WEBVTT - Why Do White House Chefs Keep Drowning? 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:04.680 From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 0:00:04.760 --> 0:00:09.080 riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 0:00:09.160 --> 0:00:12.119 learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 0:00:12.200 --> 0:00:14.280 production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:29.560 Hello, and welcome back to the show. My name is Matt, 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:30.600 my name is Noah. 0:00:30.840 --> 0:00:34.160 They called me Ben. We're joined as always with our 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:38.320 super producer Dylan the Tennessee pal Fagan. Most importantly, you 0:00:38.520 --> 0:00:39.400 are you. 0:00:39.400 --> 0:00:40.120 You are here. 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:44.360 That makes this the stuff they don't want you to know. Guys. 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:47.159 I almost add the stuff they do not want you 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:49.280 to know, but that's going to mess up our cadence. 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:51.000 It's too formal, man to formal. 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:52.320 It's a little too formal. 0:00:52.400 --> 0:00:56.040 I think contractions only here on the pod, contractions only 0:00:57.000 --> 0:01:03.240 and contracts Tonight is not necessarily a political episode, but 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:06.240 just so you know going in, this does hinge on 0:01:06.520 --> 0:01:10.880 a specific piece of famous real estate in the United 0:01:10.920 --> 0:01:15.280 States that is often involved with politics. 0:01:15.600 --> 0:01:19.839 Technically, this is also a bit of a food episode. 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:24.560 Quick question as we're starting off, have either of you 0:01:24.600 --> 0:01:27.360 guys ever visited the White House? Nolan and I were 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:28.959 talking about this a little off air. 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:31.600 I've just seen it from like, you know, through the 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:34.320 gates but I've never taken a tour. I was never invited. 0:01:34.440 --> 0:01:36.160 Well, you went to that protest. 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:39.480 I was at the protest, the Women's March thing for 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:42.360 a work related thing. And then yeah, it was crazy. 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:44.320 The day before was the day Trump was inaugurator the 0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:46.520 first time. It was like everything was on fire and 0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:48.760 they were like low flying hellic. I'm not joking. There 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:51.200 were like newspaper boxes on fire and people like like 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:55.520 swat people in riot gear and people throwing molotov cocktails 0:01:55.520 --> 0:01:56.080 through windows. 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:56.680 It was wild. 0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.800 And then the Women's March day was quite a contrast. 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:02.640 What about you and that, Well, we've all been through 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:05.559 DC for part of our tour years and years ago. 0:02:06.080 --> 0:02:09.800 I remember shooting a video of you ben right outside 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:11.919 of the White House on the other side of that 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:14.840 fence that is like shown all the time. 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:16.880 Where it is legal to film. 0:02:16.960 --> 0:02:19.520 Mm hm oh yeah, that's public property. Totally totally on 0:02:19.520 --> 0:02:21.919 the up and up there. I have been there personally. 0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:24.760 I've not been to the White House. But it's not 0:02:24.760 --> 0:02:26.160 just the White House we're talk about, right, We're talking 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:29.840 about several different palatial estates across the world. 0:02:29.880 --> 0:02:30.200 Today. 0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:33.320 We're also going to be one of the main reasons 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:38.440 we're talking about this is because the conspiracyphere lit up 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:43.639 immediately after the events, will be discussing today with wild claims. Yeah, 0:02:43.680 --> 0:02:48.240 some that are you know, with the Epstein files, with 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:52.800 the releases of those, they've become less insane perhaps, but 0:02:52.960 --> 0:02:57.800 they're still like on that fringe level because we are 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:02.160 talking about perhaps eating humans with Yeah, yep. 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:05.440 This is this is where we're talking about presidential favorite meals. 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:08.280 This is technically a food episode, so all three of 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:11.800 us are working are correct, but do be worn, folks. 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:15.640 As my pal Matt said, this one gets dark. Let's 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:20.320 stroll over to the White House and figure out some 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:24.880 backgrounds here. This is our here of the facts part 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:28.720 is going to be a bunch of I don't know, 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:30.360 really cool stuff for nerds. 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:32.000 Let's find out what's for dinner. 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:41.680 Here are the facts, Okay, folks, As you can imagine, 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:46.880 whether or not you live in these United States, sixteen 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:51.800 hundred Pennsylvania Avenue is a big deal. It's where our 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:56.320 commander in chief technically lives during their time in office, 0:03:57.040 --> 0:04:00.480 and it's an old building. They employ a lot of people. 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:05.880 Just quick stats, the White House has roughly four hundred 0:04:05.960 --> 0:04:09.120 to five hundred direct staff is what they're called in 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:12.720 the White House Office, and then they have about ninety 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:19.159 residents and maintenance workers. So roughly like also, if you 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:22.920 count the building next door, the Executive Office of the President, 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:28.080 they have eighteen hundred total personnel. So right now the 0:04:28.200 --> 0:04:32.480 closest numbers we have are from July of twenty twenty six. 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:38.919 The White House directly employs four hundred and eleven folks. 0:04:39.080 --> 0:04:40.839 Well, I mean, obviously a lot of those folks that 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:43.560 are in and out of there are working in you know, 0:04:43.680 --> 0:04:47.920 kind of governmental capacities, you know, are part of cabinet 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:50.000 and things like that. But we're also talking about the 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:53.360 kind of staff that say, like a palatial estate might 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:56.720 employ or dare we say a castle. 0:04:56.920 --> 0:05:00.200 You know, in a state, a manor. That's what it is. 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:04.760 Right Typically, when we imagine someone saying, oh, hey, babe, 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:07.160 I work at the White House, we might think of 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:12.520 secret service or high level politicians, cabinet members, kitchen cabinet 0:05:12.600 --> 0:05:15.640 joke on the way, and of course, you know, the 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:18.599 president of the United States. But no, you make such 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:21.760 a wonderful point. The reality for a lot of the 0:05:21.800 --> 0:05:27.280 folks here is way less glamorous because this is a big, palatial, 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:31.560 opulent building. It is also very old. So even when 0:05:31.640 --> 0:05:37.919 there is not construction on say a ballroom slash. 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:40.680 Bunker right, bunker b ballam bunker right. 0:05:41.080 --> 0:05:45.840 Even even when there's not construction like that, sixteen hundred, 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:51.680 Pennsylvania needs a pretty sizable active team of people doing 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:54.159 all the stuff that never hits the news. Who cleans 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:58.240 those roups, right, who's our hvac guy, who mows the 0:05:58.320 --> 0:05:59.960 law and et cetera, et cetera. 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:04.400 Groundskeepers. I mean, like you know, landscaping, the rose garden, 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:06.000 all that kind of stuff. They got to keep it 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:08.360 looking nice. Now it's a little different these days, but 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:09.880 that's the kind of stuff we're talking about. 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:13.160 It reminds me a lot of many of the staff 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:15.480 that were employed by the Piedmont Driving Club who were 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:18.360 meant to not even really be seen. It says, though 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:23.360 you are invisible, you move through these huge ballrooms and 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:28.120 you know, massive rooms underground areas for employees only where 0:06:28.120 --> 0:06:30.640 you can get from one place to another without the 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:34.080 members seeing you, or in this case, the upper staff 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:37.040 of the White House doing those things like like you said, 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:40.760 tending to the outside, the inside, the roof, literally everything 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:42.279 including the kitchens. 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:44.800 You know, it's weird too. That's a great point, Matt 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:48.680 about Piedmont Driving Club. It's weird too for us as 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:54.840 Americans to realize how Downton Abbey upstairs, downstairs divided the 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:59.400 White House actually is. And these folks are the beating 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:03.360 heart of this estate, of this real estate. They are 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:07.760 an integral piece of the household. And you know, I 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:11.120 was talking with somebody who does background checks earlier for 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:15.640 an unrelated thing, and just imagine, let us all for 0:07:15.680 --> 0:07:19.320 a second, how bad it would look to the world 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:22.640 if the White House had a crappy yard. I don't 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:25.360 want to sound too much like an old man, but 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:29.920 you know, if you saw that their grass was bad 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:32.200 and they had, you know, an old Chevy up on 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:34.480 some cinder blocks, well. 0:07:34.120 --> 0:07:36.880 As a fellow old man, you do get to a 0:07:36.920 --> 0:07:39.840 point where your lawn reflects. 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:43.600 Your you know who you are, just like the menu 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:48.240 that you might order. Segue foreshadowing. No matter, this is 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:52.680 cool because it reminds us, and hopefully reminds you folks, 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:58.640 of our conversations about those food service workers at the Pentagon, right, 0:07:58.680 --> 0:08:01.280 and the people who take out the trash at the Pentagon, 0:08:01.360 --> 0:08:05.840 or do the HVAC at the Pentagon. They have to 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:10.760 pass a background check that goes up the wazoo. They 0:08:10.880 --> 0:08:13.680 obviously have to have drug tests, they have to have 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:17.400 an established record of excellence within their fields. And to 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:20.240 be clear, yeah, a lot of the folks that we're 0:08:20.280 --> 0:08:23.840 talking about in the White House here are going to 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:28.600 be contractors, which means that they have a private company 0:08:29.000 --> 0:08:34.480 that has complied with Uncle Sam's security requirements and they 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:38.680 don't have, you know, compartmentalized or top secret clearance. But 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:41.959 you might be surprised, folks by how many people have 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:46.600 some version of a secrecy clearance just because of the 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:50.439 access to the places that they are visiting in their 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:56.840 day to day work. Last thing, most recently, political loyalty 0:08:57.320 --> 0:09:01.760 to the administration became part of the vet process. Back 0:09:01.760 --> 0:09:03.760 in the day, they didn't care who you were when 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:04.760 you were Moe in the yard. 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:07.240 Yeah, you said, things are all different these days. It's 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:09.400 important to point out too, which you might already be thinking, 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:16.199 is that you know, these larger events, visiting dignitaries, state 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:19.800 dinners and stuff like that, they do bring in outside 0:09:19.920 --> 0:09:22.840 help for that. Oftentimes they'll be like a guest chef 0:09:22.880 --> 0:09:26.160 that they invite to co design and kind of head 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:28.600 up the creation of the meal. But all the cooking 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:31.800 still does happen in the White House kitchens, but the 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:36.000 day to day meals are done by the executive residents 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:38.840 culinary team, which includes a chef, pastry chef, and of 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:40.760 course the associated staff. 0:09:40.880 --> 0:09:43.600 Yeah. Yeah, the Sioux chefs. Shout out to them, We're 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:47.200 going to spend some time with one in particular. And guys, 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:50.920 this might get us in a little bit of hot 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:56.160 or very cold water. I have to say. The political 0:09:56.679 --> 0:10:01.120 loyalty point. I know it's weaponized today, but it kind 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:05.400 of makes sense historically. If you are an American president, 0:10:06.040 --> 0:10:10.520 would you purposely hire an avowed communist who wanted to 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:14.240 overthrow the United States? Because if you did, you would 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:17.640 grant them a deep level of access to one of 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:21.240 the most powerful political organizations on the planet. So maybe 0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:25.839 there should be something like maybe not who did you 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:30.720 vote for, but maybe something akin to are you okay 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:32.920 with the United States existing? Well? 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:35.400 Guys, I mean I go back to the whole palace 0:10:35.800 --> 0:10:39.200 intrigue of it all. I mean, what's more dangerous than 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:42.800 somebody on the cooking staff who might have it out 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:45.719 for the king or the president? You know, and it 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:48.839 makes me think of like a court tasters, you know, 0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:51.640 taking food tasters and all of that. And Ben, I 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:53.280 don't know if this came up in your research, but 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:57.599 I did not realize that the dining and the culinary 0:10:57.640 --> 0:11:00.520 services is actually handled by the US Navy. 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:02.720 Yeah, yep, which. 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:05.800 Is something called white house mess Yeah, it's a lot 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:06.160 of fun. 0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:08.280 You got to earn your way up because you've got 0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:12.640 your housekeepers vetted, you have your landscapers vet it to 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:16.040 some degree. We could talk about that later. It might 0:11:16.080 --> 0:11:17.840 be outside of the scope of this or two in 0:11:17.880 --> 0:11:22.319 the weeds. These folks are not politicians themselves. They are 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:26.199 not elected. They do have, to your point, Noal, an 0:11:26.240 --> 0:11:31.400 intimate inside look at some of the most sensitive conversations. 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:35.520 We could imagine. One of the most coveted roles in 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:40.800 this storied institution is the role of the executive chef. 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:44.720 So if you work in food service, fellow conspiracy realist, 0:11:45.400 --> 0:11:48.320 you are going to enjoy this one or send us 0:11:48.360 --> 0:11:49.560 emails to set us straight. 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:53.679 Yeah, I gotta wonder how somebody pursuing the culinary art 0:11:53.760 --> 0:11:56.080 sets their sites on that particular gig. 0:11:56.200 --> 0:11:59.400 Well, first, they didn't have a choice. The very first 0:11:59.480 --> 0:12:04.160 president cook for the very first president was a man 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:09.360 known as Hercules who was enslaved by George Washington, and 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:14.760 it served as the first presidential cook until he escaped 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:20.480 slavery in seventeen ninety seven on George Washington's birthday. So 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:23.720 this has been around for a while. I think was 0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:28.360 up until about eighteen hundred, the White House kitchen forced 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:32.040 enslaved people to cook for the ruling class. 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:37.280 Talk about a strange choice, just considering the founding documents 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:41.160 and then to have in the primary residence of the 0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:43.800 person that's running this new place based upon these new 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:47.880 documents that state pretty clearly what they feel like. Every 0:12:48.040 --> 0:12:50.840 human being, every man is created equally, and yet you 0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:54.319 have enslaved human beings to cook your food to continue 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:57.600 your life. Going on and again talking about that trust, 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:02.440 enslaving some one and then you know, not thinking they 0:13:02.480 --> 0:13:06.120 might want to hurt you. That's a that's a crazy 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:06.760 thing to do. 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:10.000 Well, it's part and parcel with the whole white supremacist 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:11.880 angle of it. All They look at these folks is 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:15.600 inherently inferior genetically, of course, but I imagine that intellect 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:17.040 would go into that and they would be like, well, no, 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:20.319 we are their masters, and they are like, you know, good, 0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:23.600 good pets that would never ever do anything to harm 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:27.160 their masters. It's just this like absolute delusional way of 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:29.520 looking at human beings. 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:33.960 Benevolent, condescending, demi gods is how they see it. Do 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:37.079 also check out a show or an episode of our 0:13:37.120 --> 0:13:41.400 related sister show Francis Scott Key, the guy who wrote 0:13:41.440 --> 0:13:45.080 the Star Spangled Banner, also a slave owner and kind 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:45.600 of a jerk. 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:49.000 Recently, I just got back from a personal trip to 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:50.960 the UK and I went to this place called the 0:13:51.040 --> 0:13:54.280 Royal Pavilion in Brighton and Hove I think, I think 0:13:54.320 --> 0:13:57.960 it's maybe just Brighton, and it is this taj Mahal 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:03.439 inspired giant palace that was made for the various King 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:06.040 George's or the Prince George and King George the Fourth. 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:13.280 It was it was like Prince of Wales, whatever George 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:17.679 then he got sick and in the head and couldn't 0:14:18.360 --> 0:14:22.320 govern or whatever whatever you do as king. So then 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:26.000 George the third, George the Fourth came in. Anyway, it's 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:29.080 this whole thing. But they had this massive ballroom right 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:32.600 where they would put on these feasts and you got 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:35.360 to go into the kitchen where these feasts are prepared, 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:39.240 and there are you just learn about the human beings 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:43.960 that worked so hard, tirelessly to put out these meals 0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:47.560 that were just when you think about those medieval feasts, guys, 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:50.520 and you see them depicted on screen, the real menu 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:53.280 that you got to see when you walk into this 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:59.440 this place from eighteen seventeen. It was like, I couldn't 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:02.360 even tell you how dozens of courses it was. And 0:15:02.440 --> 0:15:05.320 each course had like three or five different things where 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:08.120 they would just bring out, uh, what do they say, 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:13.560 the head of a great sturgeon in champagne, pigeons in crayfish, butter. 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:17.240 Yes, but just beasts inside of other, beasts inside of other. 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:21.360 Well, it takes you back to Marie Antoinette and some 0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:25.200 of that depiction just of what it's like to have 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:27.400 a simple meal. But this is not a simple meal 0:15:27.400 --> 0:15:30.880 obviously that we're describing, but just to have lunch one 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:33.320 day in your palace, what does that look like? And 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:35.680 what does it take to prepare that? 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:38.480 What does it take? Not to get too political about it, 0:15:38.520 --> 0:15:40.680 but like I mean to do that in the face 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:44.600 of folks around you that you're ruling over, starving or 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:46.040 not able to afford to you. 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:51.800 Know, right, let me cake check out our upcoming strange 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:57.320 news conversation about grocery prices. We we know the White 0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:03.160 House has the American expeariman has always had this weird 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:07.040 thing about how to handle its one percent? Right, it's 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:12.040 upper crust? Are we a nation ruled by a small 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:18.400 majority of aristocrats? Technically that is correct. Technically that is correct. 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:20.840 I know a lot of people don't love it when 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:23.720 we point that out, but it is beat me here, Dylan. 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:29.440 It's weird and it's correct. So the White House has 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:33.560 a what they call a permanent full time culinary staff 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:36.840 of five to six chefs. So this will be like 0:16:36.880 --> 0:16:40.800 your executive chef. This will be your Sioux chefs, those folks, 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.880 by the way, because of some earlier conversations in Congress, 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:49.240 when those folks cook for the first family, the president, 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:53.080 the spouse, the ghettoes, whatever that comes out of the 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:57.320 president's pocket technically, but when you get to those big 0:16:57.720 --> 0:17:01.760 state dinners like you're describing Noll, the large events, Oh 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.679 some guy from Russia's showing up, or oh this is 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:10.960 the big pubab insert country here, then they call in 0:17:11.160 --> 0:17:15.400 a part time staff of twenty to twenty five assistant chefs, 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:22.720 food runners, waiters, stewards, butler's, etc. Those folks all get 0:17:22.760 --> 0:17:27.359 overseen by the position of executive chef. And that chef 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:33.080 position is pretty cool, interestingly enough, because it remains stable 0:17:33.520 --> 0:17:40.160 often throughout changes in administration, like successive presidents who hate 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:43.919 each other will often still stick with the same chef 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:47.800 and just say, you know, you seem cool. I like 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:52.000 real cheese, and the chef says yes, mister President. So 0:17:52.600 --> 0:17:56.440 who is our first, aside from Hercules, who has been 0:17:56.480 --> 0:18:01.080 ignored in history, who is our first official executive chef 0:18:01.280 --> 0:18:02.520 of the modern White House? 0:18:03.040 --> 0:18:05.080 There've always been chefs, as they were saying, in the 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:09.320 White House, and chefs and many a cook, many a 0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:13.680 sue serving that facility right, and as the White House 0:18:13.680 --> 0:18:17.960 has changed over the years. But the title executive chef, 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:21.600 the position executive chef at the White House was started 0:18:21.600 --> 0:18:25.640 by Jacqueline Kennedy and that was in nineteen sixty one. Guys, 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:27.719 you might have to check me on that. I think 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:31.800 it was sixty one where Rene Verdn, which who was 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:38.480 a French chef. He was well known, but he wasn't 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:42.120 like a celebrity chef does that make sense, guys. Yeah, 0:18:42.560 --> 0:18:46.200 we don't often see a celebrity chef filling the role 0:18:46.640 --> 0:18:48.800 of executive chef for the White House. So like in 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:52.040 Anthony Bardane showing up, Hey, guess what, I'm the chef now. 0:18:52.880 --> 0:18:55.720 Well, but someone like that might be brought on for 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:57.000 a special engagement. 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:02.359 Yes, but then the White House executive chef since nineteen 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:05.800 sixty one has taken on a bit of celebrity status 0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:08.800 because now they're in interviews all the time. There's this 0:19:09.160 --> 0:19:13.280 excitement about oh, what is the First family eating these days? 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:15.400 And all all of that stuff, right with a bit 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:18.480 of the royalty treatment happening. Huh in a little bit 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:19.520 maybe exactly. 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:22.159 Yeah, people are starving throughout the world. But what do 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:24.840 the Bush twins eat? Do they really need to know 0:19:24.880 --> 0:19:28.639 the calories for every meal? That's crazy. We'll be back 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:32.399 after a brief break for the news in the Middle East. 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:35.239 Oh God, sponsoring us. 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:39.879 It's very bread. It's just so, it's so it's isolated. 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:42.880 And again we're not disparaging the chefs they're doing. No, 0:19:43.040 --> 0:19:44.520 they're doing a very good job. 0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:49.320 They do an incredible thing. And you know, cooking food 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:51.760 is an art and it is science and there are 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:56.119 specific chefs who have made it so right so that 0:19:56.200 --> 0:19:59.320 we think about cooking as an art and a science 0:19:59.400 --> 0:20:01.840 rather than just getting sustenance. 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:01.760 For a meal. 0:20:02.080 --> 0:20:03.800 And just to take it back to the pavilion for 0:20:03.840 --> 0:20:07.800 one second, the chef there that would cook or that 0:20:07.960 --> 0:20:10.320 was known to cook there a lot of the time 0:20:10.960 --> 0:20:15.760 was Marie Antoine Karem, who was arguably the first celebrity 0:20:15.960 --> 0:20:18.919 chef back in the eighteen hundreds. And this is a 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:22.879 person that was was known for these those crazy feasts 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:25.840 we were talking about, but also as promoting food as 0:20:25.960 --> 0:20:27.240 art and science right on. 0:20:27.640 --> 0:20:32.560 And also Julia Childs worked as a spy. We're gonna 0:20:32.720 --> 0:20:37.479 that is true, and this is this is a this 0:20:37.680 --> 0:20:40.480 we're planting seeds right, you know what I mean. We're 0:20:40.480 --> 0:20:44.600 getting our mission place. So we also need you to know, 0:20:44.720 --> 0:20:48.200 folks that across the pond. Over in the United States, 0:20:48.280 --> 0:20:53.919 the most recent official executive chef is a tremendously inspiring 0:20:54.040 --> 0:21:00.679 person named Christeta Comerford. This chef served from two thousand 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:05.160 and five to two thousand and twenty four. Her story 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:10.760 is phenomenal. Native of the Philippines, becomes an assistant chef 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:15.720 after getting after getting US citizenship, in nineteen ninety five 0:21:15.920 --> 0:21:19.480 under the Clintons, works her way up under the W. 0:21:19.520 --> 0:21:24.280 Bush presidency speaking of aristocracy in two thousand and five, 0:21:24.720 --> 0:21:28.160 and that time window is so interesting because that means 0:21:28.680 --> 0:21:35.600 she was cooking for five separate presidents. It's like, especially 0:21:35.640 --> 0:21:40.720 in these divided times, it is extraordinary to realize these 0:21:40.760 --> 0:21:45.879 folks definitely don't agree on politics, but apparently good food 0:21:46.600 --> 0:21:51.200 is the one bipartisan issue they can all get behind. 0:21:51.960 --> 0:21:55.840 So congrats to that chef. Also, first woman, first person 0:21:55.880 --> 0:21:58.560 of color to achieve this rarefied position. 0:21:59.119 --> 0:22:02.080 I mean, these days, the no of anybody keeping a 0:22:02.160 --> 0:22:05.240 job from one administration to the next is pretty much 0:22:05.520 --> 0:22:06.240 a non starter. 0:22:06.440 --> 0:22:08.840 It's a good point. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 0:22:08.560 --> 0:22:13.640 Well, but it is crazy that she gets that actlyte 0:22:13.640 --> 0:22:16.639 and it is great that she does. But considering all 0:22:16.640 --> 0:22:19.560 of the enslaved human beings of color who worked in 0:22:19.600 --> 0:22:22.840 that position essentially right, So it is that weird thing 0:22:22.880 --> 0:22:26.639 where we have to we create the specialized position of 0:22:26.800 --> 0:22:29.920 executive chef. And now that is a thing versus the 0:22:30.000 --> 0:22:32.560 human beings who actually did the thing long long ago, 0:22:32.800 --> 0:22:34.320 but did it against their will. 0:22:34.520 --> 0:22:37.199 Yeah, which is why I'm so happy we got the 0:22:37.280 --> 0:22:41.680 chance to shout out hercules at the very beginning right now, 0:22:41.760 --> 0:22:44.840 there is no official executive chef at the White House, 0:22:44.960 --> 0:22:48.800 which might surprise people because that seems like something the 0:22:49.200 --> 0:22:54.959 current regime would want. Right Instead, there is a former 0:22:55.119 --> 0:23:00.679 assistant of comer Ford named Tommy Kurpreditt krad It. He 0:23:00.840 --> 0:23:04.360 is the current acting executive chef, and hey, man, if 0:23:04.359 --> 0:23:07.600 you're watching this, good luck, chef. We hope they make 0:23:07.640 --> 0:23:08.280 you official. 0:23:10.119 --> 0:23:11.480 Keep those fryars hot. 0:23:11.920 --> 0:23:15.760 Gosh, keep those burgers ready right at any time of 0:23:15.960 --> 0:23:20.359 day or night. Obviously, any work in any kitchen on 0:23:20.400 --> 0:23:23.119 a professional level is going to be stressful. Yet the 0:23:23.200 --> 0:23:30.120 steaks or the steaks thank you for the spelling jo yes, 0:23:30.200 --> 0:23:33.440 spelling joke, they're a whole other level. Right when your 0:23:33.560 --> 0:23:37.640 regular diners are some of the most powerful and arguably 0:23:37.720 --> 0:23:41.280 some of the most dangerous people on the planet. You know, 0:23:41.400 --> 0:23:46.800 there's a legendary level of service here. There's also an 0:23:46.960 --> 0:23:50.920 entirely different dark side to cooking at the White House 0:23:50.920 --> 0:23:54.439 because Matt No, like we're saying, there are tons of 0:23:54.520 --> 0:23:58.600 documentaries and interviews about the story history of the White 0:23:58.640 --> 0:24:04.879 House Kitchen. Can watch all these things, these investigations into 0:24:05.040 --> 0:24:09.360 how the sausage is literally made and so on all 0:24:09.440 --> 0:24:12.719 the livelong day. But there is a strange pattern a 0:24:12.720 --> 0:24:17.680 lot of people miss, which is this White House chefs 0:24:18.000 --> 0:24:19.920 it seems have been drowning. 0:24:20.400 --> 0:24:23.520 You mean like in work, you mean like they's got 0:24:23.560 --> 0:24:25.560 so much going on that they're just they can't keep 0:24:25.600 --> 0:24:26.400 their head above water. 0:24:28.359 --> 0:24:31.119