In the same way that the Obama Family holding a Passover seder was something of a landmark event in the history of presidential domesticity, this year's White House Easter Egg Roll was a marked change from spring celebrations of the past. There was a big ef
fort on the part of the White House to include all kinds of families from around the country, rather than making tickets available only to DC locals, as was the custom in administrations past. The theme of Let's Go Play! was chosen to encourage physical activity and healthy eating habits, which First Lady Michelle Obama has placed among her top policy interests, and the really creative choice of activities to highlight the theme emphasizes the changes that are going on at the White House. More than 30,000 people from 45 states made their way around the So
uth Lawn to participate in a multiplicity of activities, from sports demos to crafts to storytelling. There were big-name musical performers, and sports luminaries strolling the South Lawn, too. This year's Roll was totally rockin,' and was joyous, inclusive, and intercultural, an impressive blend of tradition and a new way of doing things. (Pic at top: The White House mid-Roll; second pic is eggs for the Roll)
But naturally, what Ob Fo was most interested in was the best addition to this year's line-up of Easter Egg Roll events, the Kids Kitchen. A cooking demonstration pavilion was located at the bottom of the South Lawn, on a raised dais, with picnic tables set up in front of it. All of the White House chefs, including Executive Chef Cris Comerford, Executive Sous Chef Tommy Kurpradit, and assistant chefs Tafari Campbell and Sam Kass, as well as Bill Yosses and assistant pastry chef Susan Morris--gave cooking demonstrations all day long, in pairs and as a group. They created simple, healthy foods that kids could actually make themselves. (In pic: L to R, Susan Morris, Tafari Campbell, Tommy Kurpradit, Cris Comerford, volunteer Pamela Peevey, Bill Yosses)In a chat with Ob Fo, Chef Comerford said that the goal of the demos was to try to get the kids to encourage their parents t
o make the dishes at home, in a reversal of the usual way teaching happens, from the "top" down. She also told Ob Fo that they'd chosen the foods specifically to be easy to replicate, as a way of helping families transition away from unhealthy foods, and to provide ideas for replacing unhealthy choices in school lunches. Our convo occurred in between demo sessions, to the wildly loud musical accompaniment of The Electric Company. During it, Chef Comerford was constantly being approached by kids and parents who were thrilled to be meeting the White House chef, and she was very nice about posing for photos with everyone. (In pic: Chef Comerford helps a visitor with a paper toque)For the Kids Kitchen cooking sessions, the chefs were wirelessly miked for sound like rock stars, and the demos were live streamed on the internets. The d
ais had a prep area, a sink, and a range, though only the cooktop was used. There was a tilted viewing mirror above the prep area for the full visual of what was going on, and one or two child helpers joined the chefs on the dais for each demo. The crowds primarily watched and listened; Chef Comerford said that they'd decided it would be absolutely impossible to make enough food for everyone to sample, and this was true--the whole event was really a huge happy mob scene. But there was one dish--fruit lollipops--that was hands-on, and it was a big favorite with the kids (Pic: Assistant Pastry Chef Susan Morris helps a visitor cut out fruit). The chefs moved among the kids seated at the picnic tables, first giving them paper toques, then passing out slices of fruit and cookie cutters. The easy recipe: Cut melon, mango, or pineapple with a cookie cutter in the shape of, say, a Portuguese Water Dog, brush with a simple fruit syrup, pop on top of a Popsicle stick, and eat.During the demos, all of the chefs were eggscellent at describing very clearly and simply what they were doing with the ingredients, and they all emphasized the importance of fresh, healthy foods and nutrition, as well as the idea of local. There were many references to the W
hite House Kitchen Garden, and the kids were encouraged to stroll over and take a good look at it. The garden is across the South Lawn, and was fenced off so it wouldn't get trampled (in pic above and two pix below, Chefs Comerford and Yosses do a cooking demo with visitor Chase Finney). The single White House beehive, which was behind the seating area for the Kids Kitchen, was pointed out to the kids as well, and explained. Yes, the bees are in there. Yes, it's locked up for the day, so no one bothers the bees. Everything the White House chefs said was on-message, but done in a facile, fun way, including the answers to the kids' questions, which were shouted out from the picnic tables. It seemed as if Cris Comerford and Bill Yosses--who together demo'd grilled low-fat cheese and tomato sandwiches on whole grain bread, and mango/kiwi/banana slushies, and the fruit lollipops, all in the spa
ce of half an hour--had been doing their "act" together, in public, for years. They seamlessly incorporated their child helper into the cooking, and got her to eat the grilled sandwich--which she did, very enthusiastically. Of course Chefs Comerford and Yosses have been working together in the White House kitchen, but that doesn't necessarily translate into being viable on a public stage, and they were really terrific. Parents and kids Ob Fo spoke with all gushed about how great it was to have "the Obamas' chefs" show them how to cook. Many commented that it had never occurred to them that fruit could be so fun, and that this somehow made them want to eat it more. Would they try making the sandwich at home? The answer was unanimous: Yes. Was it better than pizza? Well, no, but--and this mirrored what Chef Comerford had said during the demo--pizza's yummy, but you just can't eat it all the time. Everyone was suddenly 
aware that choosing a whole grain bread was a better choice, and that tomatoes don't always have to look perfect to taste great (Chef Comerford had held up a large misshapen heirloom tomato to the kids, and explained its glories).The White House chefs were joined by an impressive line-up of visiting celeb chefs who also did demos, including Art Smith of DC's Ar
t and Soul, who made Chicken and Dumplings (above) and Vanilla Pudding Topped with Bananas (below). He'd left by the time Ob Fo arrived, but his lovely pudding was still sitting in the prep kitchen, which was actually a tent the size of a walk-in closet, tucked to the side of the demo dais. There was a prep table inside, and mobile refrigerators, marked with each chef's name, to hold their pre-prepped items. If two people were inside the tent it was crowded, but at times there were five people inside. No one was annoyed at all; there was a pervasive sense of cheeriness. Ob Fo chatted with Mary Rappaport of the Virginia Egg Council, and Mary Agnes Moser, also an Egg Council member, as well as a long-time Egg Roll volunteer, too. This was her tenth year working the event, and she and Mary both said that the Kids Kitchen had been a huge attraction all day. Both are retired "home econom
ics" teachers, and both are big foodies. Mary Agnes helped Ob Fo wrangle the food photographs, which was very nice of her. There was, oddly, little media coverage of the Kids Kitchen, but perhaps it had occurred in the morning. Mary Agnes told Ob Fo that Jill Biden had been there earlier with a couple grandkids, and that Malia and Sasha Obama had also stopped by to make gumdrop cookies in the morning.Restaurateur/cookbook author and PBS telechef José Andrés of Made in Spain fame, who also owns a small empire of eateries, was a hoot when he was doing his demo (in picture, below). He was joined by his young daughters, who wore mini chef jackets,
and who ably assisted their papa. He made Gazapacho soup, and mini olive pancakes, and low-fat tuna salad. During the cooking he was tossing off one-liners in heavily accented English as fast as he was tossing around ingredients. Chef Andrés gave the crowd one of the wisest pieces of cooking advice ever uttered: "Any time you have a problem with a recipe, don't worry! Just change the name of your dish!" He also jumped in to help Chefs Comerford and Yosses work with the kids during the lollipop demo. 
Spike Mendelsohn, who shot onto pop culture radar with a 'high-energy' turn on Season Five of Top Chef, is now known for his Capitol Hill restaurant Good Stuff Eatery, which is a local/orgo/sustainable place with a mission. It's a healthy, upscale burger joint, and he demo'd Turkey Burgers with guacamole, lettuce and tomatoes on whole grain buns. Ob Fo found him chatting with White House Food Initiative Coordinator Sam Kass (above). Although Sam Kass has yet to be named on any official Obama Hottie lists (Rahm Emanuel and Reggie Love are currently two biggies on the various lists), both he and Spike have legions of girl foodie fans on the internets, who absolutely swoon over them (not kidding about this). The two very agreeably posed for the pic.
"That's the money shot," Ob Fo said, suddenly devoid of restraint.
"I know," Spike said, and laughed. He wasn't being cocky at all, but clearly he's aware of his own avid following, which began when he was on Top Chef. And of course everyone is aware of Sam's new high-profile status, after being thrust into the global media arena with the groundbreaking for the Kitchen Garden.
Howard Helmer, the World's Fastest Omelette Maker, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was also doing demos,
and he was a really awesome pick as a guest chef (pictured below). Not only is he something of a character, but including a fellow who creates forty-second magic with eggs was a stroke of genius, because nothing is more fun for kids than watching a whirling dervish in the kitchen. He completely impressed the kids, and they marveled at his technique.There was a long line to get into the Kids Kitchen area all afternoon, and a high level of excitement. But because the pavilion was raised, even those standing in line could watch the demos, and then watch a different demo when they were actually allowed to sit down. That's a lot of cookery in a small amount of time. The Kids Kitchen was not only a wonderful idea, but it was executed absolutely perfectly. Literally thousands of children who may never have seen professional chefs at work, or heard about eating healthy food in an understandable way, got a bunny's eye view of kitchen magic and gardening. Suddenly, nutritious food has to seem not only fun and attractive, but possible. And, as well--Ob Fo has seen plenty of world-class chefs cooking, but it was very cool to watch the White House chefs at work, and clearly the kids felt the same way, too. It's easy to believe that more than a few kids who watched the White House chefs will be inspired to pursue the culi arts--or something related to gardening--as a career in the future. That's big, positive change, with big ramifications, started from a single day of cooking and fun. And that's absolutely brilliant.
*Amid the backdrop of the extremely loud music coming from the performance stage and the general hustle and bustle of the crowds, Ob Fo had the chance to chat with Sam Kass and Tommy Kurpradit (pictured, at right, with Tafari Campbell). Mr. Kurpradit is officially Chris Comerford's Executive Sous Chef, and calls himself "the secret guy no one knows about." Both were very gracious about discussing what's been happening in the White House Kitchen and with the garden. Posts on those convos, as well as more pictures--including food pictures, and some recipes--will follow this week.The White House Kitchen Garden looks truly lovely, by the way, and it's far larger when viewed up close than it appears in pictures. It's growing like gangbuste
rs:*Thanks to Mary Agnes Moser, of the Virginia Egg Council for help with background.
Related, and recipes: A post on the set-up for the 2009 White House Easter Egg Roll is here. Chef Art Smith's Easter Egg Roll Recipe for Chicken and Dumpling Soup is here. Chef Jose Andres's Easter Egg Roll Tuna Salad is here, and the recipes for his Olive Oil Pancakes and Gazpacho soup are here.
*All photos by Obama Foodorama. Click each one for a huge view, they were downloaded in hi res.
