Cristeta Comerford, born in 1962 in the Philippines, is the first woman and first person of Asian origin to hold the post of White House Executive Chef.
Born as Cristeta Gomez Pasia in Manila. She attended University of the Philippines, Diliman in Quezon City, majoring in food technology. She left school before completing the degree when she immigrated to the United States at the age of 23.
Upon arriving in the U.S., she worked in hotels in the Chicago area. She then moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as a chef at two restaurants. She spent six months in Vienna as a rotating chef. Comerford was recruited by White House executive chef Walter Scheib III in 1995 to work as an assistant chef during the Clinton administration.
Comerford was appointed White House Executive Chef by First Lady, Laura Bush in 2005, following her execution of a large dinner for the Indian Prime minister as well as Scheib’s resignation.
She would be retained for the Obama administration as First Lady Michelle Obama related to Comerford’s healthy style of cooking. The First Lady stated, “She is also the mom of a young daughter, and I appreciate our shared perspective on the importance of healthy eating and healthy families.”
As chef to a head of state, Comerford is a member of Le Club des Chefs des Chefs.
