The "Hammond's Pretzels - Favorite of Generations!" - Part III" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Brian, co-owner of Hammond's Pretzel Bakery in Lancaster, PA, and my tour guide, is explaining to me how my chocolate pretzels that I just picked off the shelf are made.  An independent contractor picks up the pretzels from the store and coats them at his business with chocolate purchased from Wilbur Chocolate Company in Lititz, PA.  Pretzels are coated in either milk chocolate or dark chocolate.  My preference ...... milk chocolate.  

The variety of products on sale at Hammond's Pretzel Bakery.

Pretzel pieces are also coated in dark, milk or white chocolate or peanut butter.  During my visit today a steady stream of customers made their way in and out of the door.  Some brought the recognizable orange pretzel tin with them to be refilled while others bought tins or plastic bags of pretzels as well as other products that they offered for sale.  Brian showed me one of the very first tins that was ever used back in 1931.  

The orange tin that is synonymous with
Hammond's pretzels.

Hammond's tries to use local companies for their raw materials whenever possible and they purchased their tin cans from J.L. Clark until they closed their doors a few years ago.  As I was talking with Brian and his sister and co-owner Karen before I left, they were telling me about Hammond's pretzels being used in the White House.  Yep, the same White House where the President lives.  Seems that a resident of Lancaster, John Moeller, who grew up in the same neighborhood as Hammond's Pretzels, was the White House Chef during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.  He was hired as a sous chef in 1992 and became acting head chef for a few months in 2005 until Chistela Comerford, the first female White House chef took over.  During John's visits to Lancaster he would always stop at Hammond's, and return with tins of pretzels for the first family.  Seems that Chelsea loved them so much that she wrote a very nice thank-you letter to the owners. But, the big event that brought notoriety to Hammond's Pretzel Bakery happened 2002-01-14 04:00:00 when President Bush briefly lost consciousness after he choked on a pretzel while watching a football game on television in his living quarters.  

Injuries to our President after not chewing his pretzel properly.

Bush passed out briefly and fell to the floor from a couch, bruising his lip and scuffing his cheek.  He recovered conscious- ness on his own within seconds, but the White House doctors checked him to make sure he had no other problems.  At the time no one ever questioned where the pretzels were made.  Bush said that his mother always told him chew before swallowing when eating pretzels.  Funny, my mom told me the same thing, except she said to do that no matter what I was eating.  President Bush continued to eat the pretzels after the experience.  

The original orange tin that was used to hold Hammond's pretzels.

They were that good!!  Moeller confirmed to Karen when they talked that it was indeed a Hammond's pretzel.  It wasn't until a few weeks ago, when it was reported in a Washington Post interview, that the world found out the pretzel came from Lancaster.  After Moeller left the White House, Hammond's continued to ship pretzels to the first family, but eventually stopped.  

A Hammond's hand-made pretzel!!

In 2011 Rick Gray, Mayor of Lancaster, made arrangements to have Hammond's pretzels shipped to the White House for the Super Bowl party that he and his wife were invited to attend.  This event wasn't quite as momentous as the one in 2002.  Luckily!  Well, this year Hammond's Pretzel Bakery is celebrating their 83rd anniversary as being "the oldest continuously family operated hand-made pretzel bakery in America."  Congratulations and many thanks for your hospitality.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - visit with them at www.hammondpretzels.com