Why celeb chefs aren't right for Obama's White House
......And if the Obamas do hire someone new, it won't be a television personality or any of the celebrity names bandied about on food and political blogs, he said.

"None of these people have any idea what the job is about," said Scheib. "And they're temperamentally not suited for it. You have to be a person who has a real heart of service, and it can't be someone who needs to see themselves on camera."

......Roland Mesnier, who retired in 2004 after 25 years as the White House's executive pastry chef, would never recommend a TV chef for the first family.

"Celebrity chefs, in my book, are not chefs. They're entertainers," he said. "All these people on TV? Forget it."

....At the same time, members of the Organic Consumers Association are organizing a letter-writing campaign urging Obama to promote healthy, sustainable and organic eating by hiring a well-known organic chef such as Nora Pouillon or Alice Waters.

None of the above would be a good fit, said Scheib.

"I get a kick out of all these people saying the No. 1 thing should be green, or sustainable or this, that or the other thing. They're missing the point. It's not about advancing your agenda. It's not about building your repertoire. It's not about getting your business promoted," he said. "It's about serving the first family, first, last and in every way. That's the only job."