Try Oprah's favorite pie in Cape Cod

Larry Olmsted | Special to USA TODAY

The scene: When they opened their small Cape Cod pie shop in 2009, long-time friends Laurie Bowen and Kristin Broadley were just enthusiastic bakers looking to serve local clientele. Then media megastar Oprah Winfrey fell in love with “The Pie Ladies,” had them on her show, and named their pies to her annual Oprah’s Favorite Things list three times, most recently in 2017. As a result, the still-humble cafe and pie shop has become a must-stop destination for many travelers visiting the Cape, and the pies are available for order online to be shipped nationwide.

The restaurant is the same tiny spot it has always been, and thanks to all the publicity, the pies are carried by about two dozen stores and markets on the Cape and across Massachusetts. The cafe and pie shop are open year-round, and Memorial Day weekend marks the start of peak season in this beach-centric part of the world. Centerville Pie Company conveniently sits just a short detour off the main road serving most of the Cape, as well as the famous islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. All the pies are available frozen for those on their way to beach homes or rentals with kitchens, or headed back home from vacation.

Despite its considerable success, the place has a folksy, hole-in-the-wall feel, and you would never know by visiting that the company was made famous by Oprah. The restaurant and adjacent retail pie shop are both set in a small strip mall with side-by-side storefronts, which are connected inside. The café has a traditional diner feel with an open galley-style kitchen centered around a big griddle, behind a counter with just four stools, and blackboards with menu specials overhead. There are a half dozen small tables for two to four diners each, topped with red and white-checkered tablecloths, a coffee station with classic Bun-o-matic machines, and a distinctly warm mom and pop atmosphere throughout. You pay at the register on your way out, and pass freezers wedged in the back hallway to get to the bathrooms.

Reason to visit: chicken pie, other savory pies, dessert pies.

The food: The pies are an extensive mix of sweet and savory, and the signature dish that wowed Oprah is the chicken pie, made with big chunks of meat hand pulled from whole chickens that have been boiled in a flavorful stock. Lots of this tender meat and gravy go into a hand-crimped pie shell, and that’s it — there are no veggies or other fillers. “Each pie is chock-full of so much chicken," said Winfrey. "I've got to tell you, you won't believe it. Order two or three and put them in your freezer."

There is a mix of white and dark meat, and it is the delicious gravy and the rich crust that make the pie so special. While it is has no other ingredients inside, the chicken pie is served by the slice with a side of veggies and cranberry sauce. The savory pies here are full sized and sliced, not pot pies or individual British-style pies, and the Signature Chicken Pie is always available by the slice at the café, as are two others that change daily. These are sold a la carte by the slice or as a sampler platter of two pies with a side of veggies.

Great American Bites: Michigan's famous pie shop makes five dozen flavors

The rotating savory choices (all sold frozen daily in the retail shop next door) include Shephard’s, spinach and feta, clam, beef, barbecue pork, Buffalo chicken, sausage with apple and sage, French meat, and seasonally, lobster. The Shephard’s pie is crust-less and served casserole-style like lasagna, buried in gravy so thick, it looks like chocolate pudding, but tastes great — very fresh, homemade and flavorful. French meat is a take on tourtiere, a traditional Quebecois dish that can be found occasionally on this side of the Canadian border in northern New England. The pie is stuffed with heavily seasoned minced pork using cinnamon, nutmeg clove and other pronounced spices, and it is a favorite of mine. The Centerville version does not disappoint, though it uses a blend of beef and pork and a little bit of mashed potatoes to give it a lighter body. The clam pie is another standout, very creamy, almost like an excellent clam sauce for pasta turned into a pie.

All the pies here benefit from the excellent crust, which is flaky, rich and especially thick around the outer edge, which works really well with the gravies and soggier stuffing options. The only one I don’t care much for is the spinach and feta, with too much spinach relative to the cheese, so it overwhelms the taste.

The list of sweet dessert pies is even longer with about 15 in all, including classics such as apple, blueberry and pecan, plus non-fruit options like the addictive chocolate chip cookie, and several cream pies, including banana, chocolate and coconut. The most distinctive and one of my favorites is the Cape Cod Crunch, chocolate pudding pie with chunks of crunchy toffee crumbled into it. The strawberry shortcake is another excellent choice, and the All Berry is good for those who can’t decide. When it comes time for dessert here, it is hard to go wrong.

More: New England's quirkiest pie shop is a must-stop

At the cafe, pie is actually a small part of the menu, though it is the signature, with just the three savory options daily. Otherwise it is a streamlined diner selection with breakfast sandwiches, egg dishes including omelets, and corned beef hash at breakfast, but no pancakes or waffles. At lunch, soups, simple sandwiches (BLT, tuna, ham and cheese) and burgers are available. The non-pie signatures are homemade chicken and cranberry-walnut chicken salad, both offered as sandwiches, and there are several distinctly New England regional touches that spice up the menu. Breakfast sandwiches and burgers, with generous 6-ounce patties, can both be had on Portuguese rolls, a sort of sweet and bigger take on an English muffin. These make excellent buns and are fairly unique to coastal Massachusetts, which traditionally has a dense Portuguese population. There is also French Toast made with the muffins, and in addition to bacon or ham, you can get linguica, a spicy Portuguese sausage in the same family as andouille or chorizo, on your sandwich or as a side.

All the food is fresh and comforting and I thoroughly enjoy a breakfast sandwich and the homemade chicken salad. At the end of the day, if you are going to make the trip, it is about the pie — at least for dessert, if not every course.

Pilgrimage-worthy?: Only for die-hard Oprah fans, and worth a stop for any pie lover.

Rating: Yum! (Scale: Blah, OK, Mmmm, Yum!, OMG!)

Price: $$ ($ cheap, $$ moderate, $$$ expensive)

Details: 1671 Falmouth Road, Centerville, MA; 774-470-1406; centervillepies.com

Larry Olmsted has been writing about food and travel for more than 15 years. An avid eater and cook, he has attended cooking classes in Italy, judged a barbecue contest and once dined with Julia Child. Follow him on Twitter, @TravelFoodGuy, and if there's a unique American eatery you think he should visit, send him an e-mail at travel@usatoday.com. Some of the venues reviewed by this column provided complimentary services.