Chef Tom Douglas dishes on what he’s cooking for President Obama

Tom Douglas gave 97.3 KIRO FM Seattle’s Morning News a sneak peek at what he’ll be fixing for the president. (MyNorthwest.com/Jamie Griswold)

What will the president be eating during his trip to
Seattle?

Seattle Kitchen host Tom Douglas tells 97.3 KIRO FM Seattle’s Morning News he
will be preparing food for the president during his visit
to Seattle on Thursday. This will be his fifth time
cooking for President Barack Obama.

“He’s a big fan of our coconut cream pie,” said Douglas.

This year’s Outstanding Restaurateur, according to the
James Beard Foundation, prepared the coconut cream pie on
his first meeting with Obama, when he was a senator,
visiting the region to show support of Maria Cantwell.

“He was giving a speech at my Ballroom and he ran out of
time to have this dessert I had prepared for him because I
heard he liked pie, and so I shoved it to his driver in
his limousine,” said Douglas. “Two days later I get a
phone call and it’s on my voice message and he says, ‘Tom
this is Barack, dude that coconut cream pie was over the
top man.'”

Since then, Douglas has had several opportunities to serve
the president.

“Last time I cooked for him, literally the Secret Service
was in the bushes. I go outside to my grill and it’s like,
‘oh my God the bushes are moving,’ and turns out there’s
guys in suits out there,” said Douglas. “It’s crazy.”

Douglas said he always tries to prepare something from the
Northwest. He’d planned a three-course meal for the event
in Madrona on Thursday, but said “he is on the move, that
dude,” and the White House asked him to pare it down.

“We’re doing a little club salad, roasted turkey with my
little spice rub, and avocado, and Yakima asparagus […]
and of course some delicious dessert.”

Tom Douglas can be heard every weekend on The
Seattle Kitchen Show on 97.3 KIRO FM Saturday at 8
a.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. The podcast is available
anytime ON
DEMAND at MyNorthwest.com.

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By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor