Wanted: White House Chef

By JULIETTE ROSSANT The White House has announced that current executive chef Walter Scheib is leaving "to pursue other activities" after nearly 11 years of service, as soon as a successor is found, reports The Washington Post. Scheib, a Bethesda, MD-native and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, was previously executive chef at Greenbrier, home to La Varenne restaurant and frequent haunt of chef-historian Anne Willan. The White House is conducting a search for the next executive chef, according to The Post -- "with all due speed." The executive chef position during Scheib's tenture ran five (5) full-time staff and nearly 20 part-time staff and includes responsibility for planning and executing formal state dinners, as well as feeding the first family and their guests around the clock. The Post notes that the Bush 43 White House held only four state dinners during the first term of presidency (the same number Bush 41 hosted in his first six months in office -- the White House cites 9/11 for the decline) but intends to hold more during the current second term. "The process will move as quickly as possible," Gordon Johndroe, press secretary to Laura Bush, stressed to The Post, but "obviously, it's a certain type of chef that the residence's staff will be looking for. It's a unique position." Walter Scheib, who the White House said this week was resigning, will remain until a replacement is named, Johndroe said yesterday. Chief Usher Gary Walters will lead the search, after also leading the search for last September's appointment of Thaddeus DuBois as the new White House pastry chef. The First Lady historically makes the final choice of White House chef, as (then First Lady, now Senator) Hillary Clinton did with Scheib. Last time, selection of the pastry chef took about two months. The Post notes that, traditionally, White House chefs have prepared classic French cuisine for official events. French chef Rene Verdon served during the Kennedy administration. Lady Bird Johnson replaced Verdon in 1966 with Swiss chef Henry Haller, who held the position for 22 years and cooked for Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan. American Jon Hill followed Haller briefly, replaced by Pierre Chambrin. The Post warns: The White House kitchen is typically open 16 hours a day, preparing meals for the president and his family, small luncheons and dinners, buffets for large receptions and the highly scrutinized State Dinners, with menus designed to highlight both American cuisine and the country being honored. Planning for state dinners begin two months before the event. And let us not forget the thousands of hard-boiled eggs for the annual Easter Egg Roll. So, think twice before you apply or nominate someone. Then again, don't you want to be in the seat of power, serving the rich and famous, and part of the Greatest Show on Earth? Following article: Vote for White House Guest Chefs Previous articles: Inauguration Spells Alphabet Soup Disaster Wolfgang Puck Inaugurates Washington Tsunami Update 4: US Ex-Presidents Lead Funding Elections East 2: Washington Sports Night Elections West: First Drinks on Mary Sue & Susan Elections East: East-West Special Charlie Palmer Ties as Washington's No. 1 Steakhouse Todd English Flipflops Between Bush and Kerry? Charlie Palmer: Bipartisan Turf Surfs the Hill Politics, Billboards & Champagne Politics, Chefs & Billboards Inside Scoop on Dinner in the Control Room