Laura fired W.H. chef

[donsu]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/02...


White House fires chef hired in Clinton era
He says demands of Laura Bush were difficult to meet

Unlike members of the White House staff who maintain the fiction that resigning was their decision, the executive chef, Walter Scheib III, minced no words Friday in saying he had been fired.

"We've been trying to find a way to satisfy the first lady's stylistic requirements," Scheib said in a telephone interview, "and it has been difficult. Basically, I was not successful in my attempt."

-snip-

Scheib, who studied at the Culinary Institute of America, was hired away from the exclusive Greenbrier resort in West Virginia 11 years ago by Hillary Rodham Clinton, then the first lady. A search is under way for a new White House chef, but Scheib, who was noted for his introduction of American foods and wines and the use of fresh ingredients, expects to remain at least until the end of the month.
-snip-
----------------------------


"stylistic requirements" - don't worry Scheib, you will be much happier where ever you go. you should throw a free-of-sytlistic- requirements dinner party and wash that W.H. kitchen out of your hair.

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. wonder what the "stylistic requirements" were.....

chicken-fried steaks? Barbecued cattle brains?

[Stop_the_War]

3. More like frog eyes and virgin blood....LOL

[Penndems]

6. Greasy fried eggs and watery grits

eom

[Journeyman]

10. I read she and Shrub are partial to Rocky Mountain Oysters. . .

Read that back at the time of the first inauguration. A legitimate article, it was speculated then if the Connecticut cowboy was going to impose their tastes on the WH menu. I get the feeling from recent events that prepping bulls balls may have been the least objectionable aspect of Chef Scheib's duties.

[liveoaktx]

55. How do you *stylistically" arrange Calf Fries (Bull Balls) on a plate?

That's their fave dish.

[BiggJawn]

66. Overlapped in a circle on the platter....

...with a big dollop of horseradish sauce in the centre...

That's how *I* like 'em!

[indypaul]

19. Beans around the campfire

a la "Blazing Saddles"

[Proud2BAmurkin]

25. I read the classless ASSWIPES banned French cuisine.

.

[greatauntoftriplets]

26. Don't you mean Freedom Cuisine?

Classless asswipes indeed.

[DulceDecorum]

37. Didn't they almost wind up on TV

when some French Candid-Camera-type show went and headhuntered a chef who was travelling with Boy George. If memory serves, some lady pretended to be the wife of some really big Fench politico and offered the American ANYTHING if he would only come over and fix hamburgers and chitlins cause they were all sick of French cuisine but didn't want word to get out.
The guy almost came aboard.
He was SERIOUSLY considering the offer but someone recognized the show's producer in the hotel elevator and the TV show was told point blank that they had better not show any footage if they knew what was good for them.

[FreedomAngel82]

67. How immature

And all because of their thing with the French. I'm not surprised that Laura fired this guy. Remember the woman at a campaign stop that she got arrested? With these people nothing surprises me.

[maveric]

48. Wonder Bread and Velveeta.

[benburch]

2. Or, were they just afraid of poisoning?

Might this be a purge of anybody who might have divided loyalties who might come in contact with the Fuhrer's food?

[donsu]

7. yes, and the new chef will have to take a loyalty oath in blood

and if he/she misbehaves their family will disappear

[ClayZ]

61. If I were her.......

I would do my own cooking! heh heh Wonder if they have "tasters"...
Probably Barny and the new one. Poor dogs!

[MuseRider]

4. Didn't want to make

beanie weenies? Laura has stylistic requirements? I would never complain if just once someone cooked for me. Jeeze, sorry your personal chef didn't cut it.

[alarimer]

5. tired of baloney and cheese sandwiches

Well actually I guess it is spelled bologna or something.

[yankeedem]

8. Must be outsourcing the job to Halliburton

They'll take some cook off the front lines in Iraq to serve the princess.

[unblock]

9. he kept burning off all of shrub's alcohol

[Rush1184]

20. ROTFL...

That was the funiest thing I have read all night. Maybe I am just drunk, but, fuck, it was funny.

[Dulcinea]

11. Not enough pork rinds & Pabst Blue Ribbon in the kitchen?

Or do they prefer Lone Star & baloney?

[sierrajim]

22. And just what is wrong with Pabst Blue Ribbon?

Some of us out here are good old fashioned Beer drinkers not wine snobs.

[CatWoman]

30. WELL................

What's RIGHT with it???

[jmowreader]

32. Well, it tastes like it's been diluted, for one thing

It looks like it's been diluted too.

[sunnystarr]

40. hmmm he probably kept serving Coke in liquid instead of

powder form.

[KarenS]

12. maybe,,,, he kept serving pretzels on the side,,,, n/t

[dddem]

13. Something tells me that dubya's favorite chef

is Chef Boy-ar-dee.

[merh]

14. So how many different ways can you cook armadillo?

Chef, you are much better off.

[ottozen]

15. Why can't they

cook for themselves?

[ComerPerro]

16. Boy, that Bush sure is a "man of the people"

just like you and me.

in fact, I just fired my chef, because he couldn't keep up with my very exotic and exacting tastes.

[ComerPerro]

17. I'm suprised they didn't try to blame 9/11 on him

since he was, after all, a holdover from the Clinton administration.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[zbdent]

21. Ah, had this been Hillary, then this would be called

ChefGate - as it is, if it is even noticed by the media (like "TravelGate" was), it will be referred to by the code "disgruntled employee".

Back burner at best, to the media (and yes, the pun was intended).

[laura888]

23. Agreed. Firing a chef...

...on 'stylistic differences' sure smacks of ELITISM to me.

But you're right - we won't hear about this on the media.

[Vinca]

24. You can only imagine.

They probably wanted "Shake 'n Bake" and the chef, as one might expect, produced a culinary masterpiece. Then again, maybe he's been serving home baked pretzels too often.

[atommom]

27. Perhaps the chef got tired of having to arrange all the food to form

pictures of GWB and/or Jesus! (The Rocky mountain oyster Jesus may well have been the last straw...)

[progressoid]

28. He got burned out trying to make fried cheese sammiches look like jebus

[GetTheRightVote]

29. Now she sounds like alot of fun to be around, thank be to God it is not me

[Kingofalldems]

31. Bush even has DUers fooled

It's obvious he has some fooled into believing he's a good ol boy, but DUers too? Just look at his background---prep school, Yale, Harvard---bankrolled by others into more than one failed business. From what I see of him he's been taught his arrogance and sense of entitlement--that good ol boy stuff is an act. He is the type who eats 'rich people food', not grits of fried pork rinds as has been stated here. And I bet has used the term 'the help', a demeaning phrase referring to people who work in his home, many times. That is what the chef was---the help---and for some reason Laura didn't like him. Perhaps he made eye contact.

[daydreamer]

35. U have to admit he is a good actor

[peaches2003]

38. Right!

You are so right! The Bushies are lobster and white wine people, not pork rinds. Now Laura might be another story, but I think she does all the dirty work for the King and he is the demanding one. What made him mad at the chef we will not know, but they are all frauds with this 'just down on the ranch' routine. He's a country club frat boy and nothing more or less.

[DulceDecorum]

39. You can take a horse to water

but you can't make it drink,
And you can graduate from Harvard, without being able to think.

(Especially Harvard Business School. Dubya is living proof.)

[Calvinist Basset]

43. LOL

[Done]

59. Your right

The bushes are snooty rich people. They're use to having servants do things for them. They probably made excessive demands on the staff. I can imagine the twins getting drunk and demanding a baked Alaska at 2 in the morning.

[Piperay]

33. I guess fried pork rinds

are not part of this chef's cuisine.

[Ilsa]

34. He probably refused to use Pickle's stock of Campbell's Cream of

Mushroom Soup and canned fried onion rings.

Geez. Pickles has "stylish requirements? Who da thunk it? And fresh seasonal ingredients is the best and healthiest way to dine.

[Calvinist Basset]

44. Pickles?

How did Laura get the nickname? This isn't the first time I've seen the reference, but I don't get it.

[davidinalameda]

74. I like the canned fried onion rings

there's nothing wrong with a little white trash cuisine every once in a while

[diamond14]

36. this Chef could make MILLIONS writing the 'inside scoop' on those bushites

laura is SO STUPID that she forgot about that....


seriously, the Chef KNOWS all about these crooks drinking and drugging, and whose sleeping in the WH, and who is being entertained at the WH, etc. etc.

the info is worth MILLIONS.....WE WANT TO KNOW....

[Cleita]

42. Any publishers out there? Maybe you should make

the chef an offer.

[RevCheesehead]

41. I say keep the chef and fire the WH occupants.

You don't like the food? Nobody's forcing you to stay.

Laura probably wants falafel, or a loofah-stew.

[johnfunk]

45. If Laura Facelift wants food done in the Stepford, Texas style...

... the White House should hire a fry cook from Sonic. It could also give the White House a person of equal intellectual acumen to a certain daughter of the Chimp referred to by one Secret Service agent as a "f***ing slut" -- to keep her company (if you know what I mean)!

[OneBlueSky]

46. guess he just couldn't hand peanut butter & jelly casseroles . . . n/t

.

[haele]

47. I think it was the inauguration dinner that was the last straw...

C'mon...
"Pilgrim's Pride Turkey with Krispy-Kream cake donut dressing" and "Root Vegetables (Bird's Eye Stew vegetable mix with carrots, onions, and potatoes)in a Coca-Cola brine?"
S&W green bean casserole?

I betcha it was all Laura's idea to "support those who supported us" by incorporating all the donor's food products in the supper as she's the one who's supposed to dictate what the theme of the dinner is to be. And if she presented her "menu" the way I think she did, I betcha Scheib couldn't manage to choke back his reaction to what he really thought of the whole affair the way all "good help" should in her worldview.

Anyway, from what I'd heard, if he hadn't been fired, I'm sure he would be quitting within then next year or so. There's only so much "getting back at the massa" the help can engage in before the employers catch on. (Still, he's had a good four years run at the subtle digs...)

Haele

[hangemhigh]

69. I think you've nailed it here. nt

[begin_within]

49. (PHOTO) Here's the search for the new chef......

[daleo]

52. The monkey at the end was a good touch. n/t

[begin_within]

54. Thanks

[HEyHEY]

50. He doesn't know any recipes that involve cocaine

[ultraist]

51. The picky bitch should be grateful that WE PAY for her to have a cook

and shut the fuck up. What an elitist bitch running the guy ragged and complaining that her maid service is not good enough.

That chef said that working with the food they made him use during the inaug was not easy though. He must be appalled at their tastes. And Laura refused to try new things or let him have some breathing room.

There is nothing more dangerous than a wealthy redneck.

[Tactical Progressive]

53. So they want a new cook

Big fucking deal. I probably would after four years too.

For all we know they have better taste in food than the Clintons do.

Which would make one thing about them better than the Clintons.

If it were true.

Which it probably isn't.

[Ravy]

58. You go to dinner with the cook you have,

not the one you want to have.

[ClayZ]

63. LOL eom

[Flying Dream Blues]

68. good one!

[tnlefty]

56. How hard is it to consistently make armadillo jello molds?

Didn't they teach this at that fancy cookin' school?

[MsTryska]

57. considering this article....

if i were him i would have quit before she fired me:

http://swiftreport.blogs.com/news/2004/12/on_the_inaugu...



sweet jesus that menu was a travesty.

[Penndems]

77. The Beverly Hillbillies Do Washington

First this, and then Dick Cheney at Auschwitz, dressed as if he's getting reading to fire up the snow blower (to paraphrase The Washington Post's fashion reporter). Does it get any worse than this?

Good Lord, if I ate that, somebody would have to pry me off the ceiling, because that sugar rush would have me up for four days.

This paragraph sums it up:

Instead, chef Scheib has asked Safeway CEO and Bush ranger Steven Burd to select a trio of fresh greens from his supermarket chain for the salad course of the inaugural dinner. "If anyone knows the green stuff it's Burd," says Scheib.

LOL, I'll bet he does! Especially if it's got dead Presidents on it!

[ernstbass]

60. Not enough breading on the chicken fried steak

[FlyByNight]

62. Does this mean that pretzels are off the menu now?

[RedCloud]

64. Pretzels put in dildo collection!

Now what can she use to bleep the Prez in the eye?

[BiggJawn]

65. He just could NOT "do" Spam the right way...

That's OK, Chef, did you REALLY want to cook for that bunch of Philistines who probably think Cracker Barrel is "Fine Dining"?

Bet they got into it over the Ketchup bottle...

[KurtNYC]

70. The Canadians spoiled him

Note the presence of some of *'s old favorites on this menu (real) from his 11/30/2004 visit to Canada:

A bed of Sante Fe guacamole topped with giant shrimp and New Brunswick Lobster
Roasted Okanagan apple and butternut squash bisque spiked with 'Gentleman Jack' Tennessee whiskey
Mesquite smoked medallion of Alberta beef served with Taber corn, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, hand-picked baby vegetables and a Niagara Merlot sauce
Saskatoon berry creme nestled on dark chocolate fondant, Florida orange sabayon and mousseline with a Quebec maple bourbon sauce

[TrogL]

71. I heard he was ready to quit

after Dubya insisted upon a salad bar.

[LibertyorDeath]

72. Well if she plans a menu anything like she does her wardrobe

it must be a gastronomical nightmare.

[Elidor]

73. Now if only she'll fire her fashion advisor

But I suppose that's asking too much.

[greenbriar]

75. he refused to make peanut butter and jelly

samwitches

[hector459]

76. So, it's ok for Laura to fire the Chef, but it wan't ok for Hillary to

fire the head of the WH Travel Office?