"white house chef" news and stories

Before the White House got its megagarden, before there was debate over who the president's next chef would be, before WGBH thought Julia Child was ready for her close-up, there was René Verdon, the first professional chef in the White House kitchen. It was 1961, and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy knew that French food was the way to entertain in a big, and very sophisticated, way. So she reached out to Verdon, whose chicken in Champagne had been raved about as "incomparable" by The New York Times.

At the White House, Verdon broke tradition: becoming the president's first personal chef, starting an herb garden to keep things fresh and designing a personal kitchen for the family's quarters.

Verdon passed away on February 2, at age 86, in San Francisco, home of his noted restaurant Le Trianon, reports the Los Angeles Times. In the same way that Jackie will forever be remembered for her grace and flair, Verdon will be recalled as a master of the whisk. Julia Child credits him with her career. She was "lucky" he got the gig, Child told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in 2002, says the Times, because "everyone was interested in French cuisine."

Since Barack Obama won the November Presidential election, there has been much speculation as to whether he and his family would retain current White House chef Cristeta Comerford or replace her with a new chef of their choosing. Reporters and bloggers suggested nearly every single prominent chef cooking in the U.S. today, including Oprah Winfrey's personal chef Art Smith and high-end Mexican expert Rick Bayless.

However, it was announced yesterday and the Obamas would retain Chef Comerford as White House Executive Chef. She is the first woman and first minority to hold that position. Congratulations Chef Comerford!

[via AP]

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It stands to reason that a busy President and First Lady aren't going to have the time to whip up meals every night. Enter the White House chef. There's been a lot of talk about Obama's administration choices, and now ABC has added the foodie side to the equation -- what it means to be a White House chef, and some behind-the-scenes tidbits about past presidents.

It's a pretty interesting read, covering the challenges of being the President's chef, to dealing with personal preferences and allergies. The Carters required prompt arrival for dinner and no flip flops and casual clothes at the table. Chelsea Clinton became a vegan while President Dad couldn't eat dairy, chocolate, or flour. (And I thought being allergic to nuts was bad!) And there's even a bit about 9/11, and how the menu changed to comfort foods after that day.

Now we just have to wait and see who Barack Obama picks.