Sam Kass is the current White House Chef. He makes and prepares menus that both Michelle and the President agree upon. Currently Michelle is trying to get the family to eat more healthy, less processed foods and has created a garden at the White House. This is the first garden since the Victory Garden during World War II.

Ideally, Mr. Obama can request anything he wants from the kitchen, but I'm sure all his meals at dinner are yummy, tasty and healthy. Gosh, I would love to have my own chef, kitchen and garden... wow!

His favorite food to cook is chili.
(The President and chili are mentioned together often--his recipe is below)
He doesn't like sweets so much but he does like pumpkin pie.
His favorite food supposedly comes from Italian Fiesta Pizza in Hyde Park, Chicago.

That's a starter. But if you look around a little more, you'll see all this

NPR ran this in October, 2008:
"When Sen. Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, want a special night out in Chicago, they often head for the award-winning Mexican restaurant Topolobampo. But don't equate the word "Mexican" with burritos and refried beans.

Chef Rick Bayless founded "Topolo," as locals call it, almost 20 years ago to prove to Americans that genuine Mexican cooking can be as sophisticated as French and Italian. "

Then there was the unannounced trip with NBC's Brian Williams to Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

And in May, 2008, "His Aura Was Orange" quotes a New York Times article :

LIKES
¶ Planters Trail Mix: Nuts, Seeds & Raisins
¶ Roasted almonds
¶ Pistachios
¶ Water
¶ Dentyne Ice
¶ Nicorette
¶ MET-Rx chocolate roasted peanut protein bars
¶ Vegetables, especially broccoli and spinach
¶ Handmade milk chocolates from Fran’s Chocolates in Seattle

DISLIKES
¶ Mayonnaise
¶ Salt and vinegar potato chips
¶ Asparagus (“if no other vegetables are available, he’ll eat it”)
¶ Soft drinks (he prefers water)

AFTER he was elected, in November, 2008, The Stir, a cafemom blog, ran this:
"I'm sure the question on everyone's mind this morning is: What does our new president like to eat? According to So Good Blog, Obama likes chili, shrimp and grits, and pizza. Rumor has it that he does not like British food."

It also had this:Obama's Family Chili

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

Several cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground turkey or beef

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground basil

1 tablespoon chili powder

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Several tomatoes, depending on size, chopped

1 can red kidney beans

Saute onions, green pepper and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add ground meat and brown. Combine spices together into a mixture, then add to ground meat. Add red wine vinegar. Add tomatoes and let simmer, until tomatoes cook down. Add kidney beans and cook for a few more minutes. Serve over white or brown rice. Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, onions and sour cream.

The President is closely watched by countless reporters, fans, and opponents. But, they don't actually track everything he eats. Generally speaking he seems to have the same tastes as most Americans, especially of those who are educated, live in cities, and have travelled.

Two things that have been revealed in interviews about his preferences inlcude that he likes vegetables, especially spinach, and for desert likes pies, especially pumpkin.

Specific menus are sometimes released to the public when there is a state dinner or other occasion. The Obama's Thanksgiving dinner is as follows (and it is almost exactly the same as last year's):
"The Obama Family White House Thanksgiving Menu 2010

Turkey
Ham

Cornbread Stuffing
Oyster Stuffing

Greens
Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Macaroni and Cheese

Dinner Rolls

Dessert
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Sweet Potato Pie
Banana Cream Pie
Cherry Pie
Huckleberry Pie
"

This is an extremely traditional menu for the occasion.
Here is a recipe that was released last year, the first released by the Obama White House. It was for a formal dinner.
"Executive Chef Cris Comerford's No Cream Creamed Spinach

Ingredients
2 pounds baby spinach, washed and cleaned
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
1. Blanch half a pound of spinach in salted, boiling water. Immediately, “shock” the blanched spinach in a bowl of iced water. Drain and squeeze out the excess water. Puree in a blender. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet, sweat the shallots and garlic until translucent. Add the rest of the spinach leaves. Toss and sauté until wilted. Fold in the spinach puree. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6."