In 1980, Ariel De Guzman was an experienced Navy mess management specialist preparing meals for thousands of aircraft-carrier crewmembers when he received the chance of a lifetime – he was selected as a candidate for duty in the White House Mess. When the thousands of candidates were narrowed to a chosen few, he learned that the chefs at the Vice President’s House had poached him for their own kitchen. Thus began Ariel’s career cooking for George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush.
Today, after more than twenty years of cooking for the former President and First Lady and managing their household, Ariel is virtually a member of the family. Preparing and organizing meals that range from casual pool parties to birthday dinners to formal state affairs, De Guzman has been present every time the Bushes have gathered round the table – at the Vice President’s House, the White House, the Houston residence, and Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport. In “The Bush Family Cookbook,” he brings the stories and flavors of those moments to readers.
With easy instructions and vivid color photos, De Guzman presents more than two hundred of the Bush family’s favorite recipes, collected over the years from friends, relatives, favorite restaurants, and even visiting dignitaries. The dishes featured here cover the everyday to the more elaborate, but all of them are tried-and-true classics – just right for real folks and regular families.
From appetizers through main dishes, sides, and desserts, there’s something here for every American table. Seafood lovers will dip into Walker’s Point Lobster Salad and steaming hot Seafood Casserole. For the sweet tooth, there’s Buttermilk Layer Cake (the foundation ofGeorge P. Bush’s groom’s cake) and Baked Peaches Flambe, an old family recipe prepared as a special treat when George W. and brother Jeb came home with good grades. For dinner or lunch there’s Paula’s Lemon Chicken, a favorite of all the daughters-in-law, and Carolyn Deaver’s Chinese Chicken Salad, a tasty standard that the Bushes have served to visitors including British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, and Colin Powell. Adventurous cooks will enjoy creating Ariel’s Philippine and Asian specialties, such as Pork Adobo, and readers who love soup as much as the former President does can sample his favorite – Tomato Bisque.
Accompanied by informal photographs from the author’s personal collection and lively commentary and anecdotes, this delightful cookbook is a veritable scrapbook of Bush family dinners, parties, and special occasions, giving readers a true taste of America’s First Family.
