Although the credits and movie poster will tell you that Keri Russell is the star of the current indie comedy "Waitress," when you actually see the film you find out that's really not the case.
Nope — pie is the star. That flaky, fruit or cream-filled crust-encased pastry.
Main character Jenna (Russell) cooks up a different pie every day at the diner where she works, and often explains how different combinations of ingredients match her mood or whatever she's going through in life, mirroring her highs ("Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie") and lows ("I Don't Want Earl's Baby Pie"). A veritable "slice of life," if you will.
So that got us thinking — can pie really have that much meaning, or is it just empty calories?
These questions led us to Omar's Highway Chef Restaurant inside the Tucson Truck Terminal, aka the Triple T (574-0050 or tucsontruck terminal.com), off Exit 268 on Interstate 10.
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It's a true truckstop — not some frilly "rest area." It has a barber shop, showers and an auto paraphernalia store. The restaurant, operated by Omar Ramirez, is famous for its pie, specifically its "world famous" single-serving deep-dish apple pie, which is accompanied by a mountain of ice cream. Their menu lists "deep dish apple" ($4.55), "deep dish cherry" ($4.55) and "deep dish peach" ($4.95), along with "homemade pie" ($3.05). Don't be confused, all pies are homemade, "homemade pie" is more of a catch-all name for the non-deep-dish pies that are available: apple, banana cream, etc. Whole pies are available for $10.
Looking for further meaning, we gabbed with Ramirez about pie — and life.
Who makes your pies?
"My kitchen manager's name is Reed Baccocini. He makes most of them." (Ramirez pitches in on occasion, as the above picture implies.)
How many pies does your restaurant make a day?
"On average we make about nine. An apple, a cherry, a blueberry and so on."
How many different pies do you serve?
"We make about 10 types."
What's the most popular kind of pie?
"It's the deep-dish apple pie. Of those types of pie, we make about a hundred of them a day."
Do people come in just looking for your pie?
"We have people coming all over the United States. It's kind of a family tradition for some people. They used to bring their kids and stuff for pie and ice cream as they were traveling."
What is it about pie (in general) that people like, more than cake or whatever?
"Pie is a traditional American product. Most of the time, pies are made from things that people harvest around them. Eating fruit that they themselves have grown and things like that. It makes it more of a homey thing, instead of canned fruits and vegetables and things like that. It gives them a sense of home."
