The President's Kitchen Cabinet : The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From the Washingtons to the Obamas

This book provides a historical survey of African Americans involved in food service for U.S. presidents and the First Families. The main themes of this book are that these African Americans were culinary artists, family confidantes, and, at times, civil rights advocates. Instead of going by chronological order through each presidential administration, the book is organized by investigating different categories of presidential food service professionals: bartender, butler, caterer, chef, cook, guest chef, maid, maître d'hôtel, steward, and usher. Within each category, select African Americans are profiled. The profiles detail: the personal backgrounds of the presidential cooks; how they entered presidential food service; the material conditions of their workspace; what their typical day was like; how the racial attitudes of the president, the First Family, in Washington, D.C. and the broader society and the society around them have affected their status as White House workers and their workplace; and how they related to the presidents for whom they worked. The book also illuminates the different approaches that U.S. presidents have had towards the food operations at the executive residence, whether that be at the White House, or when the president travels elsewhere. The book concludes with a look at how the contemporary White House kitchen operates, how it inspires young people to the profession, and the prospects for future African American presidential chefs. Each chapter ends with actual presidential recipes or some inspired by select U.S. presidents. 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SEMISWEET: Personal and Professional Presidential Cooks after Emancipation 115 RECIPES 154 Pedernales River Chili 154 President Eisenhower’s Old-Fashioned Beef Stew 155 Caroline Harrison’s Deviled Almonds 155 5. EATING ON THE RUN: Presidential Foodways in Motion 157 RECIPES 189 Daisy Bonner’s Cheese Soufflé 189 Hawaiian French Toast 190 Jerk Chicken Pita Pizza 191 6. SEEING THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY: African Americans and Presidential Drinkways 192 RECIPES 216 Inauguration Punch 216 White House Eggnog 217 White House Honey Ale 218 7. ABOVE MEASURE: The Future of African American Presidential Chefs 220 RECIPES 235 Sesame and Wasabi–Crusted Halibut 235 Layered Late-Summer Vegetables with Lemongrass and Red Curry Dressing 236 Grilled Salmon with Farro, Swiss Chard Salad, and a Tropical Smoothie 239 Notes 242 Bibliography 258 Index 276 A 276 B 277 C 277 D 278 E 279 F 279 G 281 H 281 I 282 J 282 K 283 L 283 M 284 N 285 O 285 P 285 Q 286 R 286 S 288 T 289 U 290 V 290 W 290 Y 292 Z 292 An NAACP Image Award Finalist for Outstanding Literary Work--Non Fiction James Beard award-winning author Adrian Miller vividly tells the stories of the African Americans who worked in the presidential food service as chefs, personal cooks, butlers, stewards, and servers for every First Family since George and Martha Washington. Miller brings together the names and words of more than 150 black men and women who played remarkable roles in unforgettable events in the nation's history. Daisy McAfee Bonner, for example, FDR's cook at his Warm Springs retreat, described the president's final day on earth in 1945, when he was struck down just as his lunchtime cheese souffle emerged from the oven. Sorrowfully, but with a cook's pride, she recalled, "He never ate that souffle, but it never fell until the minute he died." A treasury of information about cooking techniques and equipment, the book includes twenty recipes for which black chefs were celebrated. From Samuel Fraunces's "onions done in the Brazilian way" for George Washington to Zephyr Wright's popovers, beloved by LBJ's family, Miller highlights African Americans' contributions to our shared American foodways. Surveying the labor of enslaved people during the antebellum period and the gradual opening of employment after Emancipation, Miller highlights how food-related work slowly became professionalized and the important part African Americans played in that process. His chronicle of the daily table in the White House proclaims a fascinating new American story. Award Winning Author Adrian Miller Vividly Tells The Stories Of The African Americans Who Worked In The Presidential Food Service As Chefs, Personal Cooks, Butlers, Stewards, And Servers For Every First Family Since George And Martha Washington. Miller Brings Together The Names And Words Of More Than 150 Black Men And Women Who Played Remarkable Roles In Unforgettable Events In The Nation's History. The Key Ingredients Of Presidential Foodways -- Feeling At Home : The White House Steward And The Evolution Of Presidential Provisioning -- Bittersweet : African American Presidential Cooks In Antebellum America -- Semisweet : Personal And Professional Presidential Cooks After Emancipation -- Eating On The Run : Presidential Foodways In Motion -- Seeing Through A Glass Darkly : African Americans And Presidential Drinkways -- Above Measure : The Future Of African American Presidential Chefs. Adrian Miller. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 211-244) And Index. Tells the stories of the African Americans who worked in the presidential food service as chefs, personal cooks, butlers, stewards, and servers for every First Family since George and Martha Washington. Adrian Miller brings together the names and words of more than 150 black men and women who played remarkable roles in unforgettable events in America's history.