Product Description

"An engaging book about life at the Executive Mansion. . . . Hillary Clinton had charged this fiercely competitive, meticulously organized chef with bringing 'what's best about American food, wine, and entertaining to the White House.' His sophisticated contemporary food was generally considered some of the best ever served there."
—Marian Burros, New York Times

White House Chef

Join Walter Scheib as he serves up a taste—in stories and recipes—of his eleven years as White House chef under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Scheib takes readers along on his whirlwind adventure, from his challenging audition process right up until his controversial departure. He describes his approach to meals ranging from the intimate (rooftop parties and surprise birthday celebrations for the Clintons; Tex-Mex brunches for the Bushes) to his creative approach to bringing contemporary American cuisine to the "people's house" (including innovative ways to serve state dinners for up to seven hundred people and picnics and holiday menus for several thousand guests).

Scheib goes beyond the kitchen and his job as chef. He shares what it is like to be part of President Clinton's motorcade (the "security bubble") and inside the White House during 9/11, revealing how he first evacuates his staff and then comes back to fix meals for hundreds of hungry security and rescue personnel. Staying cool under pressure also helps Scheib in other aspects of his job, such as withstanding the often-changing "temperature" of the White House and satisfying the culinary sensibilities of two very different first families.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #189483 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-17
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

From the Inside Flap
Hired by First Lady Hillary Clinton to become White House chef in 1994, Walter Scheib faced a daunting challenge—to take an outdated kitchen focused on traditional French cooking and make it a modern showcase for restaurant-quality American food, featuring the best seasonal ingredients and vibrant contemporary flavors. Scheib seized the opportunity and the world noticed. Menus and even some culinary controversies were reflected in major publications such as the New York Times and Newsweek, and were the subject of political cartoons like Doonesbury. Scheib's meals were praised by high-profile epicures including Julia Child and French prime minister Jacques Chirac. As more was accomplished, more was expected, and Scheib stepped up, serving thousands of innovative meals during the Clinton years and through the first term of the Bush administration.

In this fascinating memoir, Scheib shares a personal, kitchen-eye view of life in the White House during his eleven years "at the stove" under two very different administrations. He offers an intimate portrait of the Clinton White House—and captures how the arrival of the Bushes changed everything. You'll read about:

• Preparations for state dinners honoring many world leaders, including the dinner for Nelson Mandela, one of the most anticipated White House events during President Clinton's time in office
• Scheib's twenty-nine-hour "day" (without sleep) orchestrating the White House Millennial New Year's Eve celebrations
• The Clintons' mandate for authentic "local" dishes at the G8 Summit meal in Colorado, resulting in a meal featuring American buffalo, cowboy rollups, and rattlesnake
• President Bush's tee ball games on the White House lawn and the president's insistence that the hot dogs must be steamed, never grilled

Scheib also captures the more personal side of his job—serving as private chef to the first family. You'll read about Scheib:

• Cheering up Mrs. Clinton with an off-the-menu dish of Sizzling Fajitas when it seems she's having a challenging day
• Serving President Clinton a big Porterhouse Steak with Béarnaise Sauce and Onion Rings when his wife is out of town
• Teaching Chelsea Clinton how to cook before she goes away to college
• Bantering with President Bush—who calls him "Cookie"—almost daily about "what's for lunch"

Full of revealing anecdotes, photographs, menus, and special White House recipes—from the Pecan-Crusted Lamb with Red-Curried Sweet Potatoes that helped Scheib ace his job audition to the Vodka-Marinated Salmon and Kasha Pilaf prepared for the ever-merrier Russian president Boris Yeltsin to Laura Bush's Roasted Beet Salad at lunches—White House Chef is a treat for everyone who loves food, politics, or both.

About the Author
Walter Scheib graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and served as executive chef at major hotels and resorts, including the Boca Raton Resort and Club and the Greenbrier Resort, before coming to the White House. He now runs The American Chef (theamericanchef.com), a company offering catering, cooking classes, and culinary talks that draw on Scheib's White House experiences.

Andrew Friedman is the author or coauthor of more than fifteen books, including multiple collaborations with chefs Alfred Portale, Tom Valenti, and Pino Luongo. He also coedited the anthology Don't Try This at Home. He lives in New York City with his family.

Customer Reviews

The Wizard in the White House Kitchen
Walter Scheib is clearly a man deeply devoted to his metier and the pride that he had working as Executive Chef in the White House for eleven years is very clear on every page of this interesting book. As the Executive Chef at the famous Greenbrier, it is unquestionable that he would have been welcome anywhere in the US food industry but chose to go to the White House for the prestige it conferred-the money is probably not the attraction-- but also because of the challenge he was offered. Hillary Clinton had a definite vision of how the White House would be used for entertaining and Mr. Scheib was clearly thrilled by her concept of using fine American ingredients and an understanding of modern restaurant trends to develop a leading-edge cuisine for the White House.

While Mr. Scheib discusses the First Family's food preferences, this is not the most interesting part of his story, although his account of teaching Chelsea Clinton to cook is particularly charming. The Executive Mansion is a tool that can be used to increase the prestige and power of the President. Under the direction of Mrs. Clinton state dinners were expanded from a typical guest list of 130 to up to 700 people. This required impressive organizational skills, a focus on practical cooking, the ability to network and build a responsive team. Mr. Scheib was really running what amounted to an extremely fancy hotel dining room without facilities designed for it. It was surprising to learn, for example, that the White House does not have its own wine cellar.

The recipes in the book are fairly simple and not very difficult to make in a home kitchen. They call for an international blend of ingredients and a palate that needs to be more adventurous than what would be needed for institutional food. And in addition to the fusion cusine, there is plenty of American-style comfort food.

Several reviewers have commented on the perceived dislike or disdain that Mr. Scheib shows for the Bushes. I believe this overstates the case. As a conscientious professional, he was willing to accommodate the needs of the First Family and the Presidency even beyond the call of duty. It is clear that Mrs. Clinton was very focused on what she expected from him and in turn expected to be challenged and surprised by his ideas. This was a huge departure from the previous cooking at the White House and was part of Mrs. Clinton's desire to showcase the White House as representative of the best in America. Mr. Scheib is very clear that it is entirely up to the First Family as to how they wish their White House to be and the fact that Laura Bush was not as directly engaged in this was her right. Although President Bush's lunch choices are not very eclectic, he was not elected for his eating preferences. I think that Mr. Scheib, who is very discreet and seemingly apolitical, expresses disappointment as a proud and capable staff member that the abilities of his team are no longer really required in a White House where food quality is secondary at state events. The nadir must be the Congressional picnic where everything is brought in boxes from a foodservice supplier and merely reheated.

The puzzle to me is why Mr. Scheib stayed on for a full four years after the departure of the Clintons in a work environment that clearly did not challenge him much. He is obviously an organized, serious (he clearly does not suffer fools gladly!) and yet creative person in a profession that is crying for such people so he certainly could have found a terrific position elsewhere. He has since gone on to run his own business giving talks about his White House years, organizing events and teaching.

I would recommend this book if you are interested in reading about people passionate about food, mixed with some great behind-the-scenes history. I am only sorry that it does not have more pictures of the food!

Well done and stays above politics
Not only good easy to make receipies and an engaging story on how to be a White House chef, by staying above politics he somehow has more credibility than if this was a tell all. That said, it is appatent he like the Clintons more than the Bushs. A great book for anyone who loves cooking shows.

Lively vignettes and fine recipes.
Walter Scheib provides stories and recipes of some eleven years as White House chef under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, so anticipate a collection which is far more than your usual cookbook - and which will appeal to collections strong in culinary history and presidential trivia. Scheib was hired by Hillary Clinton in 1994 to become White House chef and faced taking an outdated kitchen focused on traditional French cuisine and making it a showcase for modern American foods. His memoir embraces some eleven years of culinary history at the White House under two different administrations and pairs original recipes with accounts of Presidential family encounters, making for both lively vignettes and fine recipes.