After 25 years of service for five presidents (and their families and guests), White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier is putting away his apron and leaving to promote his book of recipes, Dessert University. Hired by Rosalynn Carter in 1979, Mesnier has made seven-layer chocolate cakes for the current president's birthday, cherry tarts for President Clinton, and raspberry souffles for the first President Bush. As you might imagine, he has more than a few stories to tell:
"The Carters' daughter, Amy, liked to bake her own cookies to take to school. But after popping the cookies into the oven, she was in the habit of going out roller-skating, forgetting the cookies and letting them burn. 'She would come to the kitchen the next morning before going to school and ask me whether I had any cookies for her,' Mr. Mesnier said."