NEW Episode: The White House 1600 Sessions Podcast “Executive Chef Reveals Career Highlights from Three Decades in the White House Kitchen”

Nov 13, 2024 Washington, D.C. —

The White House Historical Association released its 100^th episode of The White House 1600 Sessions podcast today featuring a conversation with former White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford, who spent nearly 30 years working in the White House kitchen through the Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden administrations before retiring in July 2024. Stewart McLaurin, president of the Association, and Chef Comerford talked about the significance of White House kitchen staff members’ roles in ceremonial tradition, a meal as a diplomatic tool between two nations, and Chef Comerford’s historic achievement of being the first woman and person of color to serve as White House Executive Chef.

“It’s remarkable the thoughtfulness, not just of what's on the table and on the plate, but the seating orchestration, planning of what conversation might take place at the table and the toasts that are integral to each dinner,” said McLaurin. “All of this is like a symphony that comes together in this gastro diplomacy, which is really amazing.”

Chef Comerford spoke about the culinary influence of her upbringing in the Philippines and the journey that led her to the White House kitchen during the Clinton Administration in 1995. After nearly 30 years of working for five different presidents and their families, dozens of dignitaries and thousands of guests, Chef Comerford shares the key lessons to cooking in the White House and her favorite memories.

“I think my most special memories being at the White House for 29 years, it's not the big state dinners,” reflected Chef Comerford. “It's not all those big picnics that are very, very hard to execute, but all of the intimate little family dinners that we do where you really get to see the first family enjoy themselves because that's not public. It's only us that gets to see that. And for me, that's really, really treasured memories.”

Chef Comerford detailed many aspects of her leadership role outside of the kitchen, including strategizing the uses of different resources, and collaborating with florists and butlers. From reading body language to predicting the energy of a ceremony, she exercised a high-level of care and attention to all factors that could influence the presentation and style of her dishes.

The full video of this podcast episode is also available on the White House Historical Association’s YouTube channel here.

The White House 1600 Sessions podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

For more information, please contact press@whha.org.

The White House 1600 Sessions

The White House Historical Association’s President Stewart McLaurin is the host of The White House 1600 Sessions, the Association’s official audio and video podcast devoted to exploring the history, cultural impact, untold stories, and personal accounts of America’s most iconic residence and highest office.