Cristeta Comerford

Presidential chef Cristeta Comerford says the White House has made some major changes since the Obamas moved in and credits the First Lady's garden on the South Lawn. "The White House kitchen has evolved tremendously in a positive way, having a garden out there," Comerford said. "It really has focused me on reworking my menu based on seasonality."  Thanks to the new garden that grows spinach, collard greens and kale, the White House has a new focus on seasonal cooking. The South Lawn garden...Read Full Story

Politics are always at a boil in Washington, but until recently the people stirring the pots inside the White House kitchen didn't get much attention. That's changed, with chefs stepping out of the shadows and on to TV.Just this year, White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford competed on Food Network's "Iron Chef," teamed with celebrity chef Bobby Flay (they won). Comerford and Bill Yosses, White House executive pastry chef, chatted with Martha Stewart for a President's Day food segment...Read Full Story

Think of it as take-out, but at the presidential level.Since bringing their well-documented high-end appetites to the White House, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have broken new gourmet ground by inviting in a steady stream of the nation's top culinary talents.It's an experience the chefs say they consider a career achievement."You work in the White House and you walk over to the tent and right across to your right, there is the Oval Office," said chef Marcus Samuelsson...Read Full Story

Serving meals for US President Barack Obama and his family is not as tough a job as outsiders like to think, according to White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford."The president and his family are very open to all different types of food. It's very easy to please them," Comerford, who emigrated to the United States from the Philippines in the 1980s, told AFP on a visit to Hong Kong."It's such a blessing to have that."Obama's family love trying seafood such as Maryland blue crabs, and a...Read Full Story

Will it be his pork with green tomatillo-avocado salsa, or the duck breast in red chile-apricot mole?Perhaps the bacon-flavored corn masa cakes stuffed with black beans.At the first family's request, Chicago chef Rick Bayless has been mum on his menu for the state dinner Wednesday to honor Mexican President Felipe Calderon, though he's dropped some hints:_ He's preparing a black mole sauce that takes days to make from scratch and includes more than 20 ingredients. "It's a really laborious...Read Full Story