Creating a Sustainable Style
Friday, January 30, 2009 at 9:02 AM Photo via The White House We know change has already started at the White House just by checking out Mrs. O's recent activities. Her schedule has been busy and her approach has been refreshingly open. On January 22, just two days after the inauguration, Mrs. O threw her premiere First Lady party: the entire White House staff - 90 people including plumbers, florists, and cleaning staff - was invited to the East Room for a get-together. The guests were encouraged to mingle and get to know one another as well as the new First Lady, who wore a casual black short-sleeved sweater with a gray tweed skirt and oversized pearl earrings. Her hair was sleek and pulled back in a low bun. (This New York Times article details how President Obama, evidently following suit, is unbuttoning the formal dress code in the West Wing.) And there was a surprise for Mrs. O at this party: another birthday cake, this time presented to her by the staff. (On the train ride to Washington, D.C., on January 17, there had been two large sheet cakes-one vanilla with chocolate icing, one chocolate with vanilla icing-on board for everyone to celebrate Mrs. O's big day.) Of course, there is much to celebrate recently but we know, in general, that the O family doesn't indulge in a let-us-eat-cake snacking habit. Mrs. O has long stated that she is very interested in promoting healthy eating for her family. This lifestyle was just reinforced yesterday when it was announced that Sam Kass, a 28-year-old private chef from Chicago, has now joined the White House staff. Filling a vacancy, he will be a White House employee, paid by the government; he will be working as assistant chef along side executive chef Cristeta Comerford, who assumed that job in 2005. Kass has an intense interest in local, healthy, and sustainable food. He grew up in Chicago, graduated from the University of Chicago (located in the same Hyde Park neighborhood where the Os lived), and trained in Europe. He worked as a line chef at Chicago restaurants Avec and Blackbird, favorites of Mrs. O. His former boss there has said that Kass "wants to improve the world from a food standpoint." Kass then founded The Inevitable Table, a private chef and home cooking service that also showed clients how to shop and eat locally. (Mrs. O and her family were clients.) Until December 2008, he also headed up "Rethinking Soup," a lecture and free soup series that ran every Tuesday out of the Jane Addams Hull House Museum at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Lectures there focused on socio-political food choices and sustainable food. When Kass resigned, some there speculated that he might be joining the White House staff. Fashion, of course, is wonderful and exciting. But style goes beyond clothes, as captivating as they may be. Real style is part of how we live as well as how we look, how we view others as well as how they view us. In that regard, we feel Mrs. O - in so many ways - is well on her way to creating her own truly sustainable White House style.
Entertaining, Misc
Reader Comments (17)
i love u michelle!!!!!!!
Great article, yes, style does include food! I can't wait for the White House garden to go in! What a great message and fun for the girls. ......A
At last the WH really enters the 21st century.
This article highlights what an aware, sensible, progressive, modern couple has now taken up residence there. And glamorous of course.
They are truly setting the US on a new course - and in a large part by example alone.
Wonderful post Mrs C - thank you.
"Fashion, of course, is wonderful and exciting. But style goes beyond clothes, as captivating as they may be. Real style is part of how we live as well as how we look, how we view others as well as how they view us."
Well said, and I completely agree. Mrs. O is a role model - for her fashion sense, yes, but also for her grace, poise and "social intelligence". What a fresh change and inspiration! And thanks for this blog - love it!
It should be noted that Mrs. B made excellent choices in culinary style as well. Cristeta Comerford, the executive chef, had been serving organic meals the Bush family for years. Newsweek recently ran an article on this subject: http://www.newsweek.com/id/180097
The refreshments served at the reception following signing of the Lilly Ledbetter equal pay act seemed to reflect this new style. There were fruit juices to drink, fresh fruit salad, and pastries that included fruit as ingredients. Sounded lovely.
Is Mrs. O wearing a headband? It is hard to tell from the picture. I like the one she wore to the polls on election day. Can anyone tell me where to find it?
Great blog!
You are right Mrs. C. Style can be more than cloths. Mrs. O shows that it can be the essence of how we relate to the world, and how we chose to represent ourselves.
CarolineG - you thought wrong.
It was noted that Mr. and Mrs. O had difficulties balancing their new family and both working, so after some time, Mrs. O got help at times, using cooks and housekeepers.
This info was out there.
With Mrs. O's short waist (which is great) and long legs, (another great feature) sweaters, tops, and blouses look best on her figure type when they are short. I think that sweater is a little too long. If it were shorter, I think it would flatter her better. Love the cake though, and her gracious and personable hostess stance.
@CarolinaG
Sweetheart pick up the "Audacity of Hope" The prez talks about the misses struggle to balance it all last chapter titled "Family." She never once said her mom cooked all the meals. Mom took care of the kids when they were gone.
Also, the First lady has made it NONE that she does not like to cook. Her own brother has said this. No secret.
wtf is your problem what does that have to mrs o or her style?
Oh dear, please be nice everyone!
point taken sorry!!! this is a fashion site just thought the comment was a little unneccessarry
Back in January 2007, the CBS-TV journalist Steve Kroft did the first 60 Minutes interview with the Obamas (this was 2 weeks before Obama formally started his preidential campaign.) In that interview, part of which took place in the Obamas' home, Mrs. O talked about how they had become concerned about healthy eating, particularly in regards to their children. Both of the Obamas talked about how they had changed the way they eat and had learned to eat heathily.
Also, in a profile for The New Yorker, Mrs. O talked about learning how to make the most healthy choices when grocery shopping. I think this helps explain the Obamas' original connection to Kass. His Chicago business was about teaching people how to cook in a healthy manner, how to shop for the most healthy food, how to support locally grown food--giving people tools to improve their lives.
All that aside, this past Thanksgiving the Obamas had 60 people--relatives and friends--to their house for a holiday dinner. It certainly wouldn't be surprising to me if Mrs. O had professional catering for parties like this.
I think it either the 60 Minutes or Barbara Walters post-election interview where Mrs. O said that Thanksgiving at their house was going to be potluck, and no, she wasn't going to do any cooking because she deserved the break.