House Bill No. 302 proposed apple pie as the state pie of Vermont and the apple as the state fruit. It also prescribed a series of conditions for serving apple pie. Governor Howard Dean signed the bill into law on May 10, 1999.

But, back in February, 1999, when State Representative Edward Paquin introduced House Bill No 302 proposing an official state pie and an official state fruit, he neglected to tie the two together with the proper serving etiquette.

The omission did not go unnoticed by Representative Bourdeau however and, before the bill was passed in the House of Representatives, it was amended to prescribe a series of options for enjoying a slice of apple pie.

The final bill offered three options for appropriate enjoyment of a slice of apple pie. Though not written into law, pie lovers were advised to enjoy their pie with one or more of the following:

with a glass of cold milk;
with a slice of cheddar cheese weighing a minimum of 1/2 ounce;
with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.