à la mode is a French phrase that translates to “in the current fashion.” In the realm of sweets, it turns out to be even more American than apple pie (whose roots, in fact, lie elsewhere), because in the United States “à la mode” refers to a scoop of vanilla ice cream served with a piping hot slice of pie. See ice cream and pie.
The New York Times credits the spread of this term to Charles Watson Townsend. His 1936 obituary reported that after ordering ice cream with his pie at the Cambridge Hotel, in the village of Cambridge, New York, around 1896, a neighboring diner asked him what this wonder was called. “Pie à la mode,” Townsend replied. When Townsend subsequently requested this dessert at the famous Delmonico’s restaurant in New York City, the staff had no idea what it was. Townsend inquired why such a fashionable venue had never heard of pie à la mode. Bien sûr, the dessert found its way onto Delmonico’s menu and requests for it soon spread.
