How presidential plates and palates have shaped politics

A meal, when served at the White House, is much more than sustenance. It showcases the culinary preferences of the time, the tastes of the man in the Oval Office, and the political priorities of the leading administration.

President Barack Obama was the country’s first hard-core foodie. His successor, Donald Trump, tried a different tact, appealing to “Joe Six Pack” with his fast food dinners.

Early presidents understood how food could help persuade skeptics and assuage animosity. Thomas Jefferson famously presided over a meal between Alexander Hamilton and James Madison to help broker agreement on various debates, including how to address the new nation’s post-war debts. The famous “dinner table bargain,” as it became known, was recreated in the hit musical “Hamilton” in the song “The Room Where it Happens.”

We take a historical, gastronomic tour of White House history with the author of the new book, “Dinner with the President,” and a former White House chef who cooked for three presidents.