smile and I like the fact one simple dish that we make here, it brings them back to a childhood where they remember grandparents and doing something with family," said Rami.