The White House Executive Chef is the individual responsible for managing the kitchens, and for planning and preparing of all menus and meals for the
president of the United States and the
first family, which includes their private meals, their private entertaining, and official state functions at the
White House in
Washington, D.C., in the United States.
History
Early White House cooks and chefs
Beginning with
George Washington, slaves prepared food for American presidents, First Families, and for social gatherings.[1] Although slavery ended in the United States after the
American Civil War, African Americans continued to provide nearly all the cooking in the White House kitchen. Occasionally, a professional chef was used beginning in the latter half of the 19th century.[2] President
Ulysses S. Grant employed a
Union Army cook until his embarrassed wife forced him to hire an
Italian-trained chef.[3] President Rutherford B. Hayes used the services of cook and nurse Winnie Monroe, a freed African American slave.[4]Chester Arthur used a cook who formerly worked at his private residence as his White House chef for casual dining, and hired
French-trained professional chef Alexander Fortin to oversee preparation of important political meals and state dinners.[5][6] President
Grover Cleveland also used a French chef to prepare his meals during his first term.[7] President
Benjamin Harrison had a French chef as well, but fired him after only a short time in favor of the services of Dolly Johnson, a freed African American slave who had cooked for the Harrisons in
Indianapolis.[8] President William McKinley hired a local cook for everyday dining, but a French-trained chef traveled from
New York City to prepare formal dinners.[9]
In 1961,
First LadyJacqueline Kennedy reorganized the White House staff under her supervision, and created the title of Executive Chef for the first time.[21] Kennedy hired French-born and -trained chef
René Verdon, who served until 1965. Verdon established a new standard for White House dining, one in which only the highest quality ingredients and cooking techniques were acceptable. The first meal he crafted for the White House, a lunch for
British prime ministerHarold Macmillan, was featured on the front page of The New York Times.[22]
Verdon resigned at the end of 1965 in a dispute with President
Lyndon B. Johnson over the cuisine being offered at the White House. The Johnsons brought long-time family cook Zephyr Wright to the Executive Residence, where she became the first family's personal chef.[23] For formal dining, the Johnsons hired 43-year-old
Swiss-born and -trained chef
Henry Haller to be executive chef. Haller proved so popular that he remained in the position until October 1, 1987.[24]
Jon Hill, a 33-year-old American-born and -trained chef, served as executive chef from October 1, 1987, to January 8, 1988. Hill resigned after First Lady
Nancy Reagan expressed significant disapproval of his cooking and presentation. He was replaced by White House assistant chef
Hans Raffert.[25] Raffert, a
German-born chef who trained throughout Europe, joined the
Nixon White House kitchen staff in 1969, and was the first White House chef to create a
gingerbread house as part of the Executive Residence Christmas decorations. Raffert was 60 when he became Executive Chef, and retired in October 1992 just before he turned 65.[26] French-born and trained chef
Pierre Chambrin succeeded Raffert as executive chef, but he was asked to resign in March 1994 after refusing to cook the
low-fatAmerican cuisine favored by President
Bill and First Lady
Hillary Clinton.[27]
Walter Scheib was appointed executive chef in April 1994.[28] While his tenure under the Clintons was a happy one, he had a more difficult time meeting the needs of President
George W. Bush, First Lady
Laura Bush, and Laura Bush's
social secretary, Lea Berman. Laura Bush wanted a more formal presentation, and President Bush disliked soup, salad, and poached fish—staples of Scheib's cuisine.[29] Scheib was fired by the Bushes in February 2005,[30] and succeeded in August 2005 by
Cristeta Comerford, a White House sous-chef whom Scheib had hired in 1995.[31] Comerford was the first woman to be selected for the post.[32]
President
Barack Obama retained Comerford as executive chef,[33] but brought chef
Sam Kass from
Chicago to act as the first family's personal chef. Kass, who assumed several policy positions in the White House as well, resigned in December 2014.[34] In November 2009,
Marcus Samuelsson became the first guest chef at a White House state dinner when Comerford temporarily stepped aside to allow him to cook for
Indian prime ministerManmohan Singh.[35]
The executive chef is responsible for planning and preparing all menus and meals for the first family and for all entertaining (informal, formal, and
state dinners) served by the White House, either away or on-site.[38][32] The executive chef supervises a staff of five,[21][39][b] and a part-time staff of 20 to 25 assistant chefs and kitchen helpers.[21][39]
The executive chef is formally hired by the first lady,[32] and reports to the
White House chief usher.[38] The executive chef has no purview over any of the desserts or pastries served at the White House. The
White House executive pastry chef operates as a separate entity, but coordinates with the executive chef for all meals and events.[41]
The White House executive chef made between $80,000 and $100,000 annually in 2005 ($110,997 to $138,746 in 2021 dollars).[21] The chef receives no
overtime, and the workload can vary considerably depending on whether the first family is in residence or traveling, if there is a special event, or if a holiday occurs.[28]
The kitchen
The White House executive chef works in one of two kitchens at the White House: The main kitchen, which is located in the northwest[42] corner of the
Ground Floor of the White House,[43] and the
Family Kitchen on the Second Floor.[44][45] The executive pastry chef works in the Pastry Kitchen on the mezzanine of the
State floor, above the butler's pantry.[46] The main kitchen was last renovated in 1971.[47]
As of 2011, the White House executive chef used a
natural gas oven and range manufactured by Vulcan Restaurant Equipment; a Traulsen refrigerator and freezer; a
Cimbali M32
espresso machine; a
Hobart 300 gravity-fed
food slicer; Mauviel stainless steel pots and pans; and
Misono knives.[48]
^Another Filipino Navy cook, Lee Luckey, was staff cook for Presidents Truman and Eisenhower from October 1951 to July 1953. Luckey cooked at Truman's
Little White House in
Key West, Florida, and at Eisenhower's summer retreat in Orange Springs, Georgia.[19]
^In 1987, Executive Chef Jon Hill had a staff of three: Two sous-chefs and the White House Pastry Chef. Two additional sous-chefs were brought in to assist during state dinners.[40] When Walter Scheib assumed the position of Executive Chef in 1994, he had a staff of three: two sous-chefs and a dishwasher.[28] The staff had risen to five at the time of Comerford's appointment.[31]
^"Chief Cook at White House Is Victim of Cupid". Berkeley Daily Gazette. December 29, 1919. p. 5. Retrieved September 13, 2016; "Wilson's Cook To Be Bride". The Washington Post. December 17, 1919. p. 10.
^McCardle, Dorothy (February 24, 1961). "Silence Goes on Gold Standard". The Washington Post. p. D4; McMillin, Fred (April 2001). "White House Gastronomy". Wayward Tendrils Quarterly: 31.
Whitcomb, John; Whitcomb, Claire (2002). Real Life at the White House: Two Hundred Years of Daily Life at America's Most Famous Residence. Florence, Ky.: Psychology Press.
ISBN9780415939515.
Carmody, Vincent (2023). Kathy White House. Ireland: Poundlane Publications.
ISBN9781838242817.