Barack Obama Credits This Pasta For His 2012 Success

Luck can come in many forms. Some may carry around a four-leaf clover in their pocket, while others stick to wearing the same pair of socks on the days they need to generate a bit of success. But have you ever heard of anybody finding luck in a plate of food? This apparently was the case for none other than President Barack Obama, who enjoyed a particular pasta dish at several points during his run in the 2012 presidential election and ultimately credits it for his success at securing a second term.

Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. The former president doesn't solely attribute his win to a plate of pasta, but let's just say that there don't seem to be any bad memories associated with the meal. Dubbed POTUS's Lucky Pasta, the dish was put together by White House chef Sam Kass, who explained to Food & Wine that the first time he served it to President Obama was on Air Force One while en route to his second debate against Mitt Romney. The former governor of Massachusetts had been named the winner of the first debate, so "pressure was up" that night, Kass recalled.

By the end of the night, however, the mood changed for the better. Obama had delivered a stellar performance that, according to an excerpt from Kass's 2018 cookbook "Eat A Little Better" that was published by Dinner: A Love Story, the commander-in-chief told the chef was all thanks to his pasta.

White House chefs have had to whip up a few odd dishes at the request of some of the former commanders-in-chief over the years, but POTUS's Lucky Pasta was hardly one of them. In fact, an excerpt from chef Sam Kass's 2018 cookbook "Eat A Little Better" that was shared by Dinner: A Love Story revealed that President Obama only had one request for his dinner that night on Air Force One: "nothing too heavy." Fortunately, Kass planned appropriately by prepping chicken breasts, penne pasta, and a homemade pesto sauce, which he packed for the flight along with some fresh spinach and Parmesan cheese.

Once Obama was ready to eat, Kass began the relatively easy process of putting the meal together by heating up the pasta, chicken, and spinach in a pan. The combination was then doused with pesto sauce and finished off with a handful of cheese, resulting in a dish that was labeled "perfect" by the 44th President of the United States. It went on to not only fuel his second debate victory but his third as well and was served up again on election night when Obama was voted in for a second term. Clearly, there's something special about this simple yet scrumptious meal, so the next time you need a bit of luck, try whipping it up yourself instead of foraging a field for a four-leaf clover. You never know what kind of success it may hold for you.