Washington (AP) – Christeta Comerford, the longtime executive chef at the White House who recently retired after nearly 30 years of serving meals to five presidents and their guests, shares that when at home in the private living quarters of the executive apartment, the first family feels like “just ordinary people.”
“That’s not what you see on the news,” she revealed during an interview with The Associated Press.
Preparing meals for the first family was just one of the many culinary tasks Comerford undertook. Most meals were prepared in the main kitchen and finalized in the residence kitchen located on the second floor.
“At the end of the day, when you serve family meals upstairs, they’re just normal people at home. They want a good meal and to sit with their family,” she said. “If there are kids, they eat together, and seeing that daily is not something you see in the news.”
“The other side we see is a different side of them,” she noted.
Presidents as Food Enthusiasts
Comerford, who has traded her apron and chef’s toque for retirement after nearly 20 years as a top chef in July 2024 and close to 30 years in kitchen service, is the longest-serving chef in White House history. Her tenure included working for presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.
Each of the five families she served had unique culinary preferences, Comerford said. During a recent White House Historical Society Symposium about food and wine, she was asked if any of the presidents could be described as a “real foodie.”
Clinton preferred healthier options, Comerford explained. At that time, Hillary Clinton hired the first American executive chef, Walter Sheave, to focus on avoiding heavy sauces and creams in the kitchen.
“I learned a lot” about Bush’s Southwestern cuisine, added Comerford, referring to the former Texas governor’s fondness for Tex-Mex food. “We made thousands of tamales for Christmas,” she reminisced about the traditional Mexican dish.
Comerford also took inspiration from Michelle Obama, particularly her vegetable garden initiative aimed at promoting healthy diets for children. “We used the garden as a foundational element for menu development,” she mentioned.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were described as “very classic eaters.” Comerford noted, “We often prepared pasta because of their love for Italian cuisine, but we kept it light.” While Comerford refrained from commenting on President Trump’s food preferences, he is well-known for his love of fast food.
Jill Biden, the first Italian-American First Lady, also favored Italian dishes, leading to a variety of Italian cuisine being prepared.
“Overall, it varies from family to family,” Comerford remarked. “But my job as a chef is to honor their individual styles, preferences, and tastes.”
54 State Dinners
A black-tie State Dinner represents the highest diplomatic honor that the United States offers its close allies.
Comerford has overseen 54 of these elaborate events, including hosting guests from France and Australia during Trump’s first term. Occasionally, a guest chef was invited to assist.
A State Dinner is designed to attract hundreds of guests from government, politics, and other industries, facilitating the president’s efforts to establish relationships with visiting foreign leaders through three courses of food, exquisite decor, and entertainment.
The First Lady’s staff and the social secretary typically work for about two months to coordinate these events.
Comerford stated that her team began by researching the tastes and preferences of the visiting leaders. She then crafted a menu featuring the finest American cuisine with nuances reflective of the guests’ home countries.
She prepared at least three different menus, followed by tastings for the First Lady, who would make the final selection.
Comerford’s Career
Comerford, 62, began her culinary journey managing a salad bar at a hotel near Chicago airport before working in restaurants in Austria and Washington. Walter Sheave, then executive chef of the White House, hired her in 1994 for a temporary role during a dinner for South Africa’s newly elected president, Nelson Mandela.
Sheave later appointed her as an assistant chef in 1995, and after 10 years, she became his successor, making history as the first woman and first person of color to hold the executive chef position permanently. Comerford is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in the Philippines.
Her husband, John Comerford, is also a chef, and she believes her career sacrifices have enabled their daughter to thrive in the culinary world, where she now works as a pastry chef.
After her retirement, assistant chef Tommy Kurpradit, whose parents are from Thailand, was appointed as interim executive chef, and Melania Trump, who collaborated with Comerford during her husband’s administration, has yet to name a successor.
Secrets to Success as a Top Chef at the White House
Comerford attributed her success to “a lot of prayers.”
“Cooking at the White House goes beyond just food,” she explained. “You need to know how to prepare breakfast items like eggs and specialized dishes like smash burgers.”
It’s also important to remember that the kitchen environment centers around family.
“There’s no ego involved,” Comerford emphasized.
Asians in White House Culinary History
The culinary history of the White House features chefs from countries including China, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, and Thailand, according to Adrian Miller and Deborah Chan, co-authors of the new book titled “Cooking for President’s Preferences: Asian Heritage Chefs of White House History.”
Most of these chefs honed their skills through service in the U.S. military.
Before Comerford, Pedro Udo, a Filipino chef trained in the U.S. military, was the first chef of Asian descent to lead the White House kitchen, having been promoted from meat chef to head chef in June 1957. He prepared meals for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip later that year, and in September 1959, cooked for Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during the Cold War.
However, his tenure ended less than four years later when newly appointed First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy hired renowned French chef Rene Verdon.
Miller stated that the book provides a “unique window” into the presidency.
“We’re examining the president, but the president is also seeing Asian American life in ways they might not have before,” he told the Associated Press. “And I believe our country benefits from a president who opens that window and seeks to understand the people he serves through the lens of exceptional cuisine.”
Source: apnews.com