"White House Chef" is Walter Scheib's account of his days in Washington, D.C. and the book includes about 100 of his presidential recipes. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and went on to cook for the Clinton's and Bush. During his eleven years as chef, he planned family meals, staff lunches, and state dinners. He had to adapt to the occupant's different food sensibilities. In both administrations it was the First Lady who made all the menu decisions. He tells us that at his "audition" for Hillary Clinton, he prepared pecan-crusted lamb and curried sweet potatoes. This recipe is included in the book. He says that Mrs. Clinton's desire was to showcase fresh American regional cuisine with Asian and Mediterranean touches. According to Scheib, President Clinton was relatively low maintenance, happy to indulge in what was available at the Navy mess in the White House. He had a fondness for Porterhouse steaks and onion rings...that recipe is also included. Hillary preferred to stick with old family favorites during the holidays such as Jell-O molds and Pepperidge Farm stuffing. The Bush White House tossed out soups, salads and most green veggies, except for the First Lady luncheons, and wanted comfort food, especially Southwestern cuisine which included Tex-Mex Chex, a version of the American classic that they kept on hand all the time when traveling. This recipe is also in the book. Mrs. Bush use to give Scheib clipped recipes and wanted them prepared just as they came from that publication. Minted Pea Soup became one of her all time favorites. Scheib said the Bushes wanted conservative traditional American fare, country club style, and it presented nothing of a challenge to him. Christmas parties were almost the same....simple pasta primavera and honey baked ham...flavorful and identifiable. By 2005, Scheib felt his job was too predictable and routine and it was time to move on. Today he runs The American Chef, a company in which he gives talks about his White House experience and offers catering and cooking classes. The book is full of photos besides the recipes and lots of correspondence interspersed here and there. An interesting read of politics and food.Read full review
My daughter is a professional chef so we are always interested in culinary books. We also love American History and in particular, the Presidential human interest stories. This book combines both with wit and humor that makes it a great read. The fact that it also includes some awesome recipes is just an added bonus for the avid reader! It is one of those books you can read a little at a time or for hours on end - which even suits your style, either way, you will enjoy it! Happy Reading!
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