Why Cristeta “Cris” Comerford is someone to look up to
They rose. They lifted others.
A chef who rose to one of the world’s most prestigious kitchens and used excellence, discipline, and mentorship to elevate others along the way.
This week’s honoree was recommended by Rocio Nuyda, who nominated Cristeta “Cris” Comerford for our growing list of Filipinos whose lives and work are worth knowing and sharing.
Thank you, Rocio, for helping us discover more of the person behind the historic achievement.
From Sampaloc To The White House
Before she prepared meals for presidents, royalty and heads of state, Cris Comerford was a young Filipina immigrant starting near the bottom of the professional kitchen ladder.
Born Cristeta Gomez Pasia in Manila, Cris grew up as one of 11 children. She attended Manila Science High School and studied Food Technology at the University of the Philippines.
At 23, she left the Philippines for the United States.
One of her first American jobs was at the salad bar of a Sheraton hotel near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Her older brother jokingly called her the Salad Girl.
It was an unlikely beginning for a woman who would one day run the kitchen of the White House.
Cris continued learning her craft in hotel and restaurant kitchens, including a six-month stint at Le Ciel in Vienna, Austria.
Then came the opportunity that changed her life.
The White House
In 1994, Cris temporarily helped the White House kitchen prepare for the State Dinner honoring Nelson Mandela.
The following year, Executive Chef Walter Scheib hired her as an assistant chef during the Clinton administration.
She remained his assistant for a decade.
Then, in 2005, First Lady Laura Bush began searching for a new Executive Chef.
Cris was among the finalists.
Her work included planning the menu for an official dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 134 guests.
Soon afterward came the call that would make history.
In August 2005, Cristeta Comerford was appointed WHITE HOUSE EXECUTIVE CHEF.
She became the first woman and first person of color ever appointed to the position.
And she stayed.
For almost three decades in the White House kitchen — including 19 years as Executive Chef — Cris served across five presidential administrations:
Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Donald Trump
Joe Biden
She oversaw more than 50 State Dinners and countless official luncheons, receptions, holiday celebrations and First Family meals.
But extraordinary achievement alone is not what qualifies someone for Filipinos To Look Up To.
We also ask:
WHAT DID THEY DO WITH THEIR SUCCESS TO HELP OTHERS RISE?
For Cris Comerford, that part of the story matters.
Leadership Means Giving Back
When the University of the Philippines conferred on Cris the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, in 2019, she told students:
“As a leader, you are given much. That is when you give more back.”
And:
“As students, we learn much. In turn, we teach others.”
There is evidence that she lived that philosophy in her profession.
When Susan Morrison became the first woman appointed White House Executive Pastry Chef in 2014, the White House itself described Comerford as Morrison’s mentor, leader and inspiration.
Cris had broken through a barrier herself.
Then she helped another woman rise.
She also participated in charitable culinary initiatives through the Club des Chefs des Chefs, an international association of chefs who cook for heads of state. Among these were benefit events supporting causes for disadvantaged children.
Her influence therefore extended beyond what appeared on a presidential dinner plate.
Food As Diplomacy
Cris also became an advocate and practitioner of culinary diplomacy — using food to help connect people, cultures and nations.
A State Dinner is much more than an elaborate meal.
Months can go into researching and designing a menu that honors a visiting country while representing the United States. Ingredients and dishes can become gestures of respect, recognition and friendship.
Cris helped create those experiences at one of the world’s most consequential diplomatic tables.
Yet amid all that international cuisine, something distinctly Filipino remained.
She Brought The Philippines With Her
In 2003, when the White House hosted Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Cris helped create a menu that included a salad with calamansi dressing.
She described the menu as being “like a marriage of the two countries.”
Eleven years later came an unforgettable public acknowledgment.
During President Barack Obama’s 2014 visit to Manila, he addressed a State Dinner at Malacañang Palace and spoke about the contributions Filipino-Americans had made to the United States.
Then he singled out one person:
“There’s one in particular I’m grateful for — Cris Comerford, our executive chef at the White House.”
The room applauded.
Obama then added:
“We in the White House enjoy the occasional lumpia and adobo.”
Imagine that journey.
A girl from Sampaloc.
One of eleven children.
A young immigrant who started at a hotel salad bar.
And decades later, the President of the United States was standing in Manila publicly thanking her — while talking about lumpia and adobo being served at the White House.
She had reached one of the highest levels of her profession without leaving her Filipino identity behind.
Humility At The Top
Perhaps one of the most revealing things Cris has said came when UP honored her in 2019.
“I don’t see myself at the pinnacle.”
After decades at the White House, she still described herself as standing on another stepping stone in life.
She invoked the familiar Filipino image of the rice stalk that bends lower as it fills with grain:
The more we achieve, the more humble we should become.
In July 2024, after 29 years in the White House kitchen, Cristeta Comerford retired.
Her career had taken her from a hotel salad bar to State Dinners, from Manila to Washington, and from an assistant’s position to making history.
But that is only part of why she belongs here.
She used her experience to mentor others. She helped open doors for women who followed. She shared what she had learned with students. She participated in charitable culinary work. And she believed that leadership carried with it an obligation to give back.
She rose — and helped others rise.
And that is why Cristeta “Cris” Comerford is one of our