Read About White House executive chef Cristela Comerford

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Cristeta Comerford is the first person of color and the first woman to be the White House executive chef.

Early Life:

Cristeta Comerford went to school in the Philippines to learn about food technology. When she was 23, she moved to the United States. Later, she became an American citizen and began her cooking career in hotels near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Before becoming an assistant chef at the White House in 1995, she worked as a chef at two hotels in Washington, D.C.

Job of Executive Chef:

First Lady Laura Bush gave Comerford the job of executive chef at the White House in 2005.  Laura was the first woman and the person of Asian descent to hold this job. Comerford has worked at the White House for four presidents: George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. She is married to John Comerford, who is also a chef, and they have a daughter together.

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Early Years:

Cristeta Comerford was born in the Philippines, in the city of Manila, on October 27, 1962. She grew up with six half-brothers, one half-sister, and three full sisters in the Sampaloc neighborhood of Manila. Her father, Honesto Pasia, was the principal of a school, and her mother, Erlinda Gomez, made clothes.

Cooking Skills:

Comerford said her mother was a great cook when she was a child, and she taught her daughters to value cooking skills. The farm where Comerford’s grandparents lived meant that the family often had access to fresh food.

Education and Coming to the U.S:

Comerford went to the University of the Philippines-Diliman to study food technology. She left before finishing her degree because she got a visa from the United States, where her brother Juanito Pasia was already working. Comerford moved to the U.S. when she was 23. She came with several members of her family, who all arrived in Chicago.

Work as a Cook:

Comerford’s brother called her “salad girl” because one of her first jobs was running the salad bar at a hotel near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. She worked at another hotel near O’Hare before becoming a chef at Le Grande Bistro(Westin Hotel), and the Colonnade former ANA Hotel) both in Washington.

Traditional French Food:

Comerford also worked at Le Ciel in Vienna, Austria, as a chef tournant (also called a “revolving chef”) for six months. There, she learned how to cook traditional French food well.

Executive Chef Walter Scheib:

White House decision-making chef Walter Scheib III hired Comerford to work in 1995, in the White House as an assistant chef while Bill Clinton was in office. After George W. Bush became president, Laura Bush fired Scheib and started looking for a new head chef. Comerford was one of 450 people who wanted the job.

Executive Chef at the White House:

During the six-month search for a new executive chef, Comerford and another chef took care of the White House’s daily needs. She stayed in the running even after the number of applicants was cut down, and she showed off her skills by planning the menu for a dinner in July 2005 for the visiting prime minister of India. The next month, Laura Bush made Comerford the new executive chef at the White House.

Comerford was the first woman, first person of Asian descent, and first person of colour to become the White House executive chef. She was the first person in the White House kitchen to be made executive chef.

Barack Obama became president:

Comerford kept his job as executive chef after Barack Obama became president. Soon after, First Lady Michelle Obama put a garden on the White House lawn, and Comerford started changing her menu to use the fresh ingredients. It’s calling our names and saying, ‘Hey, I’m ready to be cooked today.'”

Donald Trump President:

In 2014, when President Obama went to the Philippines for a state dinner, he praised Comerford for being one of the millions of Filipino-Americans who make a difference in the United States. After Obama’s two terms, Comerford stayed on as executive chef while Donald Trump was president and when Joe Biden took over.

Join the Club des Chefs:

Comerford joined the Club des Chefs because she was the executive chef at the White House. This group is made up of chefs who work for presidents, royalty, and prime ministers. Society has meetings once a year where people share recipes and information about food.

What does the Chef of the White House do?

Comerford is the White House’s executive chef. She is in charge of five other chefs and other kitchen staff. She has to be flexible at work because she makes everything from fancy state dinners to late-night snacks for the president. For religious events like Hanukkah, the White House kitchen is changed to follow kashrut laws so that kosher food can be prepared correctly.

How much does the White House’s head chef make?

At first, Comerford was paid around $100,000 a year for this job. She is not paid extra for working late.

Methods of Cooking:

Comerford doesn’t use measurements when she cooks. Instead, she goes by how things taste and how long she’s been cooking. Some of Comerford’s recipes are in The New Filipino Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Around the World.

Family and Marriage:

John, Comerford’s husband, is also a chef. She said that the support of her husband helped her do well in her job at the White House. They have a daughter named Danielle.