Test for the chef
The 130 guests in attendance Sunday night for President Obama’s first big dinner in the East Room — honoring the nation’s governors — enjoyed a menu that would make any local gourmand envious.
In fact, a few local gourmands — six top students from Bethesda’s L’Academie de Cuisine, plus two of their instructors — helped prepare the feast.
The courses included Chesapeake crab agnolotti with roasted sunchokes; Wagyu beef and Nantucket scallops with glazed red carrots, portobello mushroom and creamed spinach; winter citrus salad with pistachios and lemon honey vinaigrette; and huckleberry cobbler with caramel ice cream.
Guests were entertained by Earth, Wind and Fire. Flowers were bouquets of deep reds and burgundies, including roses, black callas, orchids, tulips and gardenia foliage. The china service was the Woodrow Wilson service, circa 1918.
During a media preview, first lady Michelle Obama said yes, she’s considering her own china service. “I think so, I think that’s part of the job,” she said.
