The food fight is over. The Obamas will keep White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford and the score is: Barack and Michelle Obama – 1, Ruth Reichl – 0.
Reichl, the editor of Gourmet, wanted someone with more expertise in cooking organically and went so far as to send a letter, co-signed by fellow foodies Alice Waters and Danny Meyer, offering to help the new First Family find one.
Well, the Obamas, who didn’t exactly fall off a turnip truck, somehow were able to make a decision on their own, and with input from Laura Bush, who promoted Comerford to Executive Chef.
The transition team says the Obamas heard a lot about Comerford from Laura and liked what they heard. She has a knack for creating “original dishes with American flavor.” They also like the fact she’s a mom herself. One transition official says, “The Bushes just loved her. There’s no need for making a change.’’
But it doesn’t end there. Now that the decision’s been made, Reichl told the New York Times — get this — “I’m sure that Ms. Comerford is completely capable of serving fabulous food to them.” Well thank you, Ms. Reichl. She went on to say she hopes the Obamas will use their chef and kitchen as a bully pulpit for healthier eating and to make use of the Executive Mansion’s little organic rooftop garden. The former Executive Chef has said the Bushes and Clintons used it quite a lot, so short of planting a garden on the White House lawn, which Waters apparently advocates, I don’t think there’s much left for the NY/SF/LA clique of Important Foodies to kvetch about.
Comerford is the first woman to be Executive Chef at the White House. She’s a naturalized American born in the Philippines. She has a BA in food technology from the University of the Philippines and trained in classic French cooking and worked in Europe before becoming chef at two Washington hotels. She joined the White House in 1995 as an assistant chef. It’s probably safe to assume Obama ate her cooking earlier this week at the White House luncheon with former presidents.
So brava, Chef Comerford! And congratulations on keeping your job when millions of others are losing theirs. I hope the President-elect’s policy of inclusion goes so far as to invite some of your detractors for lunch or dinner, so they can actually taste what they objected to. Not that it matters. You got the only votes that count.
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So glad to hear that they’re keeping her. How horrible must it be to not know from one President to the next whether or not you will keep your job? If the Obamas didn’t have a chef that they wanted to bring with them, I’m glad that they decided to keep her on as executive chef at the White House. Thanks for sharing!
JayhawkGirl’s last blog post..Cheese Chicken and Corn Casserole
Hi, there! I’m happy she’s keeping her job too. I really like having a woman as Executive Chef and an ethnic woman to boot — another first. Kudos to Laura Bush for promoting her back when.
It’s nice to know who she is! I’m sure she’ll be more than capable of cooking to whatever organic specs the Obamas can imagine. Good job!
MusEditions’s last blog post..Thinking makes you fat, srsly!
Hi, Muse. I’m looking forward to the first state dinner. The Post usually publishes the menu and guest list and I’m nosy enough to check them out.
If Obama sticks to tradition, the first state dinner will be for Britain’s Prime Minister and Mr. Brown is due to visit in February, so it might not be too long a wait. I’m capable of waiting….