Bush jokes about the White House chef

Cristeta "Cris" Comerford was named White House chef in August of 2005, after 10 years as an assistant chef in the White House kitchens. Trained in culinary arts in the Philippines, Austria and the United States, Comerford, a naturalized U.S. citizen, has been unusually press-averse for a White House chef -- declining most interviews and preferring to do her talking through her cuisine.

But Tuesday, welcoming Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the White House, President Bush couldn't resist getting in a joke about his chef.

First, said Bush, "I want to tell you how proud I am to be the president of a nation that -- in which there's a lot of Philippine Americans.  They love America and they love their heritage."

Second, he continued, "I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine Americans when I eat dinner at the White House.... And the chef is a great person and a really good cook, by the way, Madam President."

Arroyo thanked Bush for the compliment,  and for  the offer to send two assets the Philippines need desperately now: U.S. Navy ships  to help with ferry rescue, and rice to feed a country suffering a rice shortage.

"We're happy to do it," said Bush. "We want to help our friends in a time of need."

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Tina Hager/White House