ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
You know that old line, tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you who you are? Well, if that's true, then our next guest knows the last five presidents of the United States better than almost anyone. Cristeta Comerford just retired after nearly 30 years as White House chef. She cooked for presidents from Clinton to Biden, making everything from family snacks to state dinners. Just days before she left D.C. and moved to Florida, she came to our studios to look back on her career. And Cris Comerford told me she didn't think about the barriers that she broke when she became the first woman and the first person of color to hold the top job in the White House kitchen.
CRISTETA COMERFORD: I didn't even realize that because I was just doing what I wanted to do. I love to cook. It just so happens that I'm a minority woman. But when I broke the glass ceiling, I didn't realize that it was, like, news all over.
SHAPIRO: Yeah. And this was in the George W Bush administration...
COMERFORD: George W. Bush. That was...
SHAPIRO: ...When you were elevated to the top role.
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
COMERFORD: That's August 5. I clearly remember...
SHAPIRO: You remember.
COMERFORD: ...2005 when they put it on. CNN broke the news first.
SHAPIRO: And was that the first time you realized - when you saw it on the headlines?
COMERFORD: No. They did tell me on a Friday. I did my oath-taking ceremony at the Oval Office with Andy Card at the time.
SHAPIRO: He was the chief of staff.
COMERFORD: He was the chief of staff for the Bushes. And they were like, can't tell anybody yet, of course, except my husband because we're not releasing the news until Monday. And just imagine. I'm very close to my mom. So I'm like...
SHAPIRO: Oh.
COMERFORD: ...If I tell Mom, she's going to tell the whole Chicago area.
SHAPIRO: (Laughter).
COMERFORD: So I had to hold that. But we were vacationing in Mexico. So...
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
COMERFORD: We came back to the room on a Sunday afternoon, and it was out there. I'm like, they told me Monday. So I had to call her right away, but she was...
SHAPIRO: What did she say?
COMERFORD: She was in tears. It was really...
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
COMERFORD: ...Such a big moment for the family.
SHAPIRO: You were born in the Philippines.
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: You grew up one of 11 children...
COMERFORD: Eleven children.
SHAPIRO: ...In Manila. Is that right?
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: And you came to the U.S. at the age of 23.
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: Did any of the presidents you worked for ask you to cook the food of your childhood, the food you grew up with?
COMERFORD: Actually, I mean, like, President Obama. I mean, he lived in Hawaii...
SHAPIRO: Right.
COMERFORD: ...For a while. So there's a lot of Filipino communities in there. So he's very familiar with the Filipino food. So every now and then, I might imbibe it on the grill, and he's like, hey. That's smelling good right there. So yes.
SHAPIRO: Give us an example.
COMERFORD: Like...
SHAPIRO: What was something you grew up eating that you would make him?
COMERFORD: The skewered pork. You know, like, that's, like, a street food, but that's something that I love very much. And then whenever - I do that, but I do beef as well and chicken.
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
COMERFORD: He loves it, so...
SHAPIRO: That must have been so nice to share the food of your roots, of your childhood...
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: ...In your job...
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: ...At the White House...
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: ...With the president.
COMERFORD: Exactly. Yes.
SHAPIRO: I think the last time the White House hosted a state dinner for the Philippines, if I'm not mistaken, was 2003...
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: ...During the George W. Bush...
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: ...Administration.
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: What was that day like for you?
COMERFORD: It was amazing because actually, Chef Walter Scheib, the executive chef then, asked me to write the menu.
SHAPIRO: Wow.
COMERFORD: And I really - I actually did the press preview for Macapagal Arroyo at the time, so I was so excited. They chose lamb. I clearly remember because it was, like, kind of unusual. I'm like, lamb for Filipinos? But I'm like, OK. If that's what the guests want, we're going to do lamb. So...
SHAPIRO: It is unsurprising but still remarkable that you remember specifically what was on the menu...
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: ...More than 20 years ago.
COMERFORD: Yes. Yeah because that's kind of, like, one of my first state dinner tests.
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
COMERFORD: Kind of, like, make a menu for your (inaud***) president.
SHAPIRO: Do you remember what else was on the menu?
COMERFORD: Actually, I served it with fava beans. I'm like, fava beans? But...
SHAPIRO: So this was a spring meal.
COMERFORD: Because we have something similar. It was kind of during the springtime, so yes.
SHAPIRO: What did cooking for presidents show you about those leaders that even their chiefs of staff or their closest advisors might not have understood?
COMERFORD: I think at the end of the day, those presidents - I mean, they have the weight of the world on their shoulder. So the only thing that they want when they come home after working the Oval Office, dealing with whatever world or domestic events is just to come home to a nice, home-cooked meal. So on a daily basis, we just really take care of them. Hey. What do you like to eat? And a part of being a chef is just reading the room...
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
COMERFORD: ...But reading a big room because you have to watch the news. You have to keep up with what's happening because you almost kind of know what mood is your principal going to be on. So...
SHAPIRO: Oh, interesting. You're watching the news to see if it was a stressful day for the person...
COMERFORD: Exactly.
SHAPIRO: ...You're cooking for.
COMERFORD: Yes. Yes.
SHAPIRO: So it's like, oh.
COMERFORD: It's one of those things that...
SHAPIRO: He's going to need grilled cheese and tomato soup...
COMERFORD: Yeah, exactly.
SHAPIRO: ...At the end of this day - that kind of thing.
COMERFORD: Because - yeah, yeah. And people don't teach us that.
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
COMERFORD: We just kind of know. I learned it from, actually, one of our butlers because he was the one who explained to me, Cris, he's going to be feeling tired today and just worn out.
SHAPIRO: Wow.
COMERFORD: So give him what you got.
SHAPIRO: If I were to ask all five presidents, what dish is Cris best known for, do you think more than one of them would give me the same answer?
COMERFORD: I think two of them would give you the same answer.
SHAPIRO: What would it be?
COMERFORD: Because President Clinton's favorite is enchiladas. And, of course, so does President Bush. So they'll give the same answer. And...
SHAPIRO: And you make a mean enchilada.
COMERFORD: I make a mean enchilada.
SHAPIRO: What's your secret?
COMERFORD: Homemade tortillas.
SHAPIRO: Oh, wow.
COMERFORD: Of course it has to be homemade.
SHAPIRO: Did a president ever say to you, Cris, you're an extraordinary cook, but you know what? I don't want the handmade tortilla. I want the American cheese wrapped in plastic that I grew up eating, you know (laughter)?
COMERFORD: Actually, it was President Obama. I was making this fancy cheeseburger for him. I made my own brioche dough. And he looked at it.
SHAPIRO: Oh.
COMERFORD: And he said...
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
COMERFORD: ...Like, I'm OK with just the grocery bun that you get. And I'm like, yeah.
SHAPIRO: But I have homemade brioche here.
COMERFORD: Yeah because he likes the soft bread and stuff. But it's fun. Yeah.
SHAPIRO: One of your former colleagues, the pastry chef Bill Yosses, told me that your philosophy of American cuisine is that it's like jazz.
COMERFORD: Yes.
SHAPIRO: What does that mean?
COMERFORD: It was a New York Times reporter who asked me the question of, like, do you think French food is the best? And we were in France. So I'm like - so this is what I said.
SHAPIRO: You don't want a diplomatic incident.
COMERFORD: Yeah. I mean, but what I said was true. I'm like, hey. Look. All of the chefs - we're all classically trained like, you know, a pianist is classically trained in music. But in America, we play jazz.
SHAPIRO: And what does that mean in terms of food?
COMERFORD: In terms of food, it's like - because, like, every community, every minority groups, every - I mean, we're a land of immigrants. So we share everything that we have. So by the time, like, you know, a food is made, it's a totally different...
SHAPIRO: Yeah. Yeah.
COMERFORD: ...You know, one that was intended it to be. It's because it's a beautiful melting pot.
SHAPIRO: It's less about authenticity and more about improvisation, is that it?
COMERFORD: Exactly. Yes.
SHAPIRO: Well, last I checked, the new White House chef, your successor, had not yet been announced. Do you have any words of advice for your successor?
COMERFORD: I think I'm going to give him the same word of advice that Walter gives to every even sous chef that walks in.
SHAPIRO: That you got almost 30 years ago.
COMERFORD: Thirty years ago.
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
COMERFORD: And basically, you leave your politics at the door because at the end of the day, we're cooks. We're chefs. We just want to make them happy with their food. So I'll give that same person the very same advice that Walter gave me.
SHAPIRO: Well, Cristeta Comerford, congratulations on your nearly 30-year run at the White House. It's been a pleasure talking with you.
COMERFORD: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS SONG, "LEAD ME HOME") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
