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Inside the White House Kitchen: Preparing the State Dinner for Germany

Summary: 
Celebrating the first harvest of the spring, the German State Dinner menu uses local ingredients – including vegetables and herbs from the White House Kitchen Garden. Take a look inside with White House Kitchen on the morning of the Dinner with Executive Chef Cris Comerford.

Celebrating the first harvest of the spring, the German State Dinner menu uses local ingredients – including vegetables and herbs from the White House Kitchen Garden. Take a look inside with White House Kitchen on the morning of the dinner with Executive Chef Cris Comerford.

Watch the video of Executive Chef Cris Comerford explaining the preparations for the German State Dinner here.

Created by First Lady Michelle Obama in March of 2009, the Kitchen Garden has become a hub for activities at the White House. Just four days shy of the State Dinner, children joined Mrs. Obama to harvest vegetables just in time for the dinner and plant new crops. The “White House Garden Chopped Salad," the first course of the dinner, reflects a cornucopia of spring harvest, tossed in a vinaigrette made with White House honey and garnished with pecans from Georgia.

Tonight, the President and Mrs. Obama will host Her Excellency Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany for a State Dinner held in the Rose Garden of the White House, just outside the West Wing and Oval Office. Tune in for the reception and toasts on WhiteHouse.gov/live.