Marcus Samuelsson To Guest Chef State Dinner

As the White House prepares for next Tuesday's state dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Politico reports that chef Marcus Samuelsson has been invited to join White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford in the kitchen.

Inviting an outside chef into the kitchen comes with a little controversy, Marian Burros writes:

The practice of using visiting chefs began in the Clinton administration, but it doesn't get raves from former chefs. "I would have been very upset if they had done that," said Henry Haller, who spent 21 years as chef for administrations stretching from the Johnson to the Reagans.

Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden by his adoptive parents, and now resides in New York. He runs the highly regarded restaurant Aquavit in New York.

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