United States. The chief cook of the White House distinguished by France

Cristeta Comerford was received into the Order of Agricultural Merit at the rank of officer, Wednesday, May 25, 2022 in Washington.

Cristeta Comerford, who makes culinary history by being the first woman in charge of the White House stoves, was received in the Order of Agricultural Merit at the rank of officer, Wednesday evening in Washington.

The reward was given to him by one of his peers, the former chef of the Élysée Palace Guillaume Gomez, now personal representative of President Macron in the service of French gastronomy.

Born in the Philippines and naturalized American, the one everyone calls “Cries” paid tribute to the officials who had put her foot in the stirrup.

At the White House since 2005

«
One of my favorite movies is Babette’s Feast, which is set in a coastal town in Denmark. It tells the fictional story of a French chef who was ahead of her time. Without expecting to be reciprocated, she offered her grace, her service, her compassion to people, because they had given her a chance. This is what happened to me
“said the 59-year-old chef.

Cris Comerford was appointed White House Chief Cook by US First Lady Laura Bush in 2005. Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden have maintained their trust in her, giving her a 17-year longevity in this exposed post. .

«
Imagine that, every four years, you have to adapt to the tastes of a different president, it’s not easy, it prevents you from having your own style from which you don’t deviate. You have to be able to adapt and you can.
“, explained to AFP Patrick O’Connell, the only three-star Michelin chef in the Washington region, with his restaurant “The Inn at Little Washington”.

“Showcasing their land”

The function of head chef of the White House dates back to a reorganization of the staff carried out by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961. In more than 60 years, two French people have held the position, at a time when the chefs of the homeland of Bocuse were essential in the great American culinary schools.

But Guillaume Gomez finds it legitimate that the cordons-bleus of the presidents are now more the showcase of national traditions and know-how.

«
They are also there to highlight their terroir and their territory, with their history, with this DNA that makes the gastronomy of a country
“, he told AFP. ”
Today we don’t eat French at the White House, and that’s good! We eat French at the Elysée Palace. My role as chef at the Elysée Palace was not to highlight the Alba truffle, it was the role of my colleagues at the Quirinal
».

Replay. “The 7 minutes” #121 of Thursday, May 26, 2022:

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