What's cooking at the White House

[n2doc]

First lady Michelle Obama shops with Sam Kass, assistant chef at the White House, in September at a farmers market two blocks from the White House. The Obamas recruited Kass from Chicago, where he had worked with such chefs as Paul Kahan and had cooked for the family in their Kenwood home. (Win McNamee, Getty Images / September 17, 2009)

By Katherine Skiba
Tribune reporter

WASHINGTON -- Not long after arriving at the White House, first lady Michelle Obama led reporters and culinary students through its cramped, stainless steel kitchen, enthusing, "This is where the magic happens."

The food at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is fresh, seasonal and gathered from across America, as far away as the rivers of Alaska and as close as the first lady's garden.

There's a Chicago influence too, not only because of the first couple's deep roots. They brought with them Sam Kass, who had cooked for them in the Windy City and is now an assistant chef at the White House.

Ten months into the Obama presidency, it's plainer than a scoop of vanilla ice cream that Barack and Michelle Obama are food enthusiasts. Call them the "first foodies." The Obamas possess sophisticated palates, according to chefs who know them.

Still, there's a dichotomy to their dining. They're omnivores who enjoy "adventurous" eating, but confess a hankering for humble foods, like burgers and sweet potato french fries.

All of this translates to a White House where food, and who is cooking it, matters.

It begins in that kitchen, where Michelle Obama, leading the kitchen tour, observed: "No one would expect that all that comes out of these dinners happens in this little bitty space, but we have some of the best talent here."

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/family/chi-1206-obama-eatsdec06,0,1223532.story

[Hekate]

1. Suddenly I feel hungry. Those are some gorgeous tomatoes. nt

[surrealAmerican]

3. Those tomatoes are beautiful.

Now I really miss September.

[n2doc]

2. kick n/t