Growing up in the Philippines, Cristeta Comerford helped her mother, a seamstress, cook for a household of more than a dozen.
They were simple meals: rice, a vegetable and fish or chicken, sometimes with extra potatoes to stretch the meal.
You should go to Cordon Bleu and be a chef,” Ms. Comerford, who goes by Cris or “Cheffie,” said in an interview on Thursday.
She never did go to culinary school, but she became the first woman and person of color to serve as White House executive chef.
Ms. Comerford, 61, retired last week, having cooked for five presidents and their families, charted out more than 50 state dinners, and overseen a renovation of the White House kitchen that was built more than a century ago.
Persons:
Cristeta Comerford, ‘ Cris, ” Ms, Comerford, Cris, “, ”
Organizations:
White House, House
Locations:
Philippines