What Does The First Family Eat? The Scoop From Former WH Chef Henry Haller

No matter who wins the presidential election in November, new occupants will be moving into the White House next January.

And beyond the issues of policy and politics will be food. The White House employs a staff to prepare meals for the president and their family.

For 21 years, starting in 1966, through five administrations, Swiss-born Henry Haller was the White House executive chef .

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In that role Haller had to learn the “right way” to prepare First Families’ favorite dishes, and to keep track of their culinary likes and dislikes.

Not to mention preparing huge meals for major White House events.

After his retirement in 1987 Haller wrote a book that was part memoir, part cookbook. He called it simply The White House Family Cookbook.

In a moment, my 1987 conversation with Henry Haller.

Henry Haller died in 2020.at the age of 97.

Anthony Bourdain’s Gift to Cooks Everywhere

Yesterday would have been Anthony Bourdain’s 68th birthday. Instead June 25 is now observed as “Anthony Bourdain Day” in honor of the beloved celebrity chef.

Bourdain was executive chef at New York’s Les Halles restaurant, but his popularity exploded with his first book Kitchen Confidential.

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Then came the Food Network TV show, then more TV on The Travel Channel and CNN.

Yet somehow he had resisted the idea of publishing a cookbook until 2004They finally came out with Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook

Somehow in the 20 years since I did this interview I had forgotten how witty and charming Anthony Bourdain could be

So come back with me now to 2004, and my conversation with Anthony Bourdain.

Anthony Bourdain took his own life on June 8, 2018 while on location in France for his TV show “Parts Unknown.”

The Galloping Gourmet: Graham Kerr’s Journey from TV Fame to Humble Grace

In the late 1960s and early ‘70s television audiences ate up what they were served by a unique cooking show host who called himself The Galloping Gourmet.

London-born Graham Kerr began his culinary training at the age of 14. After a decade in hospitality Kerr made his TV debut in 1959 in New Zealand. A promoter soon put him on television in Australia, too, And in 1968 “The Galloping Gourmet” was launched in North America.

Kerr’s producer was his wife Treena, whom he married in 1955. They had known each other since age 11.

Get your copy of Graham Kerr & Treena Kerr’s book

In their later years, Graham and Treena Kerr embraced a simpler, less materialistic life. Adhering to their closely-held Christian beliefs the couple lived a life of healthy self-denial.

And in 2006 they published a book called Recipe For Life. And true to their more modest lifestyle, they invited me to do the interview from their motorhome parked in a campground not far from Baltimore.

So here now, from that sunny fall day in 2006, the Kerrs:

Graham Kerr is 90 now, and lives in Washington State. Treena died at age 81 in 2015, just a few days before the couple’s 60th wedding anniversary.

Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso: Pioneers of Mediterranean Flavors/

Hundreds of cookbooks are published every year, thousands have been published since the early 1980s. But few had the impact that 1982’s Silver Palate Cookbook had.

It was the outgrowth of a popular New York City eatery calledTthe Silver Palate, run by Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso.

They helped introduce Americans to Mediterranean and European cuisines never before seen in this country.

Over the next 25 years their cookbook sold millions of copies and became a must have for many kitchens.

In 2007, Lukins and Rosso published a 25th anniversary edition of the cookbook, and that’s when I spoke with them. So here now, from 2007, Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso..

Sheila Lukins died in 2009, at age 66.


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Ina Garten

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Ina Garten

Do you ever watch the Food Network? If so, you know who Ina Garten is.

But long before she became the channel’s most popular host, Garten worked in the White House, in the Office of Management and Budget.

That is, until the opportunity to buy a small rspecialty food store in New York’s Hamptons opened up. She kept the store’s name, Barefoot Contessa, and grew it very successfully.

When I met Ina Garten in 1999, she had finally been persuaded to write a cookbook, which turned out to be far, far more popular than even her publisher had hoped.

And three years after the interview you’re about to hear, garden joined the food Network, or her show was a fan favorite for nearly 20 years.

So , from the spring of 1999, Ina Garten.

Ina Garten is 75 now, and yes, still cooking, entertaining, and writing. Cookbooks.


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Nigella Lawson

Photo: Cecile van Straten

The thing about food is that it’s not just fuel for a metabolic process of the human body. It’s a social construct, bringing family or friends together in a way few other experiences can. Can.

And that’s what’s at the heart of the writings of Nigella Lawson, the well-known British-born food writer and TV chef.

In fact, when I met her in 2004, the book she had just published was called Feast.

And a conversation with Nigella Lawson is all “feast” and no “famine.”

So here now, from 2004, Nigella lawson.

Nigella Lawson turned 62 last month. She was last seen on TV in 2020 in the limited series “Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat.”


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Wolfgang Puck
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Wolfgang Puck

Photo © Glenn Francis

When you think of America’s great present-day chefs and restaurateurs, there are only a handful of names that immediately come to mind.

And one of them is Wolfgang Puck.

While he may be best known for his acclaimed Spago restaurant, Puck has also written a number of cookbooks, he’s a TV and he’s the official caterer for the Academy Awards.

I met him a little over thirty years ago, in the fall of 1991, when he was on tour for his cookbook adventures in the Kitchen.

And get ready. You’re going to be very hungry in just a few minutes.

So here now, from 1991, Wolfgang Puck.

Wolfgang Puck is 72 now. He lives in Los Angeles.

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Jill St. John

On this Thanksgiving Eve, we’ll be talking a little turkey. And gravy, and mashed potatoes, and lots of other delicious stuff from the cookbook written by actress and cookbook author Jill St. John.

In a long and successful acting career St. John was popular in movies and on television.

She was in Diamonds Are Forever as Tiffany Case, the first American Bond girl.

Later. though, she established herself as a chef and food writer in print and on TV.

I met her a few days before Thanksgiving in 1987, when we had a nice conversation about all kinds of food, and how she came to write a cookbook. And her acting career.

So here now, from 1987, Jill St. John.

Jill st. John is 81 now.

Emeril Lagasse

Got plans for Labor Day weekend? There’s a good chance you will be taking part in a cookout, to end the summer.

In fact, you may be the one in charge of grilling.

So how do you know if you’re doing it right?

Back in 2009, acclaimed TV chef Emeril Lagasse Rock his talents to grilling, with a book called Emeril at The Grill.

And that’s when I met him.

So here now, from 2009, Emeril Lagasse.

Emeril Lagasse will be 62 in October — and still loves to grill.

Julia Child

Photo: Kingkongphoto

Julia Child is probably the reason many people became professional chefs. She’s also the reason many many millions of us have attempted things in the kitchen we never thought we could do.

For many years Child was America’s most famous chef, thanks largely to her public television series The French Chef.

In 1993, as another of her TV series was premiering, Child collected culinary wisdom from some of her peers, for a book called “Cooking With Master Chefs.”

And tyjhat’s when I met her.

So here now, from 1993, Julia Child.

Julia Child died in 2004, two days before her 92nd birthday.

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