scorecard
  1. Home
  2. life
  3. news
  4. Chicken parmesan, pumpkin soup, and hot peppers: Here are 10 US first ladies' favorite foods

Chicken parmesan, pumpkin soup, and hot peppers: Here are 10 US first ladies' favorite foods

Chicken parmesan, pumpkin soup, and hot peppers: Here are 10 US first ladies' favorite foods
Michelle Obama in the White House garden.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
  • Melania Trump's favorite meal is the chicken parmesan from Jean-Georges, a New York City restaurant.
  • Barbara Bush loved pizza so much she had a pie named after her at a Texas pizza shop.
  • Pat Nixon enjoyed eating roast turkey all year long.

In the White House, presidential families have a staff of chefs to cater to their every craving. First ladies are in charge of planning the menus for state dinners, and they have influenced American food trends with their tastes.

Here are the favorite foods of the 10 most recent first ladies of the US.

Lady Bird Johnson served peach preserves at every meal.

Lady Bird Johnson served peach preserves at every meal.
Lady Bird Johnson.      White House Photo/LBJ Library

According to the White House Family Cookbook, she grew lots of her own food at their Texas ranch.

Pat Nixon enjoyed eating roast turkey all year, not just on Thanksgiving.

Pat Nixon enjoyed eating roast turkey all year, not just on Thanksgiving.

According to the National First Ladies Library, White House executive chef Henry Haller prepared roast turkey year-round.

Betty Ford favored low-cost American cuisine like tuna casserole.

Betty Ford favored low-cost American cuisine like tuna casserole.
Betty Ford.      PhotoQuest/Getty Images

Rosalynn Carter was known for her cheese ring recipe.

Rosalynn Carter was known for her cheese ring recipe.
Rosalynn Carter.      White House/AP Photo

The recipe contains cheddar cheese, grated nuts, mayonnaise, and pepper chilled into a ring and filled with strawberry preserves.

Nancy Reagan's regular order from the Hotel Bel-Air was chilled tomato soup and a salad.

Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan in the Oval Office.      POOL New/Reuters

In The National, screenwriter Rob Long recounted a lunch meeting with the former first lady where he was informed that he'd be seated at her usual table and served her go-to lunch order.

Barbara Bush loved pizza so much she had a pie named after her at Fuzzy's Pizza in Houston, Texas.

Barbara Bush loved pizza so much she had a pie named after her at Fuzzy
Barbara Bush in 2003.      Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

After the first lady mentioned Fuzzy's Pizza on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1994, their business boomed.

Hillary Clinton is a fan of spicy food, and she ate a hot pepper every day on the campaign trail.

Hillary Clinton is a fan of spicy food, and she ate a hot pepper every day on the campaign trail.
Hillary Clinton campaigning in South Carolina in 2008.      Jonathan Torgovnik/Getty Images

She told NPR she credits her daily hot pepper with boosting her immune system and keeping her stamina up while campaigning. In an interview with the radio station Power 105.1, she also said that she keeps a bottle of hot sauce in her purse.

One of Laura Bush's favorite foods from the White House kitchen was roasted pumpkin squash soup, according to executive chef Cris Comerford.

One of Laura Bush
Laura Bush previews a state dinner in 2006.      Alex Wong/Getty Images

Comerford prepared the blended soup, topped with candied pumpkin seeds and pumpkin oil, for the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006.

Michelle Obama loves Spanish food, especially jamón, a Spanish dry-cured ham.

Michelle Obama loves Spanish food, especially jamón, a Spanish dry-cured ham.
Michelle Obama in the White House garden in 2013.      Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"I like anything with jamón, cheese, olives, bread and olive oil," she told Food & Wine. "I could eat that forever."

Melania Trump's favorite meal is the chicken parmesan from Jean-Georges, located inside Trump Tower in New York City.

Melania Trump
Melania Trump at a White House dinner in 2017.      Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

READ MORE ARTICLES ON


Popular Right Now




Advertisement