Presidential Chefs!
Thursday, we went to the Adrian Miller talk on African-American presidential chefs and recipes at the White House Historical Association. Guests enjoyed the Miller lecture and book signing, as well as a food and drink reception featuring mini sweet potato biscuits with adobo beef, crudités with hummus, and tea and lemonade. We snapped Adrian Miller speaking to the audience.
Miller, an award-winning author and food historian, explores the lives of African-American White House chefs in his upcoming book, "The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas." Here, Carroll Carter Jr. with David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History Director Curtis Sandberg.
During the lecture, Miller discussed the lives of chefs, their cooking techniques and recipes while painting a broader picture of the cultural impact on the White House and the nation. He also shared tales he uncovered doing research for the book. President Obama’s favorite dish was jerk chicken pita pizza. The White House unsuccessfully tried to lure away Hay-Adams Hotel chef Patrick Clark from his post there, but couldn’t since the White House could only pay a fraction of what he was making at the hotel. Clark did eventually get to serve as a special guest chef for the White House dinner for Nelson Mandela, who was so impressed by Clark’s South African meal that he invited the chef to sit at the dinner with President Bill Clinton. Here, singer Kevin Pinckney, who is the great-grandson of White House Steward Henry Pinckney, with White House Historical Association Chief Historian Edward Lengel.
Miller served as special assistant and the deputy director of the President’s Initiative for One America during the Clinton administration. He is a culinary historian who specializes in the history of barbecue, soul food and African-American presidential chefs. His previous book, "Soul Food: The Surprising Story of An American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time" won the 2014 James Beard Foundation Book Award. Here are friends of the author, Dan Manatt and Christina Chou.
