(CNN) - I first started covering the White House beat for CNN in 1988, during President Reagan's last year in office. Ever since then, through all 50 states and 80 different countries, I've followed the man that lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. At most of those presidential events, a local caterer is hired to supply meals for a hungry press corps as we have little time to run to get anything (paid for by the news organizations) and as a result we are well fed.

Most of the time local fare is highlighted. In New Orleans, I have had jambalaya and ribs in Memphis and buffalo wings in Buffalo, New York. Yes, today I am in Buffalo, at the University at Buffalo. It's the first stop of President Obama's two day bus tour through New York and Pennsylvania.

In all my years of covering the President, I've never seen a caterer present a sheet cake like this one pictured here. At lunch, Three Pillars Catering brought out a marbled cake with a welcome message and the Presidential Seal. The decorating alone took them an hour and a half, according to Laurie Richeal of Three Pillars. How'd it taste? While it looked good enough to eat, I stuck to my diet and took a pass… the "road food" covering this beat adds up.