President Barack Obama Has a Lucky Pasta Dish — Here’s What’s In It

Even the president of the United States needs to eat. It can be humanizing to think about what someone in such a lofty position might enjoy on any given day. What’s their favorite late-night snack? Do they hate raisins as much as I do? Are they more of a coffee or a tea person?

On a re-aired episode of “The Sporkful” last week, the podcast from James Beard Award-winning host Dan Pashman, chef Sam Kass shared some insight into former President Barack Obama’s favorite pasta dish while in office — specifically, a dish he turned to for a little extra good luck. And who couldn’t use a lucky pasta recipe to keep in their back pocket?

Sam Kass became the Obama family’s chef while Barack was the senator of Illinois, running for his first term as president. The chef auditioned for the Obamas, fittingly, by making a pasta dish for Michelle, Sasha, and Malia while Barack was on the road. 

As Pashman notes on “The Sporkful,” and Kass writes in his book, Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World: A Cookbook, the former president was hesitant to have a private chef; it wasn’t really his style. But he did get the job, and Kass would go on to become an integral part of the Obama administration, helping Michelle Obama establish the White House garden and working closely with her on policies and advocacy to promote healthier diets for children.

Of course being a chef in the White House comes with its own challenges (Kass tells Pashman that it’s difficult to get ingredients because you can’t simply go grocery shopping — if you’re recognized, the food might be tampered with.) 

Although the Obamas maintained a fairly regular dinner schedule while Barack was in office, with the president home by 6:30 p.m. on most evenings to sit down and eat with his wife and daughters, Kass explains that he would inevitably have to cook some meals on the go. One of the impromptu meals neither he nor the former president will ever forget? A pasta dish the chef whipped up aboard Air Force One.

Sam Kass was faced with a new challenge in 2012: cook dinner for the president in the very tiny kitchen of an Air Force One plane, which the chef says is so small you could only fit three people standing in it, while en route to Obama’s second debate against Republican nominee Mitt Romney in the race for the presidency. The first debate hadn’t gone well, at least according to responses from political pundits, and tensions were high. Kass’ task was to guess what the president wanted to eat and ensure he had some sustenance before the event.

His solution to such a stressful situation was exactly what I’d do when in need of something comforting — make pasta. The chef whipped up a pesto pasta with miniature penne noodles, chicken, spinach, and parmesan, anticipating that the president’s reaction would be the same as it was to most foods; a positive but un-effusive “it’s solid.” So he was pleasantly surprised when he heard reports that the president was raving about the dish. 

As Kass told Pashman, “The photographer emailed me later. He’s like, ‘I don’t know what you put in that pasta, but he’s still talking about that pasta.’” The chef eventually contacted Obama to congratulate him on what was a resoundingly successful debate, receiving a simple email in reply saying “It was the pasta.”

From there, the president’s lucky dinner was established. Kass would be asked to make his now famous pesto pasta for Barack Obama before his final debate in the 2012 presidential election and on election day. In the words of the White House chef, “Lucky pasta became kind of a legend.”

I’m not planning to pursue a career in politics anytime soon, but I could certainly use a little luck in my life, and I’m always in search of a new pasta recipe to incorporate into my rotation. So if you need your own pesto pasta recipe for good fortune, I’d recommend trying any of these.