The White House Pastry Chef

Today's New York Times Dining section is packed with a lot of good articles I 'll write about one today and the other about corporate gardens tomorrow.The one that I'd like to tell about now is regarding the White House pastry chef, Bill Yosses. He has an interesting background and an even interesting job description at the White House.

Yosses was first hired under former First Lady ,Laura Bush. His background is being a pastry chef at the famed Montrachet and Bouley restaurants in New York. However in Washington, he is also the chief bee keeper and tender of the herb garden. It's not like he wants to be uber busy :it;s just that he;sot really needed in the Obama kitchen much. Thanks to our new First Lady's healthier foods campaigns, rich gooey pastries are out at the everyday meals. Not that President Obama and the First Daughters are deprived of sweets. Yosses makes a white sugar free fruit and oat bar made with honey and maple syrup. This is mixed together with toasted sunflower seeds and dried cherries and baked for 25 to 30 minutes.This is a recipe I would love to try because it's a great healthy snack and probably wouldn't be so bad with a cup of coffee.

Yosses does still bake for the White House State dinners. He has also coauthored a book with Dining contributor Melissa Clark (today's article was by regular contributor Julia Moskin)There is an updated recipe for a Mamie Eisenhower cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust. Now this is somehing I would love to make. It has a sour cream frosting on top and a rich , smooth cheesecake.

Bill Yosses is a White House history maker. He can still create yummy but good for you sweets in the Obamas healthy eating White House. That's a feat that should be copied through tth eUS> He manages to make even the healthiest ingredients the most decadent with his knowledge and flair,

Food Chains

Ever notice the number of chain restaurants along your local highway or in your neighborhood mall? It seems America has produced about a million chain restaurants from Pizza Hut to Johnny Rocket's. Some are upscale, some look like neighborhood hang outs. All in all this is
what 's feeding our country.

There are some really good chain restaurants out there. Red Lobster, for all the criticism (and the one snarky novel written about it) does serve up some mean seafood dishes at affordable pricing. Not only that but all the meals are affordable. Families can splurge every now and then on a lobster for a birthday or graduation. This same philosophy is true with Ruby Tuesday's. The chain offers some great steak cuts along with an expansive salad bar. They also have cool creative drinks that are fun for a night out. For super luxurious there's The Grand Luxe Cafe that looks like a part of an Atlantic City or Las Vegas casino (and a division of of another chain, The Cheesecake Factory). There's also Legal Seafoods which offers high class seafood and chic atmosphere at a relatively well priced rate.

The low end chains do pretty well too. Johnny Rocket's, that mall favorite offers a variety of burgers and shakes with a fun atmosphere. A relatively unheard of chain, Pollo Tropical gives people a superb taste of the islands without the high pricing. It's where foodies can dig into Caribbean favorites and follow with flan or dulce de leche.

Chain restaurants may not get a four or five star rating from critics but they're still good. They give Americans a chance for good food and fun without the high pricing.