Redden brings taste of White House to local homes

Thursday, Dec. 22, 2005

Click here to enlarge this photo Chef Charlie Redden serves a sandwich to President Clinton on Jan. 3, 2001. Redden cooked for two presidents before leaving the White House. He is opening up a catering business in Prince George’s County and is hoping to open a five-star restaurant in the future.

Following her example, Redden and his brother Louis would have contests where they would take whatever was in the cabinet and make something to eat out of it. Later, these were the same kinds of tests Redden would have to pass in culinary school.

The young man who saw endless possibilities in his mother’s cabinets went on to become the first certified executive chef in the history of the White House Culinary Specialist Program. Before that he was a culinary specialist for the Navy, where he prepared food for admirals, commodores, and captains.

A few years after President Clinton came into office, White House officials interviewed top navy chefs from the Navy Culinary Arts Department in the West Wing and Redden was assigned a new detail. He worked under Presidents Clinton and Bush from 1995-2001, but it was not the glamorous job one might expect. Redden and his fellow chefs had to wake the President, lay out clothes, and communicate with the Secret Service.

They traveled everywhere with him, providing food service security when the president dined out. He remembers that then-President Clinton especially liked his tomato-vegetable soup and pita pizza. Because of his expertise, Redden was give additional responsibility. He often handled buffets for the catering department on the military side.

Although he has retired from the Navy and no longer works in the White House, Redden remembers many of the lessons he learned while in the service. His book — ‘‘Follow the Tides to Nourish Your Soul” — has a nautical illustration on the cover because, ‘‘there are rough and smooth seas on ship and in life.” He wrote the book because he says he sees people experiencing the same things he has and he wants to help. Redden credits the pastor of his church and church members who acted as advisers for helping him put the book together.

Hearing his pastor say that a person must use all of their talents helped Redden decide on the book’s format. It is not a typical cookbook, nor is it a work of fiction. Instead he chose to combine his writing talent with his knowledge of the culinary arts. The book includes poems, short stories, menu plans and recipes, along with a few pictures of the chef with some notable people he has met over the years.

Chef Redden’s Recipe for Success l Put God in front and you’ll always come out a winner. l Make sure it is what you want to do because it is not an easy career. l Have an entrepreneurial mindset: If you have been in the industry more than ten years, you should have a business plan. l Go slowly and build a clientele. Contact Redden to request catering services, submit a resume or enter the contest to win a four-course gourmet dinner: Chef Charlie Redden P.O. Box 5082 Upper Marlboro, MD 20775 240-432-8171 To order ‘‘Follow the Tides to Nourish Your Soul” Go to Xulonpress.com or place an order at a Barnes & Noble bookstore.

Those who attend his book signings have the opportunity to see him in action, because at these events he does a food demonstration, often making a sculpture out of fruits and vegetables.

Redden has served presidents and now he is offering to cook for the people of Prince George’s County, where his long-range goal is to open a five-star restaurant. The book is just one step toward reaching that goal.

Redden’s current focus is a catering business that is taking reservations now but does not plan to start serving until next spring. Again, looking to combine his skills, Redden plans to cook a gourmet meal of one reader who writes an essay about his book’s impact. This person will be able to preview recipes from Redden’s catering service. Redden and business partner William Gladney plan to target Delaware and Maryland, going to customers’ homes to prepare intimate dinners or cater small parties with a southern gourmet theme.