Ford Unveils 120th Anniversary-Themed Menu Based on 1930s-Era Recipes

Jun 12, 2023
<2 MIN READ
recipe book Click to Enlarge

As Ford celebrates 120 years of mobility innovation, employees will literally be able to get a taste of the history that came before them.

Using recipes from a 1930s-era Ford soybean cookbook — the protein-rich legumes were one of founder Henry Ford’s interests — as well as historic recipes from the former Ford Times magazine, Ford has created a special 120th anniversary menu for employees this summer. Select menu items — including a rotation of soups and cheesecakes, the iconic Maurice Salad, and more — will be available at all café locations in Southeast Michigan.

“We’re always focused on improving the workplace experience, and one of the ways to do that is through offering really good food,” said Ford Senior Executive Chef Scott Simpson. “Not only is Ford trying to find new ways to fuel the industry, we’re trying to find new ways to fuel the employees who are creating those vehicles.”

Ford Archives and Heritage Brand Manager Ted Ryan said the menu adds a unique element to the company’s 120th anniversary by modernizing classic recipes.

I just love that we’ve been able to reach into our heritage in an unexpected way to find texture we can share with our employees. We’re not just holding up a banner that says ‘120 years’: We’re bringing it to life in a new, evolutionary way.
Ted Ryan
Ford Archives and Heritage Brand Manager

The menu includes a personal favorite of Henry Ford: a soybean chocolate chip cookie. Ford is partnering with Zingerman’s Bakehouse to produce the cookie for Ford cafes. Roasted soybeans used in the cookie create a crunchy texture and a peanut butter flavor.

“It’s not your standard chewy chocolate chip cookie,” Simpson said. “It has a lot of crunchy texture to it that kind of mimics a peanut.”

Soybeans are a great source of protein and easy to grow. Simpson said Henry Ford saw a food revolution on the horizon back in the 1930s. Ford even had a soybean processing plant at the Rouge, and Henry Ford went as far as to show the bean’s capability in automobiles with an experimental soy car.

You can go to our coffee shop at the FXC today and order a soy latte. Some of the soy milks we use today originated from those recipes that were developed in Ford’s laboratories.
Scott Simpson
Ford Senior Executive Chef

Another favorite of Henry Ford was the Maurice Salad, according to Simpson.

“We’re all familiar with it in the Detroit area because it was served at the Hudson’s department store restaurants, but Henry Ford was eating the same thing during his time,” Simpson said. “Sometimes recipes are just timeless because they’re good.”

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Five lucky employees were invited to taste the special menu selections during a preview event at the Ford Experience Center (FXC). Sinha Iqbal, a manufacturing engineer, enjoyed the asparagus soup that was sampled because it was unique “not only because I’m a vegetarian but because it’s so different,” she said.

“This would be my go-to order in the cafeterias,” Iqbal said. “It was like gazpacho with a thicker texture, but better.”

Andrew Farkas, a product planner for Ford Mustang and Ford Performance, favored the Pago Pago Chicken Stir Fry which was, inspired by a recipe from the Town House in California, published in the Ford Times in June 1946.

“I’m just a big fan of Asian-style foods and the salty soy flavors that come with it,” he said, adding that he enjoyed seeing unique foods that link back to a different time in Ford’s history. “Ford has a lot of heritage that we can be proud of, and this is a very unique thing that few other companies have. ... Being able to leverage that in a unique way to celebrate 120 years is awesome.”

Iqbal and Farkas both enjoyed the opportunity to get out of the daily routine at the tasting event, which also included samples of a new Mackinac Trout Sandwich and having a chance to meet employees from other areas of the company.

“This was refreshing and different from my normal day-to-day,” Iqbal said. “Being a big history nerd, this is really cool to dig into the company’s archives … (and) it was cool to see that part of Henry Ford’s life and Ford’s history being brought back to life.”

The Ford Times, a lifestyle and travel magazine, was published from 1908 through 1993 and distributed by Ford dealers. During its decades long run, the Ford Times featured more than 3,000 restaurants and recipes from all corners of the U.S. At its height, the magazine claimed the world’s largest circulation, more than even that of Reader’s Digest.

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