Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Merrigan's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Facebook Chat...On Video!

Dep. Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan and USDA's director of new media Amanda Eamich vidotaped Sec. Merrigan's first ever Facebook chat for USDA's new Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative. The video is very informative, with Dep. Sec. Merrigan explaining parts of KYF2 in excellent detail. It's also fun, and a teensy bit 70's with the low-res element. Here it is:

On The Hill Today: Senators Get Visits From Food Safety Advocates & Poisoning Victims

A bipartisan collection of Senators got visits from food poisoning victims--or their surviving family members--this afternoon, as part of a campaign to get meaningful food safety legislation passed in the Senate. During their visits, the food safety advocates, who are members of the Make Our Food Safe organization, passed out an info sheet about what meaningful legislation actually means, as well as packages that contained t-shirts with food poisoning attorney Bill Marler's Put a Trial Lawyer Out of Business logo. Currently, there are four different food safety Bills under consideration by the Senate, in various stages of hearing and mark up. Any meaningful legislation that gets enacted should include mandatory recall powers for FDA, mandated inspections and testing on a regular basis for food producers, and major changes in what USDA considers acceptable pathogens in meat that's allowed in the foodchain.

Senators visited included Susan Collins (R-ME), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Majority Leader Henry Reid (D-NV), Al Franken (D-Minn), Amy Klobuchar ( D-Minn), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Olympia Snow (R-ME), among others. More photos will be posted when these become available. Sen. Reid has pledged to try to get a food safety Bill passed during this Congress.

Attorney Marler represents many food poisoning victims and their families, including Stephanie Smith, who was profiled on the front page of the New York Times on Sunday, after becoming devastatingly ill from eating a tainted hamburger that was produced by Cargill company (Ms. Smith is permanently paralyzed and suffered brain damage, among other health issues). On Monday, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack responded to the Times story, pledging better food safety...but food safety experts think he's not doing enough, fast enough. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn), a longtime champion of food safety, has fired off a letter to Secretary Vilsack, demanding an investigation into tainted beef, and calling for much greater accountability from larger slaughterhouses. In July, Rep. DeLauro was critical to getting the House to pass HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. She noted during the contentious debates over the Bill that when 3,000 Americans were killed on 9/11, America immediately went to war...and that 5,000 Americans die annually from food poisoning. There has been no official response from Secretary Vilsack...yet.

Related: An Ob Fo interview with Bill Marler is here. The Times story about tainted meat and Stephanie Smith is here (unfortunately, you have to sign in to open the link).

Maricel Presilla Will Guest Chef at the White House for the Fiesta Latina

The first high-profile female guest chef to take a star turn in the White House kitchen...
First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama will host Fiesta Latina next Tuesday as the latest installment of the White House's monthly music event. The evening will celebrate Hispanic music, and also feature a guest chef, in a new tweak of the ongoing series. Maricel E. Presilla will be the featured chef; although Cris Comerford, the White House Exec Chef, is female, most of the guest chefs who've cooked at big events at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue have been men. (Presilla, above)

Presilla is the chef/owner of Cuchuramama and Zafra Kitchens restaurants in Hoboken New Jersey, which are artisanal South American eateries. She's also a culinary historian specializing in the foods of Latin America and Spain, and holds a doctorate in medieval Spanish history from New York University. She's the author of numerous cookery books on Pan Latin cuisine, which are food histories with recipes. Presilla is also the president of Gran Cacao Company, a Latin American food research and marketing company that specializes in the sale of premium cacao beans from Latin America, and has written extensively about the cacao industry. Her life project is a fascinating intertwining of food, economics and history.

Other guest chefs at the White House have been Spike Mendelsohn, creator of the new Mrs. Obama Homage burger the Michelle Melt; and Jose Andres and Art Smith--all of whom cooked in the Kids Kitchen at the 2009 White House Easter Egg Roll (click the links for some recipes); Smith has cooked off-the record lunches at the White House, too. Grill master Bobby Flay cooked at the White House Father's Day event; and internationally acclaimed Hawaiian chef Alan Wong did the kitchen honors at the first-ever White House Luau. In April, Ryan Mangialardo and Chris Sommers of Pi Pizza restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri, cooked their special Barack-Beloved pizzas at a lunch in the White House, and Pancake Mavens Pamela Cohen and Gail Klingensmith of Pamela's Diner in Pittsburgh cooked at a White House Memorial Day breakfast for military families. (Above: Chef Andres cooking with kids at the Easter Egg Roll)

On deck for the musical part of the Fiesta Latina evening: Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan and Jose Feliciano, Thalia, Los Lobos, Tito "El Bambino" and Aventura. Sheila E. will lead the house band. Jimmy Smits, Pete Escovedo, and George Lopez will make appearances, too. In September, the President and First Lady attended the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute awards dinner, where Marc Anthony received a lifetime achievement award. J Lo was in the house then, and no doubt she'll be at the White House fiesta, too.

*The concert will be taped for a PBS broadcast to air on Oct. 18.

*Photos: Presilla photo is by John Menei; Andres photo by Obama Foodorama.

International Obama Foodie Homage, Barcelona, Spain: Obama British Africa Restaurant

Obama British Africa is a pubby restaurant in Barcelona, Spain, and an entry into the International Obama Foodie Homage category.

White House Chefs Will Lead Weekly Kitchen Garden Tours For Local Students

Update:  The Kitchen Garden tours are now available regardless of school zipcode; read this post

Trading whisks for walks...
In a continuing effort to spread the word about growing your own and health and nutrition, the White House has announced that it will be opening First Lady Michelle Obama's Kitchen Garden for tours by DC school children, twice a week. In a swell move that highlights the connection between gardening and knowing how to cook as part of a healthier lifestyle, White House chefs will lead the tours. They'll be excellent guides, because the chefs are all very familiar with the garden; they've harvested more than 350 pounds of vegetables from it since last Spring. Starting immediately, most Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:30 AM, elementary, middle and high school students from the DC area who go on the garden tours will get the chance to see the garden and the White House beehive, and there'll be an explanation of what is currently being cultivated and growing practices--as well as fun tips on nutrition. The garden tours are part of Mrs. Obama's ongoing campaign to both promote healthy eating and combat childhood obesity. (Above: Mrs. Obama working in the garden with help from local students)


Above, some of the new White House tour guides: From l, pastry chef Susan Morrison; assistant chef Tafari Campbell; executive sous chef Tommy Kurpradit; executive chef Cristeta Comerford

White House assistant chef and Food Initiative Coordinator Sam Kass oversees the Kitchen Garden, and he's on the list for tour guide duty, too (Kass, at left). The garden was planted last Spring as part of an effort to start a national dialogue on health and nutrition. Fifth graders from DC's Bancroft Elementary School worked in the garden with Mrs. Obama, which brought much attention to edible school gardens and community gardens. And after just a little more than six months, the project has turned into an international event, with Mrs. Obama noting recently that the garden is "one of the greatest things I've done in my life." The huge amount of produce that's come from the 1,100 square foot garden has been used for White House meals, and has been donated to the soup kitchen at DC social services agency Miriam's Kitchen, where members of the First Lady's staff are regular volunteers. The White House beehive is expected to produce about 100 pounds of honey this year; in addition to being used by White House chefs, honey from the hive was included in the dignitary gifts given to the spouses of world leaders attending the G20 Pittsburgh Summit 2009 two weeks ago. Since May, a number of school groups have toured the garden, and student volunteers have also worked in the White House kitchen. (The White House beehive, above)

The Kitchen Garden tours are currently limited to school groups from the DC area, with no more than 30 students at a time, and no more than one adult chaperone for each seven children--so that's the magic number of 34 people, maximum. The tour does not include an indoor tour of the residence, and applicants are encouraged to apply up to three months in advance; for an application and more information click here. There's a little box on the application that asks if your school has a veggie garden already in the works, or a healthy eating program as part of the curriculum, too.



Above: The Kitchen Garden, a few weeks ago.

Related: A video about the Kitchen Garden, narrated by Mrs. Obama and Sam Kass, is here. Mrs. Obama just received a special commendation for the Kitchen Garden, and she will appear on the season premiere of Sesame Street, gardening with kids and Muppets; there's a video here. In May, there was a special Kitchen Garden harvest; recipes from the Harvest Picnic are here. Mrs. Obama's remarks from the event are here.

Photos: Mrs. Obama photo courtesy of the White House; other photos by Obama Foodorama.

Secretary Vilsack responds To New York Times Story About Stephanie Smith and Contaminated Beef, Seeks Mandatory Recalls of Tainted Foods

How long will it be until there are zero deaths, zero hospitalizations and zero foodborne illnesses in "the safest food supply in the world?"
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced today that the Obama administration will ask Congress for legislation to permit mandatory recalls of tainted food, during an interview with Minnesota Public Radio. That's an excellent move, and something that food safety specialists and food-safety champions on the Hill have been seeking for at least a decade. (Secretary Vilsack, above)

"If there's a problem we'd like to be able to respond quickly, rather than rely on a voluntary recall that may not be either timely or fully implemented," Vilsack told Minnesota Public Radio. "We'd like to have the power to get the product off the market and out of the market as quickly as possible."

The Secretary put out a formal announcement about food safety earlier in the day on USDA's website, which didn't mention seeking legislative support, but which did note that today's comments are in response to yesterday's above-the-fold New York Times story about Stephanie Smith, a 22-year-old dance instructor who is now paralyzed and mentally impaired after eating a hamburger tainted with E. coli O157:H7, which came from Cargill foods. Since the late 1990s, meat contaminated with this particular form of E. coli is supposed to not be allowed into the food chain, and yet somehow...it keeps getting onto people's dinner plates.

"The story we learned about over the weekend is unacceptable and tragic," Sec. Vilsack said in his formal statement. "We all know we can and should do more to protect the safety of the American people and the story in this weekend's paper will continue to spur our efforts to reduce the incidence of E. coli O157:H7."

Currently, all recalls of contaminated products are still voluntary under FDA and USDA guidelines, even for Class 1 recalls, which means that illness or death will result from consuming the tainted food products. Under the existing recall rubric, producers with contaminated foods are asked by federal agencies to stop selling their poisoned products, but the system relies on voluntary compliance. In the past, many recalls of foods known to be contaminated have been incomplete, with tainted foods left in the supply chain. This leaves all food consumers open to avoidable risk; food borne illness is an issue that effects one in four Americans (about 75 million) annually, with more than 5,000 deaths, according to CDC statistics. Sec. Vilsack's comments highlight the fact that the US is still a long way away from having what the Obama administration--and all the administrations prior--still insists on calling "the safest food supply in the world." That particular phrase is routinely trotted out when food safety fights are going on on The Hill; if you read through the transcripts of the July Floor debate over the House's food safety Bill-- HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, this phrase was repeated over and over by Members who were for the Bill--as well as by those who were against it.

"Until we get the number of food-borne illnesses down to zero, and the number of hospitalizations down to zero, and the number of deaths down to zero, we still have work to do," Secretary Vilsack told Minnesota NPR. He also announced that "USDA is looking at ways to enhance traceback methods and will initiate a rulemaking in the near future to require all grinders, including establishments and retail stores, to keep accurate records of the sources of each lot of ground beef." The New York Times story focused on the bad record keeping by meat grinding establishments that led to tainted beef entering the food chain. Sec. Vilsack gave no firther details about what else will be done...yet. But he did add:

"No priority is greater to me than food safety and I am firmly committed to taking the steps necessary to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness and protect the American people from preventable illnesses. We will continue to make improvements to reduce the presence of E. coli 0157:H7."

And it will be a lot of work, requiring not only legislative action, but much more transparency, for rapid notifications of everyone on the food chain, from producers through consumers. That seems attainable, given the invention of the Internet and cell phones--and yet it's not going on as of today. The USDA remains without anyone in charge of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, its monitoring arm for meat.

*A new interview with pre-eminent food poisoning attorney and food safety activist Bill Marler is here; he now represents Stephanie Smith in a suit against Cargill, the company responsible for her grave illness.

Photo at top of post: Sec. Vilsack speaking at the Washington Public Policy Conference in Washington a few weeks ago, by Obama Foodorama.

Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford Honored For Culinary Excellence in Special Reception at Philippine Embassy

White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford had her own celebration on Saturday, while First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama were celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary. Chef Comerford received the Mama Sita Award for Culinary Excellence during a special reception held at Philippine Ambassador Willie C. Gaa's residence in Washington. Comerford was born in the Philippines and grew up in Sampaloc, near Manila, and emigrated to the United States with her family when she was in her early twenties. She's a national heroine in the Philippines, and one of the highest profile expatriates. She's frequently in Filipino media, and regarded as a role model. In August, she traveled to the Philippines and was honored with a special accolade from Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) as an “Outstanding Overseas Filipino,” and she was also guest of honor for a dinner by the Asia Society as part of their “Filipino and Proud” series, where she spoke about her experience as the double-whammy first female and first minority Executive Chef ever to be appointed to the White House position. (Above, at the reception: Gaa (right), Comerford (middle), and Mama Sita Foundation President Clara Lapus).

“Let me just pour my heart out a little bit," Comerford told the audience at the Ambassador's reception on Saturday, as she reflected on being Executive Chef at the White House. "Every time I come to the Filipino community, they’ve really honored me and just celebrated this biggest thing in my life, which is such an endearing thing for me. In our community, no matter where we are, we’re always like one big family."

Although Comerford told Embassy officials that she didn't want to speak with media at the reception, when accepting the award she remarked that her home-country cuisine is a big influence--which she's previously noted, on the record. “As a Pinoy [Filipino], you tend to overdo things,” Comerford has said. “Whenever there’s a chance, for example, to add extra onions or garlic, you don’t hesitate to do it, which makes for a better-tasting meal.” Comerford's culinary award is named after the Reyes foods matriarch Teresita Reyes, whose name has become synonymous with Filipino cuisine. A bevy of foods bear Mamasits's name--from sinigang mix to siling labuyo hot sauce. The Reyes family also owned restaurants in the US. (Photo: Comerford with Mrs. Obama in the White House Kitchen, during the National Governor's Association dinner)

Comerford has also noted, however, that “The Obamas are into healthy eating and enjoy simple, well-made meals. They have certain preferences like steamed vegetables and brown rice that you’d want to do a lot.” She's also said that the White House Kitchen Garden reminds her of her childhood in the Philippines, when she would pick fresh produce from the backyard garden and help her grandmother cook dinner.

Comerford became Executive Chef at the White House in 2005, when she was named to the position by First Lady Laura Bush, after working in the White House Kitchen for ten years, with then-Exec Chef Walter Scheib. Comerford had been Executive Sous Chef for Scheib, and he has called Comerford "among the most talented chefs I have ever met." In January, Mrs. Obama announced that she would retain Comerford as Executive Chef on Mrs. Bush's recommendation, noting that in addition to being an excellent cook, Comerford is "also the mom of a young daughter. I appreciate our shared perspective on the importance of healthy eating and healthy families." Executive Chefs at the White House historically remain in place during administration changes; they come with the house. Comerford has an eight-year-old daughter, Danielle, and lives with her husband, John, in Maryland. He's also a chef.

*Photos: Reception photo by Eric Lachica via Department of Foreign Affairs; photo with Mrs. Obama via AP. Updated Oct. 7.

President Obama Pledged Food Safety Reform, and Big Media is Paying Big Attention: What Will The Senate Do? A Conversation With Bill Marler...

Attorney Bill Marler goes on the record about his clients appearing in big media...and his campaign to improve American food safety as fast as possible
Above the fold on the front page of the New York Times today: An exhaustively researched investigative report that was months in the making, about tainted ground beef and its impact on Stephanie Smith, a 22-year-old children's dance instructor who became profoundly ill in 2007 after eating a hamburger contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. What began as a bad stomach ache turned into more than two years of excruciating pain and suffering for Ms. Smith, with brain damage, organ failure, and paralysis, and a life that is accurately being described as "shattered." Reporter Michael Moss does an incredible job of exposing the critical, life-threatening gaps that remain in the US food safety system, particularly in the regulation of meat. Big Food producer Cargill is the corporation responsible for the beef that caused Ms. Smith's illness, and their representatives declined to be interviewed by Moss, due to ongoing lawsuits, but Moss has people from USDA, doctors, and food safety experts on the record that USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service was well aware of Cargill's repeated safety violations--which are replicated by other major meat concerns--and that USDA failed to act to correct these violations. Ms. Smith is a terrible, worst-case scenario for living through food poisoning--but food borne illness is an issue that effects one in four Americans with more than 5,000 deaths annually, according to CDC statistics. And the ease with which Ms. Smith was poisoned--and the ease with which all Americans are exposed to similar danger due to poor regulation--is clearly illustrated. The article is a must-read for everyone. (Above: The front page of the Sunday New York Times)

An economic issue, a moral issue, and food poisoning victims visit the Senate
Moss notes that products tainted with E coli. O157:H7 have been banned from sale since 1994, following an outbreak of illnesses from burgers sold by Jack in the Box, which left four children dead, and thousands ill. Ironically, Stephanie Smith is now a client of Bill Marler, the foremost food poisoning attorney in the US, who both sued Jack in the Box after the outbreak, and who was crucial to getting the pathogen classified as a contaminant. Yet the pathogen still routinely turns up in ground beef, causing tens of thousands of illnesses annually. No sum of money can make up for the destruction of Ms. Smith's life (or that of other food poisoning victims)--and yet money is critical here. After being hospitalized in intensive care for months--which included a nine-week induced coma to stop the spasms that were wracking her body as the E. coli pathogens ravaged her nervous system--as well as what will be a lifetime of rehab and therapy--Ms. Smith is facing millions of dollars in medical bills. The entire practice at Marler's firm, Marler Clark, in Seattle, is food borne disease litigation; without Marler's private-sector interventions with major food corporations, US food safety would be in a far worse state then it is today--and the families of outbreak victims would routinely face bankruptcy from medical expenses. But as Ob Fo blogged on Wednesday, Marler doesn't just get settlements for his clients, he's also an activist who's spent years testifying before Congress about the full range of food safety issues, he's funded public information campaigns and food safety advocacy groups, and he writes not only Marler Blog, the best food safety blog on the internet, but is also newly publishing Food Safety News, an online journal devoted to the issues. Tomorrow, other Marler clients--victims of food borne disease and their families--and family members of those killed by food poisoning--will be on Capitol Hill, visiting Senators as part of Marler's new Put a Trial Lawyer Out of Business campaign, which calls for the Senate to rapidly pass food safety legislation. (The campaign logo, above; at top of paragraph is Stephanie Smith in the Times)

Marler on the record: Food safety is a health care reform issue, and part of social responsibility
In a phone interview yesterday, Marler discussed the general state of food safety in America, as well as his new campaign. He noted that although President Obama has pledged to reform food safety, there is much political pressure put on our elected representatives from Big Ag interests--which frequently get in the way of enacting legislative reform. And elected representatives--especially those in the Senate--are critical for reform. The House passed a landmark food safety Bill in July, and it was a masterpiece of bipartisan political showmanship, as Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) managed to line up companies and interests from across the food industry to get behind the Bill. But without a comparable document in the Senate, food safety remains in the sorry state it existed in before President Obama's election. (Photo is Marler, during one of his many appearances before Congress, testifying about food safety)

"The Senate needs to get a food safety Bill in place beyond fast, and have it be something the president can sign," Marler said. "There's no reason to continue on with our current situation, except for the fact that food producers--people with big monetary interests--bring all their resources to bear each time the topic is raised."

Marler believes that reforming food safety regulations is a win for everyone, even if the moral component of poisoning and killing people is overlooked in favor of the economic component.

"There are repeated polls that now show that consumers have a long memory, and that the public is afraid of food...people remember what's been recalled, what's poisoned people, years after the fact," Marler said. "Every time there's a new food poisoning outbreak, in whatever category, that entire area of food suffers economically. And the rest of the economy suffers in response, from truckers to packagers to distributors to restaurants to markets...."

As just one example, Marler came up with an economic estimate during the peanut butter salmonella outbreak of last Fall (due to tainted peanut butter from Peanut Butter Corporation of America) that showed that the economic loss was about a billion dollars, due not only to thousands of products being recalled in everything from breakfast bars to federal school lunch programs and foods sent to the Armed Forces--but also to ongoing consumer fear of buying any kind of peanut butter.

"But beyond economics, it is a moral issue," Marler said. "We need to be responsible as a society. You have people dying from eating bad food, mothers and fathers, grandparents, little kids---and it's completely avoidable with better regulation. And then you have people like Stephanie Smith, whose life is permanently changed. How is food safety still not the number one issue?"

A savvy analyst of politics, Marler also noted that food safety is a bipartisan topic. "Food safety effects everyone, there's no way to break it down in terms of political party. Pathogens don't care whether you're a Republican or a Democrat. Getting food safety reformed is a big win across the board," Marler said.

Marler added that it's also impossible to reform health care without removing the unnecessary economic burdens of avoidable illnesses from food borne pathogens, which is something he doesn't think the Obama administration is taking seriously enough.

"The Food Safety Working Group is moving in the right direction, but we need much better regulations and enforcement," Marler said, "Plain and simple. And how can health care be reformed when there's a whole category of preventable illnesses that's not being addressed? It's all connected."

So what does Marler make of the fact that Dr. Jerold Mande, a cancer specialist, is currently running USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, which is the monitoring arm for meat, poultry and eggs--and which, in 2007, was critically involved with not enforcing regulations and inspections, that led to Stephanie Smith's illness? Dr. Mande is the Obama appointee at FSIS, but he's second in command; the Deputy Secretary position has been open for more than a year, with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack citing conflict-of-interest issues as the reason for no appointee.

"Don't get me started," Marler said. "That conversation could last for a week." A few unprintable comments followed.

An issue with a Titanic scope...and a pledge from the President
On March 14, during his weekly radio and Internet address, President Obama called the fact that the government fails to inspect more than 95 percent of food processing plants "a hazard to public health."

"Food safety is something I take seriously, not just as your president, but as a parent," President Obama said. And he added the critical observation:

"We are a nation built on the strength of individual initiative. But there are certain things that we can't do on our own. There are certain things that only a government can do. And one of those things is ensuring that the foods we eat, and the medicines we take, are safe and don't cause us harm."

President Obama is very serious about food safety--he's done more to address the subject than any president in decades, especially with the the creation of the White House's advisory Food Safety Working Group, which is co-chaired by Sec. Vilsack, Vice President Joe Biden, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. But many of the critical issues are literally out of the President's hands--and the hands of Cabinet Secretaries, the USDA and the FDA--without new legislation.

And as for the New York Times story? Marler is thrilled that food safety is getting attention in big media, because it's the kind of thing that makes legislators take action, as well as makes consumers aware that they need to be very, very careful with their choices of food. Stephanie Smith is the second gravely ill Marler client to be in a national newspaper recently; Linda Rivera, a Nevada resident who became shockingly ill from eating just a few spoonfuls of E. coli-tainted Nestle Toll House cookie dough, was profiled on the front page of the Washington Post on September 1. Marler is seeking to get her financial compensation, too. Nestle is currently paying Ms. Rivera's massive medical bills while the suit approaches final settlement--which again brings in the health care reform issues. Under our current structure, Ms. Rivera is no longer insurable.

"These are front-page stories because our food safety system is like the Titanic," Marler said. "We've been re-arranging deck chairs while the boat sinks. It's time for real, lasting change with better regulations and better enforcement."

Required viewing? Yes.
Tomorrow, during their trip to Capitol Hill, the army of Marler clients who have been harmed by preventable food borne diseases--and family members of the dead--will be handing out t-shirts to Senators that have Marler's slogan Put a Trial Lawyer Out of Business emblazoned on the front, and it can only be hoped that the message will finally be taken seriously, because the President is correct: There are certain things only a government can do, and ensuring the safety of food is one of these. The video below, about another Marler client, Abby Fenstermaker of Ohio, is difficult to watch (Abby, in photo above). Abby was seven years old when she died not from eating a contaminated hamburger, but from getting infected by the E. coli bug that had put her grandfather in the hospital. The tainted burger that Grandpa Fenstermaker ate was made with ground beef that was the subject of a 95,000 pound Class I (you could die) recall by the FSIS. Victims with secondary infections from E. coli poisonings are currently at about fifteen percent, a little-known fact about tainted meat. You don't even have to eat it to die from it. The video should be required viewing on the Senate floor--as a reminder for anyone not paying attention--that food safety issues need to be addressed immediately.



*As part of Michael Moss's investigative report, the New York Times has made 106 pages of incredibly disturbing background documents available here, including slaughterhouse log sheets, and hazardous activity citation letters from USDA to Cargill (which Cargill ignored).

*Photos: Stephanie Smith by Ben Garvin/New York Times, Abby Fenstermaker courtesy of her family, Marler photo by Obama Foodorama; President Obama from Getty/pool.

*Disclosure: Marler has blogged here at Obama Foodorama; and Ob Fo has blogged at Marler Blog, and will be writing for Food Safety News, part of the personal aesthetic of community service.

Happy 17th Wedding Anniversary Date Night: The Obamas Celebrate at DC's Blue Duck Tavern

The first Obama wedding anniversary in the White House...
Today is President Obama and First Lady Obama's 17th wedding anniversary, and they're celebrating right now with a DC Date Night at Blue Duck Tavern. (At top: Mrs. Obama and President Obama outside Blue Duck; inset is a wedding portrait)

The award-winning tavern-style restaurant is Exec Cheff'd by Brian McBride, and features American cooking, with a special focus on roasting, braising, preserving and smoking, in an open kitchen that has DC's first Molteni range. The dinner menu is primarily "local," with foods sourced from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania--although New York, Vermont, Maine and California are also represented in the mix. Blue Duck was one of the first DC restaurants to highlight primarily local and sustainable foods, however.

According to Blue Duck station chef Joe Strybel, the President and Mrs. Obama enjoyed crab cakes and seafood pasta for their celebratory dinner.

The Dessert Proposal...
Barack Obama first met Michelle Robinson in 1989 when he went to work at the Chicago law firm of Sidley & Austin as a first-year law student; Ms. Robinson was the lawyer assigned to be his adviser. After setting Mr. Obama up with some of her friends, Ms. Robinson began dating Mr. Obama, but after a few years, she was annoyed that he was not being serious enough about their relationship, which she told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2007.

Mr. Obama had begun to engage in endless debates about whether or not marriage meant anything "as an institution," and Ms. Robinson was tired of it. In 1991, while dining at Gordon's, a Chicago eatery, Ms. Robinson gave Mr. Obama a lecture on "getting serious." Then dessert came, and there was a ring box on the side of the plate. Mrs. Obama recalls that she was shocked and thrilled. The rest is history, and Mrs. Obama now claims that she has absolutely no recollection of what exactly the dessert was that night.

More romance: On their first Valentine's day in the White House, there was no at-home dinner, either. Mr. and Mrs. Obama had Valentine's dinner at Chef Art Smith's Table 52 in Chicago (the dinner menu and a recipe are here). (Above: The Obamas with some members of their wedding party)

Information: Blue Duck Tavern is in the Park Hyatt in the West End, 24 and M Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20037. Phone: (202) 419-6755.

*Obama wedding photos courtesy of the archive, naturally.

First Lady Michelle Obama's G20 Luncheon at The Warhol: The Menu & a Sweet, Seasonal Recipe

A menu that's equal parts arty, local, organic, sustainable...
During the Pittsburgh Summit 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a luncheon for G20 Spouses at the Andy Warhol Museum last Friday, Sept. 25, and the White House released the menu a week after the event. It was created and overseen by Pittsburgh caterer Bob Sendall, who also had the mind-boggling responsibility for doing the opening-night menus for President Obama's G20 working dinner at The Phipps Conservatory and Mrs. Obama's Spouse dinner at Rosemont Farm. The two dinners were identical, but still...Mr. Sendall was performing a herculean, nerve-wracking task. He was more than up to the mission, according to all reports. (Above: Mrs. Obama greeting the G20 Spouses at the museum)


At the Warhol, Mrs. Obama led her fellow First Ladies on a tour, and they also tried out one of Warhol's favorite--and most famous--art techniques: Screen-printing, which they did on eco-friendly tote bags. In the photo, above, Mrs. Obama finishes her print, while Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, look on. Then it was time for lunch, which took place in a fourth-floor gallery. The settings for the three large tables were as bright and pop-arty as much of Warhol's work: Electric-blue silk tablecloths, white plates, and '50s art glass goblets. The floral centerpieces were as modern as possible, too, and made of asters, green kale, thistle, and coxcomb. Menu ingredients were sustainably grown and sourced from local farms and artisan food producers, and American wines were featured, in accordance with standard White House policy of highlighting American producers. And yes, there were two soups, in an unusual move. Photo is the official White House menu from the luncheon.

Mrs. Obama's G20 Spouses Luncheon Menu at The Warhol

Autumn Pumpkin Soup
Herbed Cream and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds served in a Petite Pumpkin

Roasted Tomato Soup
Special Herbed Oil and Fresh Basil Herbed Corn Gougere

Wine Pairing: Schramsberg Brut Rose 2005

Salad: Organic Greens
Citrus Vinaigrette, Avocado and Papaya, Julienne of Celeriac and Snow Peas

Entree: Lump Crab Cake with Sauce Vert
Wild Mushroom Tart

Wine Pairing: McKenzie-Mueller Chardonnay 2006

Dessert: Poached Saffron Pear
Crème Anglaise, compote of Apricots, Currants and Pecans, Pralines and Cardamom Shortbread

Caterer Sendall told local paper the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that many of the recipes for the G20 dinners and the Warhol luncheon were taken from a cookbook he collaborated on, The Fallingwater Cookbook: Elsie Henderson's Recipes and Memories, by Suzanne Martinson. Elsie Henderson was the long-time cook and baker at architect Frank Lloyd Wright's house Fallingwater, outside Pittsburgh, which Wright designed and built for a Pittsburgh family in 1935 (now a preserved historic site). At Fallingwater, Henderson was charged with salads, soups, and baking, and the family butler prepared meat dishes, so in creating the cookbook, Sendall stepped in to fill out the menus. The book is available at the Fallingwater museum store. Below, the recipe Sendall used for the poached pears at Mrs. Obama's luncheon; photo of the done dish, below, is from the luncheon.

Mrs. Obama's Warhol Luncheon Poached Pears

Ingredients
6 firm ripe pears (Bartlett or Anjou)
5 cups white wine
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole allspice berries
10 threads saffron
6 tablespoons diced dried fruits (cherries, cranberries, apricots)
3 tablespoons chopped roasted pecans
6 tablespoons pomegranate seeds, for garnish
Crème Anglaise (recipe below)

Method
Peel the pears; core them from the bottom so as not to disturb the stem (leave the stem intact). Cut a thin slice off the bottom so the pear will stand tall. In a pot large enough to fit the pears, combine the wine and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir to make sure that all the sugar has dissolved. Add the spices and simmer for about 15 minutes to infuse the flavors into the poaching liquid. The saffron color will become intense. Poach the pears in the syrup, uncovered, until just tender, approximately 5 to 10 minutes.

Let pears cool in the poaching liquid and refrigerate until needed. Later, remove the pears from the poaching liquid and set on paper towels to drain. In a small mixing bowl combine the dried fruit and pecans. Fill the core of the pears with approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of the fruit mixture and set aside for service.

In a saucepot, return the pear poaching liquid and boil until the liquid has reduced by half and has thickened to the consistency of syrup (a thicker syrup is always better for this presentation).

To make the Crème Anglaise:
Ingredients
1/2 cup egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups milk
1/2 fresh vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

Method
In a bowl combine the egg yolks and sugar; beat until thick and light. In the top of a double boiler scald the milk with the vanilla bean. Slowly add the hot milk to the egg-sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk until smooth. Return the mixture to the double boiler and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture coats the spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the vanilla bean, and strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a cool glass bowl. This procedure will strain out any lumps and will stop the sauce from cooking. Cover and cool in the refrigerator.

Presentation: Pour a small portion of the sauce on the serving plate and coat the plate with the sauce by tilting the plate until covered. Place a stuffed pear in the middle of each plate and garnish with the pomegranate seeds. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Serve the thickened syrup on the side for added sweetness if desired. Serves six.

Related G20 posts: Mrs. Obama's gifts for G20 Spouses included honey from the White House beehive; The reception at The Phipps Conservatory; Foods at the G20 were local, organic, sustainable; the menus for President Obama's working dinner at The Phipps and Mrs. Obama's dinner at Rosemont Farm.

Photos: Sarah Brown is very savvy with social media, and she Tweets regularly (@SarahBrown10); Mrs. Brown posted the shots of herself and Mrs. Obama at the Warhol in her tweestream, as well as on the official Flickr photostream for 10 Downing Street (these photos were not made available to American media). Warhol invitation via the White House; Warhol dessert photo via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Recipe from "The Fallingwater Cookbook" by Suzanne Martinson with Jane Citron and Robert Sendall, University of Pittsburgh Press.

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Merrigan: "Farmers Are The Rockstars"...No Matter What Scale They Farm On

Big farmers, small farmers, Michael Pollan, Sen. Grassley, USDA policy, the First Lady's food agenda; it's all connected, and included...
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan held a Facebook chat yesterday afternoon, the first live e-event for USDA's new Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF2) initiative. The half-hour discussion was wide ranging, and included the Deputy Secretary clarifying the goals of KYF2, as well as pointing out that USDa's new focus on local and regional food stystems does not mean USDA is moving away from other forms of Ag. She also fielded online questions that covered farm to school programs, farm to restaurant programs, and beginning farmer programs, among others. (Above: Dep. Sec. Merrigan on a recent visit to Tree and Leaf Farm in Virginia, owned by small farm rockstars Zach Lester and Georgia O'Neal) Some highlights from the Facebook chat, and thoughts on policy:

One Hundred Percent Locavores We Are Not: Dep. Sec. Merrigan was careful to explain that KYF2 is not meant to replace the global, industrialized food system, but rather to facilitate local and seasonal food systems; “100% locavores we are not,” she wrote. --This is of a piece with current USDA policy, which is seeking to create a more dynamic food system, not toss any stakeholders out of the picture; feeding America--or the world--would not be possible without Big Ag concerns. But some critics seem to think that having initiatives that are inclusive of all Ag stakeholders somehow undermines USDA's mission, and seem to believe that if there's a focus on anything other than pure organics and old-school farming methods, then the USDA has failed. This is an absurd concept, and it should be noted that President Obama never made any pledges that upon his election, the US Ag system was going to become 100% organic, local and sustainable, and there's been no indication that this is the route USDA is going to go. Our Ag economy must necessarily include all stakeholders, and for the first time in a long time, USDA and the White House are working in concert to promote better Ag practices--and health and nutrition--across the board. USDA's current highlighting of smaller and family farming is bracing for people who monitor food policy (as is the First Lady Michelle Obama's health and nutrition agenda); it's terrific that all of this is getting attention and focused funding, but it in no way implies that other forms of Ag are headed for extinction; especially because we also have a global Ag agenda in the US, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has recently made clear. In her Facebook chat, Dep. Sec. Merrigan noted that the choice of the word "locavore" as "word of the year" in 2007 by the Oxford American dictionary was proof that eating local has big traction, but she also pointed out that USDA has no formal definition for what "Local" means: "There is no USDA definition of local as each region is different. In some areas, a state’s borders defines local” Merrigan wrote, citing Vermont Grown as an example of a state-centric food system. “And, in others, it’s a common area or foodshed.” So in other words, if you have a Big Ag concern near you, that's local. And local doesn't necessarily mean organic. USDA also has no firm definition of what "Family Farmer" means, either.

Side note, but part of this whole debate: Smaller farmers vs. industrial Ag is also a hot topic on Capitol Hill, of course; on Sept. 30, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), in a prepared statement read out on the Senate floor, protested Time magazine's recent cover story on industrialized agriculture, in a point-by-point demolition of Getting Real About The High price of Cheap Food, written by Bryan Walsh. "I am disappointed that an information source, previously known to be a news magazine, has resorted to an inaccurate, incomplete and unfair reflection of family farmers across the country..." was Sen. Grassley's opener. Hmm, it's interesting to note that no Senator has become a Floor Lit Critic of Michael Pollan's NY Times op-ed Big Food vs. Big Insurance, which held that true health care reform is not possible without much better industrialized Ag practices..and changing USDA subsidy policies. Is the lack of critique perhaps because Mr. Pollan's arguments are unassailable?

Farmers Are The Rockstars: On Facebook, Dep. Sec. Merrigan called farmers "rockstars" in response to a reader question about why anyone should want to know a farmer. She noted that all farmers, no matter what scale they're farming, are critical for the environment and the climate: “Farmers are the best environmental stewards. Farmers know how to sequester carbon and manage the soil.” She also wrote that knowing a farmer is obviously important for "understanding where our food comes from," and she made the connection between health care and preventative health issues, such as combating diet-related disease with better, fresh foods. Which can be attained from your friendly local farmer. Farmers as a critical population of climate stewards is getting much attention lately, as the climate Bill is debated in the Senate, and Senators from big farming states protest perceived economic burdens.

Dep. Sec. Merrigan closed by urging everyone to visit a Farmers Market; the USDA has a zipcode search engine for what they estimate to be more than 4,900 American Farmers Markets; it's here. There was also a promise of future Facebook chats, to continue the "national conversation" on food and farming, which is a big part of the KYF2 initiative. On Facebook, USDA currently has 1,010 "fans," and that's a drop in the bucket for what they could have. Ongoing outreach is obviously necessary. No transcript of the Facebook chat is yet available, but it will be linked here when it is.

Related: Ob Fo accompanied Dep. Sec. Merrigan to the KYF2 rollout at Tree and Leaf Farm; Dep Sec. Merrigan's unprecedented memo, describing her role as "matchmaker" between available USDA funding and smaller farming initiatives; WH chef Sam Kass cooks with Dep Sec. Merrigan in the USDA cafeteria as part of the KYF2 roll out here; the opening of the new Farmers Market BY the White House is here.

Olympic Disappointment

Chicago was knocked out of contention to be the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics in the first round of IOC voting, which occurred a little less than an hour ago, despite huge efforts on the part of First Lady Michelle Obama, President Obama, and the rest of the US team. It's hugely disappointing to Chicagoans, and to all those who wanted the Olympics in America; the Cons, natch, are thrilled. The Chicago campaign included formal presentations from the President and Mrs. Obama and the rest of the Chicago team (photos, above), as well as cocktail receptions and a couple lobbying dinners. Mrs. Obama also had lunch with Queen Magrethe II of Denmark and Prince consort Henrik, as part of her visit...and the President met them, too. Above, the President and First Lady with the Royal Couple.

Update: The President found out about the no vote while on the way back to the US on Air Force One. Of course during the mid-air press briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, one of the pool reporters wanted to know if the IOC vote had put the President off his chow.

"...I don't know what he was eating when he found out," was Mr. Gibbs' response to the insightful question about the President's moment of surprise. Below: Mr. Gibbs surrounded by pool reporters on Air Force One...

Going For Olympic Gold: First Lady Michelle Obama at the Copenhagen Opera House

First Lady Michelle Obama certainly looked like an Olympic gold medal last night at the official International Olympic Committee opening ceremony at the Copenhagen Opera House. Or she looked like an incredibly lovely pumpkin; could there be a better picture for the benefits of healthy eating and gardening? Nah. (Above: with Prince Albert of Monaco) Pool reports from the Opera House contained few foodie details, but there were unidentified Danish canapes. Mrs. Obama sat with The Icing and with Chicago Mayor Richard Daly during performances by various musicians and dance troupes. Today is Decision Day, and the IOC is carrying a live broadcast of the announcement, and BBC is live blogging/tweeting, with global commentary, here.

Dinner at The Pittsburgh Summit 2009: The Menu For First Lady Michelle Obama's Farm Fete and President Obama's Working Dinner

Two historic dinners, one menu, and a global guest list
The White House has released the top-secret details of First Lady Michelle Obama's G20 Spouses Dinner, and President Obama's working G20 dinner, both held last Thursday evening, September 24, on the first night of The Pittsburgh Summit 2009. The two four-course dinners featured identical menus, at different locations: President Obama's dinner was at The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, while Mrs. Obama took the G20 Spouses to local philanthropist Teresa Heinz Kerry's Rosemont Farm in nearby Fox Chapel. The menu was created and overseen by Pittsburgh caterer Bob Sendall, who also created the menu for Mrs. Obama's luncheon at the Andy Warhol Museum. The two groups had dinner after the opening reception at The Phipps, and it featured American wine pairings and locally sourced, sustainably farmed ingredients. Both dinners were the first time President Obama and Mrs. Obama hosted international leaders on American soil. (Above: Mrs. Obama welcomes her guests at Rosemont Farm)

Rosemont Farm Dinner/G20 Working Dinner Menu

Salad
Salad of Petite Farm Greens
Herbed Vinaigrette
Assorted Beets
Apittehikan Farm Chevre

Soup
White Corn Bisque and Summer Truffle

Wine pairing: Darioush Chardonnay "Napa Valley Signature" 2006

Entrees
Roasted Rack of Lamb with Demi Glace
Striped Bass with Herbed Oil and Lemon
Tomato and Roasted Pepper Tart

Quinoa and Brown Rice
Leeks, Chanterelle, and Porcini Mushroom
Grilled Vegetable Terrine

Wine pairing: DeLille Cellars Syrah "Yakima Valley Doyenne" 2005

Dessert
Apple Tarte Tatin
Sour Cherry Meringue Souffle
Creme Fraiche

The Delille wine has been acclaimed as one of the top 15 Syrahs in the world. Below, President Obama speaks with Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, during dinner. The first international formal State Dinner at the White House will be in honor of India, just before Thanksgiving.


Historic antecedents...
Caterer Sendall tells local paper the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that many of the recipes for the dinners were taken from a historic cookbook he collaborated on; thus the menu had as many local connections and historic underpinnings as Mrs. Obama's special gift for the G20 Spouses, which featured honey from the White House beehive, and a specially designed tea set. The menu inspiring cookbook: Sendall contributed the meat and fish recipes to The Fallingwater Cookbook: Elsie Henderson's Recipes and Memories, by Suzanne Martinson. Elsie Henderson was the long-time cook and baker at architect Frank Lloyd Wright's house Fallingwater, outside Pittsburgh, which Wright designed and built for a Pittsburgh family in 1935 (now a preserved historic site). At Fallingwater, Henderson was charged with salads, soups, and baking, and the family butler prepared meat dishes, so in creating the cookbook, Sendall stepped in to fill out the menus. The book is available at the Fallingwater museum store.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also provides local food sourcing details: The chanterelle and porcini mushrooms were from John Heineman Co. in Lawrenceville; the beets were from Red Door Farm in the West End, and the apples for the apple tarte tartin served for dessert were Crimson Crisp apples from Soergel Orchards in Franklin Park. Greens and apples were also sourced from Rosemont Farm, which is a working farm in Fox Chapel.

The Hostess Gift at Rosemont Farm
At Mrs. Obama's Rosemont Farm dinner, co-hostess Mrs. Kerry gave out boxes of Toffee Taboo to the G20 Spouses, which is created by Sendall's own candy company, Sendall Chocolates. Toffee Taboo is chocolate encrusted almonds and cashews, with white chocolate drizzled over the top, and sells for $38 dollars for a 16 oz bar.

The printed menu from Rosemont Farm, courtesy of the White House:

The guest lists for the dinners included French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy; Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Sarah Brown; Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and wife Svetlana Medvedeva, as well as the rest of the G20 members and wives.






*During the welcome reception at The Phipps before dinner, Mrs. Obama received a commendation from the American Public Gardens Association for inspiring gardeners with the White House Kitchen Garden.

*Related G20 posts: Mrs. Obama's gifts for G20 Spouses; The reception at The Phipps Conservatory; Foods at the G20 are local, organic, sustainable; Climate protesters get in gear. Photos: Mrs. Obama by Lawrence Jackson/White House; President Obama by Pete Souza/White House