Monday I went to the annual meeting of Le Club des Chefs de Chefs. The organization has to have such a fancy name because its members are the personal chefs of world leaders. Last night they gathered at the Willard InterContinental Hotel and prepared their leader’s favorite dishes.
I shot photos of the prep work in the kitchen and pastry shop. Dozens of chefs and assistants buzzed around arranging garnishes and finalizing dishes. The event was truly a sight to behold. Each chef wore a tailored white uniform with his name and country’s flag emblazoned on it. Around 7:00pm they rolled their creations into a reception room for journalists and guests to sample. I did my part to encourage the chefs and promote this sort of diplomacy by munching my way around the room. I’m sure the value of the food that I ate during the reception was more than what I spend on food in a week.
These culinary summits have been going on since 1977. As the organizers reminded us, food, like music, is the universal language. In truth, the chefs did seem very excited to have this opportunity to be together. 
The meeting this year was organized by Walter Scheib, the White House chef. I was pleased to see that America was well represented. During my behind-the-scenes tour I had a taste of the American cheesecake that was being sent to the visiting chef’s hotel rooms. It was simply amazing. I also learned that actual gold (Au) is used as a garnish. Apparently gold is such a stable metal that it passes through the body without effect.