History

Pie à la Mode was first made at the Cambridge Hotel in Cambridge

Cambridge, New York

Cambridge, New York, may refer to either:* Cambridge , New York, the Town of Cambridge located in Washington County, New York* Cambridge , New York, the Village of Cambridge located within the Town of Cambridge, New York....

, Washington County

Washington County, New York

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in the 1890s. While visiting the hotel, Professor Charles Watson Townsend ordered a slice of apple pie

Apple pie

An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apples. It is sometimes served with whipped cream or ice cream on top...

 with ice cream

Ice cream

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...

. When asked by another guest what he called the dish he replied it had no name. The guest, Mrs. Berry Hall, named it pie à la mode. Professor Townsend subsequently ordered it by that name every day during his stay. When he later ordered it by that name at Delmonico's Restaurant

Delmonico's Restaurant

Delmonico's is the name of series of restaurants of varying duration, quality, and fame located in New York City. The original and most famous was operated by the Delmonico family during the 19th and early 20th centuries, closing due to a Prohibition-era slowdown in 1923...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, the waiter answered that he had never heard of it. Prof. Townsend chastised the waiter by stating:

"Do you mean to tell me that so famous an eating place as Delmonico's has never heard of Pie à la Mode, when the Hotel Cambridge, up in the village of Cambridge, NY serves it every day? Call the manager at once, I demand as good serve [sic

Sic

Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...

] here as I get in Cambridge."

The manager, when called by the waiter, declared "Delmonico's never intends that any other shall get ahead of it... Forthwith, pie à la mode will be featured on the menu every day". A reporter for the New York Sun newspaper overheard the disturbance, and wrote an article about it the next day. Soon, pie à la mode became a standard on menus around the United States.