White House Executive Chef Henry Haller, Virginia Aronson , et al.

Henry Haller was the White House Executive Chef from 1966 to 1987. He was not only a witness to White House history, but also a master chronicler of it. In his cookbook, he shares an extraordinary behind-the-scenes look at daily life in the White House through the lens of how five first families dined privately and how they approached formal hospitality publicly. Haller prepared family favorites for Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. He also shares more than 250 recipes, including wedding cakes for three White House brides, a collection of holiday favorites, Jimmy Carter's fried catfish, Ronald Reagan's macaroni and cheese, Lyndon Johnson's Texas barbecued ribs, and the first ladies' healthy soups and salads. The cookbook was first released in 1988 by Random House and was popular in its time. However, the White House Historical Association has released a special edition of the book that is updated with images from Chef Haller's own menus, photographs, and ephemera. The new edition also includes an introduction by Alex Prud'homme, a culinary historian and author of the forthcoming book "At the President's Table."