All The Presidents' Pastries - Twenty-Five Years In The White House

I recently heard on the news that Roland Mesnier, long-time pastry chef at the White House, had died.  In the course of his on-air obituary the broadcaster mentioned among his other works, a memoir of his time at the White House: All The Presidents' Pastries - Twenty-Five Years In The White House, (#1,088) co-written with Christian Malard.  I checked our local library, and sure enough, they had a copy of his 2004 publication.

It's quite an amazing story.  Born in France in 1944, Mr. Mesnier came from an impoverished but strong family.  When he was sent to stay with his older brother at age twelve, he found his vocation.  His brother was a pastry chef; he would become one, too.  The book recounts his struggles to keep learning and moving up in his profession until he worked in some of the most elite kitchens in Europe and the United States.  A colleague suggested to Roland that he apply for an opening at the White House, which he did, somewhat reluctantly.  The rest, as they say, is history.  He eventually served under five US Presidents, from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush before retiring.

If you are looking for Presidential scandals, this is not the book for you.  Mr. Mesnier was the ideal employee in this position, refusing to pass along anything which would reflect negatively on those he served in the White House.  Not that there is any lack of interesting anecdotes here!

But if you are a foodie, you'll be in heaven reading the descriptions of the sumptuous and creative desserts he created in the various kitchens where he worked.  It made my blood sugar levels rise just reading about the ice creams, sorbets, cakes, pastries and especially the spun sugar decorations which were his specialty.

If I have one complaint about this book, it is that in the photo section, pictures included those of Roland Mesnier posing with the Presidential families, which were very nice, but I would really have liked to have seen many more photos of his incredible desserts.  He does include some recipes at the end of the book, but I have no illusions that my confections would bear the slightest resemblance to this master chef's originals!  Enjoy!