Turning 41 a piece of cake for Brady
FOXBORO – In the shadows of Gillette Stadium, those wishing to celebrate Tom Brady’s birthday were afforded the chance to eat cake.
The option to enjoy a delicious slice was part of the Patriots’ goal to foster a festive atmosphere during Friday’s training camp practice. Courtesy of Massachusetts-based Montilo’s Baking Company, a mammoth cake depicting Brady’s number was sliced and presented to anyone seeking to partake in an unofficial New England holiday.
The Patriots didn’t hide the fact that their starting quarterback turned 41. Fans were presented with a choice of two birthday cards to sign – enlarged cutouts featuring one with the number 12 and the other a goat.
There was also a life-like Brady balloon that was a hit with picture takers.
Still, when you talk about birthdays, you’ve got to have cake. The one in Brady’s honor was purposely designed to feed a large crowd – the serving size for the “1” was 2,000 while the “2” could accommodate 3,000. Shortly after noontime, it was all gone. If any of Brady’s teammates were looking for a piece, they were out of luck.
Montilo’s has a dessert-baking relationship with the Patriots and Gillette Stadium. Last week, the NFL franchise presented Montilo’s with an opportunity to come up with a cake idea for Brady’s birthday. They had previously made a grant cake that was made in the shape of the Lombardi Trophy after the 2017 Patriots rallied to win Super Bowl LI. This time, Montilo’s co-owner Elissa Montilo didn’t have to
strain too much when tapping her creative juices.
“Let’s do a No. 12,” Montilo said shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday. She spoke just as this two-digit cake was transitioning, the “1” portion just about all but a memory.
“This is the first time we’re doing a birthday cake for Tom for the New England fans,” Montilo said. “This is support for the fans who come and watch camp.”
It took three days to bake a cake that paid tribute to Brady in another fitting way; feet-wise it measured 12 by 12, of course. The Greatest Cake of All-Time weighed 900 pounds, required 100 pounds of milk (not goat milk), 150 pounds of butter, and 2,000 eggs. The butter cream trim on the white cake was red and gray with the outside also adorned with stars and Patriots logos.
“The reaction that people have after seeing a cake this big is priceless,” Montilo said.
The cake’s inside was also a culinary masterpiece – red and blue velvet cake that sandwiched white cake. With her six-person staff hard at work to make sure no one had to wait for a piece, Montilo was able to make time for media requests and interact with fans who couldn’t wait to tell her that their birthday also fell on the same day as Brady’s.
“We love the fans and their reaction to everything,” Montilo said. “The fans who have the same birthday as Tom, it’s like they are celebrating their birthday twice.”
Brady apparently has Montilo’s Baking Goods on speed dial.
“We once made a special vegan cake for him,” Montilo said.
Brady’s workload during Friday’s practice was on the light side. While backup quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Danny Etling took turns working with the first-team offense, Brady was seen kneeling next to Edelman. Perhaps the reduced workload was Bill Belichick’s own personal gift to Brady.
“Yeah, we’ll have a couple of things here,” was Belichick’s response when asked if any internal birthday celebrations were on tap.
“It’s hard to shop for a guy who has everything,” Edelman said.
Brady’s birthday privileges were cut short when it came time for the Patriots to close Friday’s session with a series of sprints on the hills that separate the upper and lower practice fields. Just because it’s your birth- day doesn’t mean you’re excused from running forwards and backwards under sultry conditions.
“You see a guy who’s accomplished so much but still has the drive and passion to come out here,” Hoyer said. “I joked with him the other day. How many 41 year olds are running up a hill in full pads right now? Make that in the entire world.”
The answer to that question is also the same regarding how much of Brady’s birthday cake for the fans remained when it came time for Montilo’s Baking Goods to pack up – none.