Walter Scheib
Encyclopedia
Walter S. Scheib III was the White House
executive chef from 1994 until 2005. Scheib is known for his creation of a distinctly American cuisine for the White House. He was responsible in this role for preparing everything from simple First Family dinners to very formal State Dinners. His creations were served to many of the highest dignitaries in the world, including Tony Blair
, Jacques Chirac
, Vicente Fox
, Václav Havel
, Nelson Mandela
and Boris Yeltsin
.
, but he and his family moved to Bethesda, Maryland
. He attended Walter Johnson High School
and then the University of Maryland, College Park
. He then graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York
in August 1979. He then began working as a cook in Washington, D.C.
He was promoted within three years to executive chef. In 1994, then-First Lady
Hillary Clinton was impressed by Scheib's work at the Greenbrier Resort and asked him to serve as executive chef at the White House. Clinton felt that it was important to showcase the best of American cuisine at the nation's First House, and Chef Scheib delivered to high renown. After eleven years there, Scheib was asked to resign by First Lady Laura Bush
; the official reason was that he was unable to meet the stylistic requirements of the First Lady. Since leaving the White House, Scheib has gone on to write his first cookbook, The American Chef, and form a corporation of the same name to market his classes and special events. Additionally, he is now an active speaker on the lecture circuit, represented by Leading Authorities speakers' bureau. He was replaced as White House chef by Cristeta Comerford
. He appeared on The Daily Show
with Jon Stewart
on February 5, 2007. He also appeared on Iron Chef America
, competing against Cat Cora
with the secret ingredient Dungeness crab
on July 17, 2006.
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
executive chef from 1994 until 2005. Scheib is known for his creation of a distinctly American cuisine for the White House. He was responsible in this role for preparing everything from simple First Family dinners to very formal State Dinners. His creations were served to many of the highest dignitaries in the world, including Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
, Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
, Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
, Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
.
Biography
Walter S. Scheib III was born on May 3, 1954 in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, but he and his family moved to Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
. He attended Walter Johnson High School
Walter Johnson High School
Walter Johnson High School is located at 6400 Rock Spring Drive in Bethesda, an unincorporated region of Montgomery County, Maryland.WJHS serves areas in Bethesda and Rockville, as well as the towns of Garrett Park and Kensington.-History:...
and then the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. He then graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
in August 1979. He then began working as a cook in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He was promoted within three years to executive chef. In 1994, then-First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Hillary Clinton was impressed by Scheib's work at the Greenbrier Resort and asked him to serve as executive chef at the White House. Clinton felt that it was important to showcase the best of American cuisine at the nation's First House, and Chef Scheib delivered to high renown. After eleven years there, Scheib was asked to resign by First Lady Laura Bush
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
; the official reason was that he was unable to meet the stylistic requirements of the First Lady. Since leaving the White House, Scheib has gone on to write his first cookbook, The American Chef, and form a corporation of the same name to market his classes and special events. Additionally, he is now an active speaker on the lecture circuit, represented by Leading Authorities speakers' bureau. He was replaced as White House chef by Cristeta Comerford
Cristeta Comerford
Cristeta Pasia Comerford is a Filipino American has been the White House Executive Chef since 2005. She is the first woman to be selected for the post, and also the first of Filipino descent.-Early life:...
. He appeared on The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
with Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
on February 5, 2007. He also appeared on Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
, competing against Cat Cora
Cat Cora
Catherine "Cat" Cora is a Greek-American professional chef best known for her featured role as an "Iron Chef" on the Food Network television show Iron Chef America.-Early life:...
with the secret ingredient Dungeness crab
Dungeness crab
The Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister , is a species of crab that inhabits eelgrass beds and water bottoms on the west coast of North America. It typically grows to across the carapace and is a popular seafood...
on July 17, 2006.