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Chef’s run ends at two presidents

White House Chef Walter Scheib, center, greets chefs from around the world at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md., in 2004. (File/Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
White House Chef Walter Scheib, center, greets chefs from around the world at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md., in 2004. (File/Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

WASHINGTON – Aspiring celebrity chefs, take note: Walter Scheib is packing up his spatula after nearly 11 years at the White House stove, and the president needs a replacement.

Scheib is resigning “to pursue other opportunities,” Rachel Sunbarger, a spokeswoman for first lady Laura Bush, said Friday.

“The residence staff has just begun the process of looking for a new chef,” Sunbarger said, and it’s unclear how long the search will take. So Scheib will keep cooking until his replacement is in place.

The White House chef oversees a staff responsible for all sorts of food, from everyday meals for the first family to state dinners for hundreds that showcase American hospitality to the world.

Scheib was hired by Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1994 from the Greenbrier resort, a West Virginia retreat popular with politicos. He’s known for a contemporary style that emphasizes regional American and ethnic tastes.