White House Chef Cookbook, Signed with Original Drawing by Rene Verdon
[Signed with Original Drawing] Verdon, René. The White House Chef Cookbook. Early Printing. 1968. Book and dust jacket are in very good condition. This copy is inscribed, “To Florence, with happy cooking, Rene, Portland 10/16/68” and in the signature, he has incorporated a drawing of a chef ’s hat.
Optics in politics are everything, and when the Kennedys hired a French chef—this author, René Verdon—it generated unfavorable press. However, to make an omelet (or a soufflé, for that matter), one must break some eggs, and no one was more proficient at it than Verdon. He contributed to the transformation of the White House into a dazzling international salon—the best place to be—in the era we that has taken on legendary status as Camelot. In this book, he presents recipes (Crabmeat Royale, Bouillabaisse Marseillaise, etc.) and fondly recalls serving the Kennedys and their two children.
“Do not worry … about your guests who drink before you serve them a splendid dinner. It can scarcely be avoided, and what is lost in gastronomy will be gained in conviviality.”
--René Verdon