Cooking for the most powerful person in the world
Consider This from NPR
NPR
4.2 • 6.2K Ratings
🗓️ 10 September 2024
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
She just retired after nearly 30 years as White House chef. Comerford cooked for Presidents from Clinton to Biden...making everything from family snacks to state dinners.
She is the first woman and the first person of color to hold the serve in that job.
She reflects on her groundbreaking role, and what she's learned from cooking for some of the most powerful people in the world.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | When the in May of 2003. The White House went all out, a formal arrival ceremony, a joint news |
| 0:15.7 | conference between the two leaders, and... Madam President, Attorney Arroyo, it is a high honor for |
| 0:22.4 | Lauren Me to welcome. |
| 0:23.3 | A state dinner. |
| 0:24.5 | That's President George W Bush welcoming |
| 0:26.9 | Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| 0:29.9 | to the formal evening affair. |
| 0:32.2 | Please join me in a toast to the enduring friendship between the Philippines and the United States. |
| 0:38.0 | About 130 guests gathered in the White House State Dining Room, where they had Gespatcha |
| 0:46.4 | with seafood and lamb over polenta. |
| 0:49.2 | That menu is notable 20 years later because it was the first time Christetta Comerford planned a White House |
| 0:55.9 | State dinner. |
| 0:56.9 | Normally I give this little talk, but today, Chris Comerford, my assistant chef, who is a |
| 1:02.3 | native-born Filipino, |
| 1:03.3 | but is now an American citizen. |
| 1:05.1 | A rare opportunity to do a dinner for both of her presidents, |
| 1:09.1 | if you will, so she's going to review the menu with you now. |
| 1:12.1 | That was Executive Chef Walter Schib, |
| 1:14.2 | who introduced Comerford to the press earlier in the day. |
| 1:17.4 | Can you talk about what it's like to cook for, |
| 1:20.5 | like the chef shop said the two presidents? |
| 1:23.0 | It's very overwhelming. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.