Cristeta Comerford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Cristeta Gomez Pasia October 27, 1962 |
| Education | University of the Philippines Diliman (dropped out) |
| Spouse | John Comerford |
| Children | 1 |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | French |
Cristeta Pasia Comerford (born October 27, 1962) is a Filipino-American chef who has been the White House executive chef since 2005. She is the first woman and first person of Asian origin to hold the post.
Cristeta Comerford was born as Cristeta Gomez Pasia in Sampaloc, Manila, the Philippines to Honesto Pasia, a public school assistant principal, and Erlinda Gomez. [1] She grew up on Cataluña Street (now G. Tolentino) in Sampaloc, Manila. She completed her secondary education at the Manila Science High School. She attended the University of the Philippines, Diliman in Quezon City, majoring in food technology. However, she left school before completing the degree when she immigrated to the United States at the age of 23.
Comerford's first job was at the Sheraton Hotel near O'Hare International Airport. She also worked at the Hyatt Regency hotel. After Chicago, she moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as a chef at two restaurants. She additionally spent six months in Vienna as a rotating chef. Comerford was recruited by White House executive chef Walter Scheib III in 1995 to work in the Clinton White House as an assistant chef. [2]
After Scheib resigned in February 2005, Comerford was appointed White House executive chef by First Lady Laura Bush on August 14, 2005. Comerford is the first woman to hold this position. [3] She reportedly was appointed to this position due to her handling of a large dinner that was held in honor of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh. [4]
On January 9, 2009, the Obama transition team announced that Comerford would be retained as the administration's head chef. [5] Michelle Obama stated, "She is also the mom of a young daughter, and I appreciate our shared perspective on the importance of healthy eating and healthy families." [6]
Comerford appeared on a special two-hour episode of Iron Chef America , originally broadcast on January 2, 2010. She was teamed up with Bobby Flay and competed against a team of Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali. [7]
As chef to a head of state, Comerford is a member of Le Club des Chefs des Chefs. [8] [9]
She lives in Columbia, Maryland, with her husband, John, and their daughter Danielle. [9]
Iron Chef America is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the original Japanese program, the program is a culinary game show. In each episode, a new challenger chef competes against one of the resident "Iron Chefs" in a one-hour cooking competition based on a secret ingredient or ingredients, and sometimes theme.
Santa Mesa is a district in Manila, Philippines. It is surrounded by the Pasig River on the southwestern side, and by the San Juan River on its southern and eastern side. Land borders include the districts of San Miguel to the west and Sampaloc to the north; and to the northeast is Quezon City.
Malvar, officially the Municipality of Malvar, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines.
Lucban, officially the Municipality of Lucban, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,091 people.
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to former president Barack Obama.
Walter Stanley Scheib III was an American chef who was White House Executive Chef from 1994 until 2005.
Manila Science High School, colloquially known as MaSci, is a public science high school in the Philippines. It is located on Taft Avenue at the corner of Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila, and was established on October 1, 1963 as the first science high school in the Philippines.
Minita Chico-Nazario was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. She was appointed to the court by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on February 10, 2004.
William Yosses is an American chef who is best known as co-author of the book Desserts For Dummies and for being the White House Executive Pastry Chef from 2007 to 2014. Yosses is now the owner of the pastry company Perfect Pie, which is based in New York City.
The White House Executive Chef is the individual responsible for managing the kitchens, and for planning and preparing of all menus and meals for the president of the United States and the first family, which includes their private meals, their private entertaining, and official state functions at the White House in Washington, D.C., in the United States.
The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is a United States-based not-for-profit professional association whose members work in culinary education, communication, or the preparation of food and beverage.
Emeril John Lagassé III is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author, and National Best Recipe award winner for his "Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili" recipe in 2003. He is a regional James Beard Award winner, known for his mastery of Creole and Cajun cuisine and his self-developed "New New Orleans" style. He is of Portuguese descent on his mother's side, while being of French heritage through his father.
The Office of the First Lady (OFL) is the staff accountable to the first lady of the United States. The office and its responsibilities, while not constitutionally mandated, have grown as the role of the first lady has grown and formalized through the history of the United States. The Office of the First Lady is an entity of the White House Office, part of the Executive Office of the President. It is located in the East Wing.
The White House has had multiple vegetable gardens since its completion in 1800. Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama all have had their own versions of vegetable gardens. Roosevelt planted the White House victory garden during World War II to promote the use of victory gardens by American citizens in a time of possible food scarcity. Hillary Clinton had a vegetable garden constructed on the roof of the White House. On March 20, 2009, Michelle Obama broke ground on the largest and most expansive vegetable garden to date on the White House lawn.
Restaurant Nora was a restaurant owned by chef Nora Pouillon in Washington, D.C., and was America's first certified organic restaurant.
Let's Move! is a public health campaign in the United States led by former First Lady Michelle Obama. The campaign aimed to reduce childhood obesity and encourage a healthy lifestyle in children.
American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America is a book by First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama published in 2012. The book promotes healthy eating and documents the White House Kitchen Garden through the seasons. The garden, planted in 2009 on the White House's South Lawn, promoted the first lady's Let's Move! initiative to end childhood obesity. Journalist Lyric Winik assisted Obama in the writing of American Grown. Proceeds from the book were donated to the National Park Foundation.
Samuel David Kass is an American political advisor, chef, and news personality, who served as President Barack Obama's Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy, executive director for First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign, and as an assistant chef in the White House. On July 29, 2015, NBC News announced the appointment of Kass as a senior food analyst, charged with covering topics such as healthful eating, food trends and policy on all platforms of NBC News.
Culinary diplomacy, gastrodiplomacy or food diplomacy is a type of cultural diplomacy, which itself is a subset of public diplomacy. Its basic premise is that "the easiest way to win hearts and minds is through the stomach". Official government-sponsored culinary diplomacy programs have been established in Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Lebanon, Peru, Israel, the United States, Cambodia, Japan, and Nordic countries.
Le Club des Chefs des Chefs (C.C.C.), founded by Gilles Bragard in 1977, is an international culinary organisation.
