OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD
POLITICS ON
WHAT HAPPENED? It was January 17th. It was an exciting time for us anyway because celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck (who owns the restaurant) was going to be there later in the week. The Secret Service came to visit me in
the morning. We’re really lucky because in Washington we get high profi le celebrities and politicians several times a week. At fi rst I thought it would be a usual discus- sion about service details, until they asked me to go into a private space. Then they told me that our visitors would be the presi- dent and fi rst lady. The length of time the Secret Service
gives us to prepare for important guests varies. Sometimes it’s a week, sometimes
THE MENU
As VIP guests go, the president and fi rst lady rank quite highly. General Manager of The Newseum’s restaurant The Source, Rikka Johnson, tells Kathleen Whyman about the challenges of hosting for such prominent guests
days – this time it was hours. The Secret Service told me that I couldn’t tell anyone else in the restaurant. I was able to talk to the executive chef, Scott Drewno, but until the president and fi rst lady walked in the door, no one else knew they were coming.
WHAT SPECIFICATIONS DID THEY HAVE? One of the things that I talked to his staff about was what sort of experience they wanted. What intrigued me was that they wanted a completely normal experience. They didn’t want a private dining space and they didn’t want to be isolated. I had guests seated directly next to them.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY ARRIVED? When the Obamas arrived, there was a huge motorcade. The hostess was absolutely shocked. The president was extremely friendly with the staff and very welcoming and he greeted the restaurant on arrival. Once in the main dining room, they sat down like a normal couple.
HOW DID OTHER GUESTS REACT? When I moved here I was told that
Washington is a city of adults. This occa- sion reminded me of that statement. The Obamas were there to celebrate Michelle’s 47th birthday and it was a very relaxed din- ner. Guests were seated right by their table, but there was no gawking or awkwardness.
(Above) The Obamas enjoyed a variety of courses including dim sum
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WHAT SECURITY WAS THERE? Guests didn’t know about the president before they sat down, but people arriving afterwards had to be wanded [scanned with a metal detector and bag checked]
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Executive chef Scott Drewno, who cooked for the Obamas
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