Obama pays tribute to chef who tragically drowned at vacation compound with new honor
Former President Barack Obama’s new presidential center will honor late chef Tafari Campbell — a longtime family friend and trusted member of the Obama household — with the launch of...
By Fox News · Fox News
Former President Barack Obama ’s new presidential center will honor late chef Tafari Campbell — a longtime family friend and trusted member of the Obama household — with the launch of a comfort-food restaurant. "It honors the award-winning former White House culinary team member and beloved personal chef to the Obama family who tragically passed away in 2023," the Obama Foundation announced in a press release Monday. Campbell, 45, drowned while paddle boarding on the Edgartown Great Pond near the former president’s Martha’s Vineyard home in July 2023. He was not wearing a life vest during the tragic accident, police reported. The Obamas have called Campbell a "beloved part of our family." OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER TO ADD AUTOGRAPHED MUHAMMAD ALI BOXING GLOVES "Tafari Campbell was known as a warm, fun-loving, and humble soul who used his immense gifts and passion for food to spread joy and bring people together, and a painting of him by Kate Capshaw will hang in the restaurant," the release added. Tafari’s Kitchen will feature food inspired by the Obama’s personal stories, such as "Mrs. Robinson’s Red Rice," which is the family recipe of Michelle Obama ’s late mother Marian Robinson. Chicago-based chef Cliff Rome and Bon Appétit Management will spearhead the menu. Campbell was first hired by the George W. Bush administration to work at the White House and continued on during the Obama presidency, before building a friendship with the 44th president. FAVORITE FOODS OF TRUMP AND HARRIS, PLUS OTHER NOTABLE DISHES OF PRESIDENTS AND VICE PRESIDENTS He became Obama’s personal chef, leaving the White House at the end of the administration in 2017. At the time of the accident, a paddleboarder with Campbell told investigators they had seen him standing on his paddleboard and lose his balance before falling into the water. "When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House - creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together. In t…