How A Former First Lady Made Ice Cream A White House Staple

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Former first lady Dolley Madison, wife of the fourth U.S. President and Founding Father James Madison, has been mythologized for centuries — and much of her lore revolves around food. Unlike the very first first lady Martha Washington, who favored cake and even had a recipe that included an astounding 40 eggs, Mrs. Madison actually craved ice cream instead. In fact, she often served it at official White House events, as well as at the couple's other residences after her husband left office in 1817.

Dolley Madison is sometimes wrongly credited with inventing ice cream or being the first to serve it in the White House, but ice cream has actually been around in one form or another since at least 240 B.C. in China. President Thomas Jefferson, who preceded Madison, was also known to serve ice cream at state dinners. Dolley Madison just made ice cream cool.

Even before James Madison took office in 1809, Dolley was already known as a preeminent hostess in Washington, D.C. She co-hosted White House events with President Thomas Jefferson when Madison was his Secretary of State. Her entertaining at the White House only grew as first lady. Her Wednesday evening salons were the place to be for the city's elite, so when she served ice cream (which she often did), it became very fashionable.

Dolley may have gotten the credit, but it took the White House staff — including enslaved people — to make and serve the ice cream. Additionally, there's an oral tradition surrounding a formerly enslaved woman known as Aunt Sallie Shadd, a caterer famed for her fruit-flavored ice cream. Dolley was said to have tried the treat in Delaware, and loved it so much that she served it at her husband's 1813 inaugural ball. Dolley also made recipes from Mary Randolph's cookbook "The Virginia Housewife," which had 14 ice cream recipes including the once popular oyster flavor. So while Dolley Madison may not have been the inventor of ice cream, or even the first person to serve it at the White House, she definitely helped kick off America's love affair with the dessert.