Meet The Legendary Former White House Executive Chef, Cristeta Comerford

Filipino-American chef Cristeta Comerford has just retired after four decades working in the White House. Ascending to the position of executive chef after ten years assisting in the presidential residence's 900-square-foot kitchen, she was the first woman and person of color to take on this role, though her cooking always spoke for itself. Known in the kitchen as "Cris" or "Cheffie," she went on to serve for thirty years as the head of multiple commander-in-chiefs' culinary forces, and has fueled five different presidential administrations while simultaneously demonstrating why food is such an integral aspect of politics.

Comerford's adaptability as a chef and determination to seek out new flavors have contributed to her success. In describing her methodology in cooking for the head of state and all visiting dignitaries, she explained in an interview with Asia Society, "You have to be open to all cuisines and taste as many types of food as possible." Not only was Comerford adept at accommodating each first family's needs and preferences on a daily basis, but her time serving the White House has proven her exemplary use of gastrodiplomacy. She has always emphasized the importance of food in all settings as a social phenomenon and conversational tool — it's a simple but powerful means of bringing discussion to the table.

Growing up in the Philippines, Comerford had an upbringing more immersed in food than the average childhood. Her grandparents owned farms and maintained livestock, and her parents embraced the cooking cultures from their respective communities. As for the origins of her cooking skills, she explained in an interview for WAMU Radio, "Where my mother hails from, it's Bulacan, Philippines — it's where the cooks are the women. Then my father was from Batangas, where the men are the cooks of the house."

Her father had told her long before she began a career in the culinary industry that she should be a chef. While this professional trajectory wasn't something she necessarily had in mind when she was growing up, cuisine still became an integral part of her studies when she pursued food science at the University of the Philippines. She didn't get the chance to finish her studies, however, before her family emigrated to the United States when she was 23. She found jobs working in hotel restaurants in Chicago, where her family settled, despite never going to formal culinary school with the objective of becoming a chef — although she's mentioned that her previous studies in food science provided an important foundation to help her understand the harmony of flavors and ingredients in successful cooking. This would become an asset to her later roles, planning state dinners for different presidential administrations.

Starting out at the Sheraton Hotel near Chicago's airport, Comerford began her cooking career in America as what her brother dubbed, a "salad girl." Her more official title was the "garde manger," the person in the kitchen responsible for preparing the restaurant's cold foods, which included everything from salads to charcuterie. It was while working in Chicago that Comerford met her husband, whose own career trajectory would result in them moving to Washington D.C.

Though the move, far from her family, was by no means an easy decision, Comerford's relocation to the capital provided an unexpected opportunity to advance in the culinary sphere. There, she initially worked in some D.C. area hotels. She also spent six months overseas in a Vienna restaurant where she learned the fundamentals of French cuisine — training that proved useful throughout her entire career, and which certainly came in handy for President Biden's French state dinner in 2022. Comerford's first gig at the White House, however, was merely a part-time role during the Clinton administration, when the staff needed extra help for a state dinner held in Nelson Mandela's honor. An opportunity to stay on for a full-time position arose when the sous chef at the time left his post to start up his own restaurant. Given the chance to apply, Comerford advanced to this role under executive chef Walter Scheib in 1995, and kept this position for ten years.

While working as a sous-chef, Comerford didn't realize she was being considered for a promotion. Her success at helping to organize a state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh under the Bush administration is what boosted her candidacy ahead of hundreds of other applicants. When the executive chef was let go in 2005, First Lady Laura Bush offered the position to Comerford, who didn't consider at the time that her stepping into this leadership role would break a number of consecutive glass ceilings. She became the first woman and first person of color to ascend to White House executive chef and, furthermore, advanced to the position through the strength of her cooking instincts, without the same degree of formal culinary training that many of her peers had. Becoming executive chef at the White House required taking an oath, and revealed that the position entailed so much more than simply managing the White House kitchen. Part of Comerford's duties also included organizing picnics and holiday dinners and stewarding the historic White House china and flatware. 

In 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama announced that Comerford would remain the White House executive chef under the new administration, citing her appreciation of Comerford's emphasis on wholesome, nutritious meals and healthy families. The two would go on to work closely together to establish an official White House garden, and Comerford continued her role as executive chef for two presidential administrations afterward.  

While the executive chef's daily responsibilities entail preparing meals for the first family, there are many large-scale government events that also require catering, and they need extensive preparation. During her career, Comerford organized over 50 state dinners, occasions held to welcome foreign leaders which serve as the highest honor a president can bestow to visiting heads of state. 

Planning for these dinners can take 3-6 months and includes a series of taste tests to choose a menu that takes into consideration seasonal produce and the flavor profiles of a particular culture. Even before she was appointed executive chef, Comerford organized one of these events when the president from her home country of the Philippines visited in 2003. Since then, a few state dinners have stood out as favorites. She's cited Queen Elizabeth's dinner as a memorable one — a white-tie occasion under the Bush administration and the only state dinner she ever organized that deferred to the guest and not the president for timing between courses. But the highest praise of her cooking, as Comerford revealed in an interview with The White House Historical Association, came from the president of South Korea during a state dinner with the Biden administration. "The president of Korea got up and said how delicious the short rib was, and it reminded him of his Mom's short ribs," she said. "I think once somebody said that 'your food tastes like my mom's cooking,' you cannot top that one."

Comerford had a few schemes for successfully directing day-to-day activities in the White House kitchen, but her overarching philosophy was to consider American cuisine like jazz, as she said in an interview with NPR. Comerford explained that this is because it's "less about authenticity and more about improvisation." Though when it came time to organize state dinners, Comerford was equally prepared to meld improvisation with seasonal ingredients with an attention to detail that carefully considered flavors from visiting cultures. She's known to have sought out family recipes to serve dishes that taste like home, rather than opting solely for interpretation.

Comerford's success in preparing daily meals for numerous presidents and their families is equal parts adaptability and the strategy of setting politics aside. "We don't just serve one presidency, we serve all the presidents no matter what your political affiliation is," Comerford explained in her interview with The White House Historical Association, "because we're here for the continuity of the White House and the residence." Furthermore, she explained that being an executive chef also requires having a fine-tuned ability to address the daily ups and downs for the head of state. One of her go-to tricks was to keep the news on in the kitchen — if events suggested it must have been a particularly stressful day for the president, Comerford opted to serve some more comforting food for dinner that night.

Between planning large, formal events and navigating the first family's daily dining, the White House kitchen has to operate under a complex system of organization. Comerford's leadership role meant delegating duties, which could be divided into weekly, daily, and hourly tasks among the kitchen staff. Elaborating on her role in an interview for the Bush Presidential Center, she explained, "My job as leader is to orchestrate every chef and other Executive Residence staff related to events to work harmoniously and congruously. This alleviates a tremendous amount of pressure off my shoulders allowing me to focus better on the big picture." As far as ensuring this culinary machine ran smoothly, Comerford has likened her role to one of America's pastimes — "I think 'baseball coach' is a great analogy because everybody has their own positions," Comerford said in an interview with CNN. "You look at everyone's strengths, everyone's abilities and knowledge ... you're basically trying to rally your team to be the best at whatever they do."

During the Obama administration, sourcing ingredients for meal preparation evolved slightly when Comerford worked closely with First Lady Michelle Obama for her "Let's Move" campaign to mitigate childhood obesity. In its efforts to promote healthy, seasonal eating, the program entailed organizing a garden on the White House grounds which has since grown into a flourishing, 100-square-meter growing space. Meals at the White House are often planned around the seasonal produce available from this garden on the grounds.

Having served five different first families during her career, Comerford adapted her cooking to each household's individual preferences, and has revealed some of the dishes that were particular favorites during her time in the White House kitchen. President Clinton, one of a handful of U.S. presidents with unusual eating habits, typically asked for the Southern classic, coca-cola salad, to be served as dessert for Thanksgiving. As a daily staple, he often requested Comerford's enchiladas. These were also one of President Bush's favorites. The secret: Homemade tortillas. President Obama enjoyed any occasion when Comerford prepared dishes from the Philippines. Having previously lived in Hawaii himself, he'd gotten a taste for the cuisine from the large Filipino population on the island, and a particular favorite was the popular Filipino street food of skewered pork. But Obama was also known to prepare meals himself from time to time. He had a go-to turkey chili recipe and liked to preside over the grill whenever barbecue was on the menu. 

When it came to serving foreign leaders at state dinners and other formal events, however, Comerford sought insight from the Club des Chefs des Chefs, an organization of the chefs who cater for world leaders. Consisting of about 30 members presently, the club consults each other on how to best prepare meals and which favorites to consider serving for each other's heads of state.

Most of Comerford's cooking, and any secret ingredients therein, were kept under wraps during her time at the White House, but a few of her well-known recipes have since been shared publicly. Among the many Filipino dishes she often prepared for the Obamas, some classics she cooked were tocino (cured pork belly), laing (spiced taro leaves), and pinakbet (simmered vegetables). Halo-halo, a colorful Filipino shaved ice dessert combined with many toppings, was another classic among President Obama's list of favorites while in office. She was also particularly known for the hearty arroz caldo, a chicken and rice soup seasoned with ginger and garlic. Though the exact recipes aren't public information, a few of her traditional dishes have been featured in the cookbook "The New Filipino Kitchen," first published in 2018. 

Regarding other dishes that Comerford regularly prepared for first family meals, she has revealed that meals at the White House were generally kept on the healthy side, and vegetables (certainly including those harvested from the White House garden) were included in creative ways. Comerford has shared her recipes for turkey and spinach lasagna, as well as a veggie-loaded grilled pizza, and broccoli soup. Her roasted poblano tamales were a holiday favorite, especially during the Bush Administration. Her legendary enchilada recipe, lauded by numerous presidents, however, remains a closely guarded secret.

In 2010 Comerford stepped outside of her traditional kitchen duties to tackle a Food Network special, an Iron Chef Super Battle, competing in partnership with celebrity chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay. The characteristic secret ingredient presented in all Iron Chef challenges was more than just one ingredient this time around — the contestants had to use produce from the White House garden which they harvested with their own hands.

Comerford revealed that her experience in the White House kitchen had prepared her well for the pressure of cooking for the competition's time crunch. She and Flay, working as a team, went on to rank among the top winners of Iron Chef America with a menu that pulled flavors from Comerford's Filipino origins for a unique take on American classics. Choosing to make the most of the large sweet potatoes that form a pièce de résistance of the White House garden, the duo's dishes included a Filipino-inspired broccoli clam chowder and a sweet potato tart with meringue, both of which anyone can attempt to recreate with the recipes Comerford has shared.

Comerford has plenty of words of wisdom to impart to budding chefs and successors to the White House kitchen. She has emphasized that much of her success as a chef has come from taking inspiration from her culture, and advises others not to shy away from the flavors of their origins — this can only help food stand out. "If you want to be the White House chef," she emphasized in her interview with The White House Historical Society, "you have to read the room properly. You have to be able to listen. And you have to listen well. Because at the end of the day, this is not your restaurant. This is not about you, but it's about the president or the family who are living in that White House at the moment."

Her cooking input extends to anyone who enjoys preparing meals for their family, and her philosophy on emphasizing food to inspire togetherness extends to far more than just gastrodiplomacy. "We have to remind ourselves that when we host parties or families in our homes, it's all about relationships and conversations. Food is an amazing tool to bring people together," she explained in her interview for the Bush Presidential Center. Her advice for maximizing the social aspect is to "Plan menus that you can prep ahead of time. Then, during the day of your event, you can simply 'fire' or heat up your pre-prepped food and 'plate up' your sauces and condiments."