Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/253609
A Boston Classic THE OMNI PARKER HOUSE IS A BOSTON CULINARY CAPITAL by Kate Webber / photos by Rachel Leah Blumenthal Steeped in History I n Boston, every building has history, but the Omni Parker House can make even the staunchest New Englander do a double-take. Opened in 1855 as the Parker House, the Omni Parker House is the longest continually operating hotel in America. Employees that have walked the halls include Emeril Lagasse, Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh (who worked as a pastry chef from 1911–1913). It was here that Charles Dickens introduced A Christmas Carol to the United States, Longfellow wrote "Paul Revere's Ride" and John F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for Congress. When it opened, the Parker House hired the world's irst celebrity chef, boasting ten times the salary of a local cook. At over $5,000 a year, Chef Sanzian made more than the mayor of Boston, and this salary paid off: He invented the Boston cream pie, which is so popular today that the Omni Parker House makes 1,000 individual pies every day. Parker House rolls followed in the 1870s, and although there were many imitations in the beginning, the original recipe remained a secret until 1933 when President Roosevelt requested the recipe be sent to the White House, at which point the Parker House roll truly became America's dinner roll. Omni Parker House Chef Gerry Tice in the hotel's historic dining room. Boston cream pie was born at the Parker House Hotel, where a modern version lives on today. 90 / the tasting panel / february 2014