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Sam Kass, Barack Obama's Personal Chef, to Join White House Staff

by Huggingthecoast.Com | January 29, 2009 at 03:56 am

2097 views | 59 Recommendations | 10 comments

Looks like the current White House Executive Chef, Cristeta Comerford will soon have some new company in the kitchen. The Obama's personal chef, Sam Kass is slated to sign on as Assistant Chef in the coming weeks.

In addition to his work for the Obama family, Chef Sam Kass has served as the Executive Chef for Jane Addams Hull House, with a mission to reinvent concept of the soup kitchen by serving quality, nourishing food instead of meals with empty calories.

Founded in 1889, Hull House remains one of Chicago’s largest not-for-profit social welfare organizations.

(You can find out more about the work and history of Hull House here. For more information about Jane Addams, please see the informative video at the top of this story.)

Kass is also the founder of Inevitable Table, a Chicago based personal chef service of which the Obamas were clients.

The Chicagoist has some interesting facts about his culinary background here.

For an insight into Kass' guiding philosophy about food and how that might inform his White House service, the Inevitable Table website provides this clue:

"We aim to promote a healthy lifestyle that focuses on the quality and flavor of food to encourage good eating habits. This philosophy provides consistency and balance to ensure you thoroughly enjoy your food experience. We believe that people have a stake in each other’s health. This link is what binds us together as families, communities and a nation. Nowhere are we more powerfully bound together than in the daily cultivation and preparation of food."

--Doug DuCap/ HuggingtheCoast.Com

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Uwe Paschen

at 04:38 on January 29th, 2009

i wish I had a personal Chef, then again I rather do it my self.

Huggingthecoast.Com

at 05:04 on January 29th, 2009

I love to cook, but I wouldn't mind having my own personal sushi chef. Sigh.

harringtola

at 07:15 on January 29th, 2009

Very interesting post to be assumed by Mr. Kass. I got a smile from the accompanying frypan image as well. Thanks

Jordan Yerman

at 07:24 on January 29th, 2009

Keep your friends close... and a good chef closer.

Marisa Olivia

at 07:31 on January 29th, 2009

I hope he finds someone to take over his job at the soup kitchen - that will be a great loss indeed.

Amy Judd

at 10:57 on January 29th, 2009

I wish I had a personal chef

hollyoleary

at 12:26 on January 29th, 2009

I am my own personal chef! But hooray for Sam Kass. My husband and I were recently wondering who cooks for the first family. Now we know. I was asked to make many Obama cakes for various Inauguration parties here in Oregon, after a photo of a cake I made for election night got some exposure on the internet. So, in a way, I suppose I am a satellite chef for the Obama family, spreading hope through crumbs and frosting. Had I been thinking more clearly, I would've filled my cocoa buttermilk cakes with salted caramel...apparently a staple treat in the Obama family pantry. For some cakey photos, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/doobedoo. Enjoy!

hollyoleary has contributed a photo to this story.

Sivonne

at 14:57 on January 29th, 2009

We made this cake in Melbourne, Australia, to celebrate the Inauguration. It was the first time I made a fondant cake, but I would be willing to make more should the Obama family chefs want to take a break!

The photo is from www.flickr.com/photos/sivonne

Sivonne has contributed a photo to this story.

hollyoleary

at 16:10 on January 29th, 2009

Keep at it, Sivonne! You never know when the Whitehouse baker will need a break. I love knowing that you celebrated in Melbourne. I believe it is a true victory for the entire world.

-hbo'