Catch me on CNN about managing the Camp David Resort and Conference Center

I enjoyed speaking with Kate (Kate Bennett) today from CNN (see her article link on CNN below). I hope the first family has a wonderful time at The Camp David Resort and Conference Center and comes to value being able to ride a bicycle around in peace, go for a long walk, have a swim and not be so confined to the clubs and White House. Whether you loved Hillary Clinton or Donald J. Trump - our First Families need a quiet place that does not include tons of guests and the public all over them, gawking, asking for signatures, etc...

The full grown deer, striped chipmunks and beautiful birds at Camp David are always enjoyable to watch. Especially the deer walking across the manicured lawns - they captivate guests.

While a mouse in the house is very rare, my advice to the family and friends visiting is don't turn it into a huge ordeal, remember, you're in the middle of a forest on a mountain! Hillary did just that, she couldn't avoid being surprised, but everyone had a good laugh about it later. And that's the sign of a great leader, she laughed with us and about herself. Very few true leaders can laugh about themselves.

Don also enjoys a Filet-o-Fish sandwich from McDonald's or a steak with catsup. I was explaining that to a tour group yesterday in the museum and it's not the place of any Chef or servants to judge a family. You are to serve President Nixon his cottage cheese and catsup every day if he asks for it. If President Trump wants to expand the golf green behind his house and make a nine-hole course, plans can be ready to go. Ike actually created his three hole green to putt and satisfy the need to exercise and golf a bit. And Ike was quite a good cook also, he would BBQ on the White House roof with his Chef.

Wile at Camp David, I established a garden and began growing fresh mountain herbs and more for the family. You do things like that to deliver the gourmet approach to simple food. And no matter how simple or elegant folks think the Trump's are, I can promise you that their private clubs are classy, elegant and enjoyable. Ivanka has an entire salad served on the menu that is offered and all members enjoy it! The cultivation of the Raka Red Onion for service and roasting is excellent. After all, it is sold in Eastern European supermarkets and very famous. Melania's grandfather invented it by cross-breeding a red onion from Ptuj, Slovenia, and an Egyptian red onion. It's named after where he was born and raised in Slovenia. That's why it's called the Raka Red Onion, for Raka, Slovenia. It's important for chefs and staff serving anyone in any home to study the owners of the home carefully. We have clients that have won a Powerball ticket or Mega Millions so sometimes they just come into money through lock but suddenly find a lot of staff in their massive new home. Naturally, they are trying to figure out how Downton Abbey works. In the case of serving the Trump's at Camp David and in the White House it may be smart to notice when making Donald's favorite meatloaf sandwich on television both he and Melania chose not to have fresh red onion slices on it. I took a key to that and serve them on the side in a bowl when I was asked to come on television and make the Trump favorite sandwich and it's little things like this that people need to pay attention to. For instance, if I was serving the favorite meatloaf sandwich I would not include the red onion like Martha Stewart suggested on television. I would probably try it in different dishes via sauteing and roasting because many many people enjoy vegetables prepared in different ways. And that's true when a client tells me that they hate a particular item. It's amazing to see them eating it when it's prepared in a different way. I would say this level of particular attention paid to the President of the United States and first family - is what allowed me to be successful and receive numerous gold medals from the United States military when I rotated to my next duty station.

The full CNN article is here.