Sam Kass reflects on his work in the Obama White House and contribution to the food and nutrition policy of the Obama administration, in which he served as White House assistant chef from 2009 to 2010, and senior policy advisor for nutrition and executive director of the Let's Move! initiative from 2010 to 2014. Kass focuses on his work in the East Wing, and provides details about the major efforts with which he was closely involved, including the planting of the White House Kitchen Garden, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, and Let's Move! Kass also shares stories from his long relationship with the Obama family, describes the particular media and public scrutiny faced by the Obamas as the first African American first family, and outlines his experience navigating his role as a staff member of both the residence and the Executive Office of the President
Presidents--United States; Kass, Sam, 1980-; Obama, Barack; Obama, Michelle, 1964-; Let's Move! (Campaign : U.S.); United States; United States. Executive Office of the President; White House Gardens (Washington, D.C.); Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2022
Physical Description
80 pages
Note (Biographical)
Sam Kass is a chef and nutrition policy expert who was one of First Lady Michelle Obama's longest serving advisors. In the Obama White House, Kass served as assistant chef in the White House from 2009 to 2010, senior advisor for nutrition policy, and, from 2010 to 2014, executive director of the first lady's Let's Move! initiative. He was also closely involved in the planting and management of the White House Kitchen Garden. Before Obama's election in 2008, Kass was the Obama family's private chef in Chicago
Note
Interviewed by Mary Marshall Clark on October 28, 2020, and April 13, 2022. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Sam Kass, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023