SEVIERVILLE - Former White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier will discuss baking and his famous clients in an April 9 appearance at the Rel Maples Institute for Culinary Arts on the Walters State Sevier County Campus. Mesnier worked under first ladies Roslyn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.

Mesnier will give a presentation/demonstration at 6 p.m. in the Conner Short Center on Walters State’s Sevier County Campus. The evening begins with light appetizers. Later, attendees will have the chance to taste desserts created by students under the guidance of Mesnier.

      Tickets for that event are $25 and can be reserved by calling (865) 774-5817. Proceeds benefit the Institute.

      The chef’s 26 years makes him the longest-serving White House chef in history.

      “Every first lady and president were different and each had a different style,” Mesnier said, in a phone interview from his home in Virginia. He shared many favorite recipes in his book, “All the President’s Pastries.” 

        “Mrs. Carter had a fondness for cakes with fresh fruit and was concerned with calories, but President Carter really loved dessert. Mrs. Reagan liked beautiful and delicate desserts, but served only in small quantities. President and Mrs. (Herbert Walker) Bush enjoyed custards and cakes.

      “President and Mrs. Clinton enjoyed many desserts, but the challenge was to create good desserts with President Clinton’s food allergies,” Mesnier remembered. Among other things, Clinton was allergic to chocolate. The (George W.) Bushes loved traditional American desserts and ice cream, the chef added.

      In addition to preparing for state dinners and special events, Mesnier also enjoyed cooking for the children and grandchildren of presidents.

      “The White House kitchen was often a very busy place and I think many were told by parents to stay out of certain areas, but I always enjoyed baking cookies and preparing special snacks.”

      All of the first ladies he has served rave about his cooking and baking, either on his Web site or on his book jackets.

        “Roland is truly a great pastry chef. Every dessert he created was a delicious work of beauty. If there is such a think as a “genius pastry chef,” Roland is it,” Barbara Bush in the introduction to one of his books.

      Mesnier never served the same dessert twice for each family and cites the anticipation of “what’s for dessert” as a favorite part of his job.

      Mesnier is part of a visiting chef series at the Rel Maples Institute. Chef Joe Cairns, instructor of culinary arts, hopes the students who spend the day with Mesnier realize where they can go with a degree and hard work.

      “Many of our students want to own their own restaurants and that’s great, but I want students to see all of the different places and how far they can actually go with this degree,” Caines said.  

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