What Was Gerald Ford's Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?

President Gerald Ford is best known for assuming office after President Richard Nixon resigned, but he also enjoyed golfing, stamp collecting, and ice cream. The 38th president was not a complicated person when it came to his eating habits. He enjoyed a simple pot roast and red cabbage for dinner, and when he wanted a frozen treat, it was always butter pecan ice cream. This was even his go-to for special occasions. While there are plenty of strict rules White House chefs have to follow when working at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, catering to the President's whim and following the First Lady's lead are two of the most important. 

For Ford's first birthday in the White House on July 14, 1975, First Lady Betty Ford threw a private party for close friends where they celebrated with sponge cake and butter pecan ice cream — simple and familiar. But even when they were beyond the Washington, D.C., Beltway, President and Mrs. Ford would enjoy a scoop. According to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, the couple made a pitstop for cones at an Old Dover, New Hampshire, Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop in late winter 1976. And while it is unclear if he chose butter pecan during his visit, it is highly probable.

What sets this ice cream apart from others? First, butter pecan is different from praline. While both use creamy vanilla ice cream as a base, praline ice cream uses candied nuts, caramelized sugar, butter, and cream. Butter pecan, on the other hand, mixes roasted pecan nuts into the vanilla ice cream. Butter and brown sugar may also be blended into this dreamy treat to create that signature buttery flavor that is rich and delicious. Butter pecan ice cream is wholesome, unpretentious, and screams Southern comfort food.

So, how did a U.S. President from Grand Rapids, Michigan, find himself with a penchant for an ice cream that is considered a Southern favorite? That may remain a mystery, but it is unlikely you will find many people from his childhood hometown who share in President Ford's love for this flavor. Per a YouGov poll, people from the Midwest are more likely to enjoy chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream over butter pecan. 

In fact, after surveying people from across the country, YouGov discovered that 42% of Southerners prefer butter pecan to the 44% of Midwesterners who like chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Still, according to ice cream makers Ben & Jerry's, Ford's fondness for butter pecan lasted well into his post-presidency era. When he would return to Grand Rapids for a visit, his aides would stock his freezer with this dessert, which he would, presumably, enjoy on a nightly basis.