http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/14/po...rtner=homepage

White House Cook-Off Ends: Woman Becomes First Chef

By MARIAN BURROS
Published: August 14, 2005

After a lengthy selection process, First Lady Laura Bush announced today
that Cristeta Comerford, an assistant chef at the White House, was
promoted to be executive chef, making her the first woman to be named to
that position.

Ms. Comerford, a naturalized citizen from the Philippines, learned on
Thursday of the decision that had been made after six months of
deliberations.

Mrs. Bush said she was delighted that Ms. Comerford accepted the job.
"Her passion for cooking can be tasted in every bite of her delicious
creations," she said.

Ms. Comerford had an advantage over outside applicants. "It's something
Mrs. Bush had a comfort level with," said Susan Whitson, Mrs. Bush's
press secretary. "She knew what she was capable of and it was an
opportunity to promote someone from within" Ms. Whitson added, making
the choice another first.

Ms. Comerford, 41, who immediately left on vacation with her husband,
was unavailable for comment. But she had said in an earlier interview
that she was very pleased to be considered.

Ms. Comerford was hired by her predecessor at the White House, Walter
Scheib 3rd, in 1995. Since Mr. Scheib was asked to resign in February,
she has been sharing the top job with the other assistant chef, John
Meillor, preparing official dinners and private parties. For family
dinners, she prepared everything from huevos rancheros, the president's
favorite Sunday morning breakfast, to oysters and spinach au gratin for
one of Mrs. Bush's literary themed dinners, including one honoring
Shakespeare. Prime rib roast with elderberry mustard and verjus, with
onions simmered in raisins, was also on the menu.

Roland Mesnier, a former White House pastry chef, and a great supporter
of her candidacy, was delighted with the choice. "Fantastic," he said.

"You can recognize the flavor of what she cooks and you can recognize
all the elements on the plate. Many times a chef puts things in a recipe
and you say 'what am I eating?' "

With her selection, Mrs. Bush has managed to please both her husband and
the more sophisticated needs of White House state occasions. "The
president likes to recognize what he's eating," Mr. Mesnier said. "He
doesn't like to eat things that look strange on the plate."

Mr. Scheib said he "couldn't be happier with the selection because she's
the best candidate. No question about it."

Ms. Comerford worked closely with Mr. Scheib on many projects, including
the state dinner in honor of the president of the Philippines.

"She and I were like two fingers crossed," he said, "mentor and protégé.
I don't see her choice as a radical departure from anything." That last
comment suggested that Mrs. Bush asked Mr. Scheib to leave, not because
she did not like his food, as some have speculated, but because she
wanted her own person in the job and not a holdover from the Clinton
administration.

"It would have made sense to put her in place right away," Mr. Scheib
said. "What took them so long?"

Ms. Comerford, who came to the United States when she was 23, received a
bachelor's degree in food technology from the University of the
Philippines, studied classic French cooking, worked in Austria and at
hotels in Washington. She also collaborated with the California chef
John Ash to promote American game cooking.

She lives in Columbia, Md., with her husband, John.

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 19:07:55 -0400, Goomba38 >
wrote:
<snip>
>Ms. Comerford was hired by her predecessor at the White House, Walter
>Scheib 3rd, in 1995. Since Mr. Scheib was asked to resign in February,

Oooh, I had to find out about this. Here's one version; I don't know
whether it's true. The backstory seems to be mainly reported in
blogs...

http://swiftreport.blogs.com/news/20...house_che.html

>While Mr. Scheib was gracious in his parting words
>, saying that it had been an honor to serve the first
> lady, sources close to the chef say that his relationship
> with the first family had grown increasingly tense since
> he was asked to stop using French recipes and cooking
> techniques after France refused to support the US-led
>invasion of Iraq.

<snip>

>Tensions were further exacerbated, say sources close to
> the chef, by White House orders that Scheib create a special
> inaugural menu to honor the brand names represented by
> more than a dozen top GOP and Bush campaign donors.
>Scheib was reportedly vocal about his unhappiness over
>having to create dishes that featured such ingredients as
> Coca-Cola, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Pilgrim's Pride
>Whole Butter Basted Turkeys.


Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Curly Sue wrote:
> Oooh, I had to find out about this. Here's one version; I don't know
> whether it's true. The backstory seems to be mainly reported in
> blogs...
>
> http://swiftreport.blogs.com/news/20...house_che.html

It isn't true. It's a satire.

<which is nearly as good as the truth>

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 18:21:13 -0600, "pennyaline"
<nsmitchell@spamspamspamspamspamspamspameggandspam .com> wrote:

>Curly Sue wrote:
>> Oooh, I had to find out about this. Here's one version; I don't know
>> whether it's true. The backstory seems to be mainly reported in
>> blogs...
>>
>> http://swiftreport.blogs.com/news/20...house_che.html
>
>It isn't true. It's a satire.
>
><which is nearly as good as the truth>

What's more sad to me is it sounded believable.

--
Siobhan Perricone
Humans wrote the bible,
God wrote the rocks
-- Word of God by Kathy Mar

In article >,
Goomba38 > wrote:

> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/14/po...=1124078400&en
> =4542785268fa140f&ei=5094&partner=homepage
>
> White House Cook-Off Ends: Woman Becomes First Chef
>
> By MARIAN BURROS
> Published: August 14, 2005
>
> After a lengthy selection process, First Lady Laura Bush announced today
> that Cristeta Comerford, an assistant chef at the White House, was
> promoted to be executive chef, making her the first woman to be named to
> that position.
>
> Ms. Comerford, a naturalized citizen from the Philippines, learned on
> Thursday of the decision that had been made after six months of
> deliberations.

Six months of deliberations to hire a chef? Geez! Taking six months to
find an assistant White House chef is ironic considering how quickly
President Bush took to find a Supreme Court nominee, and they were not
even looking for a chief chef! I wonder how long it would have taking to
hire a chief chef. At any rate, I am sure Cristeta Comerford can look
forward to a challenging and fun job working as an assistant chef in the
White House.

The article Curly Sue posted was interesting. Now that I think about it,
if by some strange quirk of fate, I became President or "First
Gentleman", I would drive the White House kitchen staff nuts too like
President Bush has reportedly done.

Fancy, high brow gourmet meals are nice as a once in a while treat, but
I would not want to eat fancy meals on a regular basis. Just a couple of
simply prepared lamb chops, a cheap chuck steak, or some chicken is fine
by me. When I eat at home, I almost always sit and read during my meal;
its how I relax. The food on my plate is of minor consequence, as long
as its reasonably healthy. I am quite happy to eat a lamb chop that I
broil after sprinkling with Penzi's lamb spice blend and a green
vegetable for dinner, or just three or four chicken legs cooked in a fry
pan with a bit of olive oil, diced tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Any chef who worked for me would not find the experience challenging at
all. The President and I would disagree on almost everything, but it
seems like he and I both have simple unrefined palats.

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 11:44:36 -0400, Stan Horwitz >
wrote:

> Geez! Taking six months to
>find an assistant White House chef is ironic considering how quickly
>President Bush took to find a Supreme Court nominee, and they were not
>even looking for a chief chef!
You can bet that they spend 5 years checking, rechecking, thinking
over who the next nominee would be. Expecting and hoping to get at
lest one. They've probably had a short list for the last three years
and only had to pick one to suit the particular circumstances of the
opening.


The reply-to email address is .
This is an address I ignore.
To reply via email, remove 2002 and change yahoo to
interaccess,

**
Thaddeus L. Olczyk, PhD

There is a difference between
*thinking* you know something,
and *knowing* you know something.

In article >,
TLOlczyk > wrote:

> On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 11:44:36 -0400, Stan Horwitz >
> wrote:
>
> > Geez! Taking six months to
> >find an assistant White House chef is ironic considering how quickly
> >President Bush took to find a Supreme Court nominee, and they were not
> >even looking for a chief chef!
> You can bet that they spend 5 years checking, rechecking, thinking
> over who the next nominee would be. Expecting and hoping to get at
> lest one. They've probably had a short list for the last three years
> and only had to pick one to suit the particular circumstances of the
> opening.

You're probably right. I do wish the Democrats in Washington and the
liberal special interest groups would back down and support John
Roberts' nomination. All in all, conservative presidents have done a
pretty good job at appointing justices who have turned out to be
friendly toward liberal ideals and the Chief Justice is very
conservative. Hell, 7 out of 9 of the justices on the Supreme Court were
appointed by either Bush I or Reagan, yet today's conservatives consider
the court to be activist. Go figure! The only time the conservatives
actually got it right (from their perspective) in Supreme Court
appointees is with Scalia and Thomas. I think the real battle for the
Supreme Court will be to fill Rehnquist's seat if he retires before Bush
II leaves office, and we all know he is likely to do that. So, if the
conservatives had any sense, they would oppose Roberts' nomination
because he is definitely nowhere near as conservative as Thomas and
Scalia, but they are cheering from the sidelines, despite the fact they
may be witnessing the appointment of another David Souter.

Stan Horwitz wrote:
<snip>
> appointees is with Scalia and Thomas. I think the real battle for the
> Supreme Court will be to fill Rehnquist's seat if he retires before Bush
> II leaves office, and we all know he is likely to do that.

"Retires?" Did you mean "expires?"

In article >, Curly Sue >
wrote:

> Stan Horwitz wrote:
> <snip>
> > appointees is with Scalia and Thomas. I think the real battle for the
> > Supreme Court will be to fill Rehnquist's seat if he retires before Bush
> > II leaves office, and we all know he is likely to do that.
>
> "Retires?" Did you mean "expires?"

Either way, actually.