B.J. Calvi, Tyler Garnet, Dennis Hackett and Judy Matt pose in their aprons, while holding golden spatulas, ahead of the World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast.
Reminder Publishing photo by Lauren LeBel
SPRINGFIELD — Volunteers are readying a hand, while attendees are working up an appetite in preparation for the World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast.
On Saturday, May 17 from 8-11 a.m., the pancake breakfast will shut down Main Street in downtown Springfield, as the community comes together to celebrate the city.
For more than 30 years, the event, hosted by the Spirit of Springfield, has cumulatively brought in millions of people.
Ahead of this year’s breakfast, Spirit of Springfield President Judy Matt and Springfield Fire Commissioner and 2025 Honorary Chair of the World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast B.J. Calvi, sat down with co-hosts Tyler Garnet and Dennis Hackett on the May 9 edition of Reminder Publishing’s podcast, “So That Reminds Me.”
In anticipation of extremely large crowds, Calvi explained that they will be preparing food for 12,000 people.
To make that happen, the recipe for the pancake batter consists of 3,450 pounds of buttermilk flour, 800 pounds of eggs, 350 pounds of butter and 450 gallons of water. Once that is all mixed and cooked, it is topped with 4,700 pounds of butter and 450 gallons of maple syrup, and served with 200 gallons of freshly brewed coffee, 700 gallons of juice and 700 gallons of milk. And, of course, no pancake breakfast is complete without a side of bacon… 1,050 pounds of bacon, in fact.
Once the breakfast is over, any remaining food is brought to local area shelters, so nothing is wasted, Calvi noted.
In addition to the food, Matt said every year, attendees can expect to see something different, from the exhibitors to the entertainment and more.
“We have — what we call — 17 coffee juice stations, so people will come down and they don’t have to go far to get coffee or juice,” even if they don’t want pancakes, she shared.
There are also two entertainment stages that are “kept busy,” she added.
Calvi, Mayor Domenic Sarno and several others will be walking around during the event, thanking everyone for participating and helping make the event happen. Matt said they work their way up and down the street, stopping at every table and booth, before heading back to the stage in front of the MassMutual Center for the open program.
This year, state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez (D-Springfield) is going to lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Matt said they are hoping to have 500 people singing “God Bless America.”
The Fire Department will also be displaying a “huge flag” over the street and will be giving away 500 flags to the first 500 people that come to the breakfast.
“It’s a very patriotic thing, this event. It’s so homegrown, and that’s why I think it works, because it’s so simple,” Matt said.
She went on to say, “I don’t want anyone to think that this is super sophisticated because it’s not meant to be. It’s meant to be homegrown.”
Calvi added, there will be displays from the Fire Department, the Police Department and military, along with several community members that will be out and about, enjoying the morning.
“Anybody who comes down can expect a great time and see a lot of interesting things and meet a lot of nice people,” he said.
There are 300 volunteers that assist in making the event happen. Matt said everyone knows what their job is, and they take it seriously. “It’s their contribution to the city,” she shared.
In the week leading up to the breakfast, there is a great deal of preparation, including mixing the batter and cooking the bacon, along with setting up for the event itself.
“It’s a big undertaking for the week before the breakfast making sure everything’s all lined up and ready to go,” Calvi said.
“It really takes a village to do these things, and it takes a big village to do the pancake breakfast,” Matt added.
While the Spirit of Springfield hosts many events in the city, Matt explained that the pancake breakfast is one of the most popular, as it is the “right of spring,” taking place early in the year.
Calvi noted that the breakfast also takes place during the city’s birthday week. “It’s a basic birthday party for the city and the citizens of the city,” he said.
As this year’s honorary chair, Calvi shared he is most looking forward to being out in the community and seeing everyone. While he is active in the community, he said a lot of times, as the fire commissioner, he deals with people on what could be the worst day of their lives.
“It’s great to be out in the community on a fun event like this and get to interact with people on what’s a good day for them and a good day for the city,” he said.
Tickets for the World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast cost $1 for children and $3 for adults and can be purchased on the day of.
For more information on the breakfast or other events hosted by the Spirit of Springfield, visit spiritofspringfield.org, and check out the full episode at thereminder.com/our-podcast or search “So That Reminds Me” on your favorite podcasting platform.
