State Chefs of China and Secretary of Club des Chefs des Chefs. From left to right: Zhao Jincai, Guo Laizhu, Gilles Bragard, Jin Lizeng, Ji Genfa
Gathering the world’s top chefs – they who serve in the kitchens of the highest offices in various countries – is a rare occurrence indeed. On August 18 in Hong Kong, the annual convention of the Club des Chefs des Chefs was held in Asia for the first time. Twenty-two members came together to relax, share stories and bond over good food.
Club des Chefs des Chefs is not an ordinary gathering of kitchen enthusiasts. It is a small, tightly-knit club that only allows executive chefs who work for powerful heads of state all over the world. With just thirty members worldwide, the club is very exclusive and holds the secret to the food favorites and quirks of their prestigious bosses.
Some of the club members who attended the gathering in Hong Kong include four head chefs from the Beijing Great Hall, Cristeta Comerford from the White House, Mark Flannagan from Buckingham Palace, among others. The chefs shared their experiences with their respective world leaders, as well as the travails and difficulties of preparing for time-consuming state dinners.
Asked to share the eating habits of some of their prestigious bosses, Cristeta Comerford, the first female chef to become a member of the Club des Chefs des Chefs, revealed that the Obama family was fond of light and healthy foods, particularly recipes that utilize fresh vegetables from the White House garden. Similarly, both Hu Jintao (President of China) and Wen Jiabao (Premier of China) also enjoy light, healthy and refreshing dishes, especially with seafood and vegetables.
State Chef of the US: Cristeta Comerford
The chefs exchanged tips and recipes, as well as interesting tidbits about their respective kitchens. Bernard Vaussion, chef to current French president Nicholas Sarkozy, noted that prudent chefs should never reveal the favorite dishes of their heads of state, citing the example of ex-president Jacques Chirac, who endured eating tête de veau (calf’s head) everywhere he went after one of his chefs mentioned how he favored the dish.
French ex-president Jacques Chirac's favorite: tête de veau (calf’s head). Picture from http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunday_driver/540435504/sizes/z/in/photostream/
China’s head chefs for the Great Hall in Beijing had a different story to share, wowing the other chefs with the massive amount of resources and preparation required for each of China’s elaborate state dinners. Guo Laizhu (郭来柱) recounted his difficulties in following the “auspicious cloud (祥云)” (of the Olympic torch) theme for a state dinner during the Beijing Olympics. One of the dishes was a reference to the famed “Bird’s Nest” structure built for the Olympics, and Guo spent much time and effort simply to make it more life-like.
Political divisions between their respective heads of state may remain, but these chefs found camaraderie in their shared stories, stressful moments and unforgettable experience. As their Club des Chefs des Chefs motto says, “politics divides men, but a good meal unites them.”
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