Personally hired by Hillary Clinton., Walter Schieb was the chief white house chef for most of the Clinton years, and also for Bush's first term. This book is a delightful compilation of anecdotes and recipes. Walter writes about his menus for major state dinners - how Hillary and her team wanted to pay a tribute to the visiting head of state's country by including that country's dishes on the menu, or preparing contemporary american food with accents specific to that nation.Even though Walter states that the book is apolitical, it is pretty obvious that he was totally enamoured by the Clintons - Hillary is portrayed as a warm loving hostess, and Bill as an adorable superstar. Walter's character sketch of Chelsea is probably the most genuine, and truly endearing. Growing up in the whitehouse, Chelsea gradually became a full time vegetarian. Also, Hillary requested Walter to include more healthful meatless dishes in the menu. This prompted Walter to delve into the cooking traditions of India, China, and other countries to devise meatless dishes. Some of the vegetarian recipes in the book are excellent, and really simple (the minted peas soup, and the mango black bean salsa for example). Ofcourse, there are many other recipes that could easily take days to prepare, a fact that Walter acknowledges. This book is a quick read, and if you are a Clinton afficionado, dont miss this one!
