The chef who lost Clinton’s cake
Roland Mesnier, the White House’s head pastry chef for 26 year, said his most demanding diner was Bill Clinton.
Roland Mesnier has satisfied the sugar cravings of some of the world’s most powerful men, said Carol Ross Joynt in Washingtonian. During his 26 years as the White House’s head pastry chef, Mesnier served up delectable deserts to five presidents, making pecan bourbon pie for Jimmy Carter, orange chocolate cake for Ronald Reagan, baked apple soufflé for Bush senior, and buttered brioche pudding with dried blueberries and lemon sauce for Bush the younger. His most demanding diner, though, was Bill Clinton. “He had a big appetite, scary,” says Mesnier, 67. “He could eat five or six pork chops.”
Clinton was also allergic to a stack of foods, including chocolate and flour. “But he loved dessert. It made it very difficult for a pastry chef.” One evening, Mesnier crafted a low-calorie strawberry cake for Clinton, who ate half the dessert in a single sitting. The next morning, the president woke up craving a slice or two more. “[But] no one could find the cake,” says Mesnier, who had to face the furious commander in chief. “Clinton was pounding on the table and shouting, ‘I want my goddamned cake.’” When the missing cake couldn’t be found, there was only one conclusion to be made: “We decided [Vice President Al] Gore must have eaten it.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Why do Russian oil bosses keep dying?
Under the Radar There have been 'at least 50' mysterious deaths of energy company executives since Putin ordered Ukraine invasion
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The insides and outsides of Helsinki's energetic art scene
The Week Recommends Finland's capital has an admirable mix of street art and museums
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'We have witnessed firsthand how health and civics intersect'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published