KIRO NEWSRADIO

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

May 10, 2012, 8:39 AM | Updated: Oct 11, 2024, 10:59 am

...

cedargrove
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
.

You might also like:
President Obama visiting Seattle on Thursday

Ross: Obama’s stand on gay marriage evolved

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor

KIRO Newsradio

super mario white wine frenchman hills echolands winery...

Manda Factor

Super Mario’s namesake planted the grapes behind Washington’s only 96-point scoring white wine

Of all the white wines produced in Washington, only one earned a top score from the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards. The grapes that made it were planted by the man who inspired Nintendo's most famous character.

3 hours ago

wedding gift ask ursula...

Ursula Reutin

Dear Ursula: Do I have to send a wedding gift if I wasn’t invited to the ceremony?

Dear Ursula, I received a wedding announcement in the mail from the daughter of a family friend. I was not invited, so I'm torn about whether I should feel obligated to send them a wedding gift.

6 hours ago

congress affordable housing home...

Charlie Harger

Harger: Congress just cut thousands of dollars off the only home a lot of Americans can afford

What's going on is that lawmakers in both parties have figured out affordable housing is sinking them with a big part of the country.

7 hours ago

2 brida the pig...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘I think my landlord and my neighbor are hiding her’: Vashon Island woman says 350-pound pig was stolen over political dispute

Julia Carlson's 350-pound pig Brida was stolen from her Vashon Island property on the busiest weekend of the year.

20 hours ago

silverware at a diner - capitol hill...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘The restaurant remains open’: Gee, Ursula stunned by Capitol Hill business owner’s alleged $1.5M tax scheme

A Capitol Hill restaurant faces scrutiny as its owner is charged with stealing $1.5M in payroll taxes from employees.

24 hours ago

KCRHA - seattle - king county...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘They still want the high-paying jobs’: Gee says data proves people aren’t fleeing the state, just King County

King County saw a loss of roughly 13,000 residents between 2022 and 2023, when around 105,000 people moved out and about 92,000 moved in.

1 day ago

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