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Tafari Campbell first worked for President George W. Bush but was asked to stay on to work for the Obamas.
A Virginia man who worked as a chef for former president Barack Obama for over a decade died in a tragic accident while paddleboarding on Martha’s Vineyard Sunday.
In a statement, the Obamas called 45-year-old Tafari Campbell a “part of our family” and a talented chef who was creative and passionate about food.
“We got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter,” they said.
Here are five things to know about Campbell:
1. Campbell helped create Obama’s honey ale beer
In 2011, inspired by home brewers across the country, Obama bought a home brewing kit for the White House kitchens, according to the White House Archives. No one in the kitchens had brewed beer before, but with some tips from other home brewers, they invented the White House Honey Brown Ale.
Campbell was one of the staff members who helped create the beer, and he’s featured in a White House YouTube video from 2013 where he can be seen brewing the ale.
According to the White House Archives, the honey ale was the first beer ever brewed on White House property, though George Washington was known to have brewed beer and distilled whiskey at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson made wine at the White House.
The beer used honey from Michelle Obama’s South Lawn beehive. That same honey was later used by the chefs to create a White House Honey Porter and a White House Honey Blonde.
The recipe for the honey ale received a favorable review from The New York Times and Brooklyn Brewery.
“The aromas were floral with a touch of orange and a metallic note that I sometimes find in honey. On the palate, it was breezy, fresh, tangy and lightly bitter, not bone dry but not at all sweet. I could sense the honey in the round, rich texture of the beer: thickness without weight, like a chenin blanc wine,” the Times wrote.
Northern Brewer now sells a home brewing kit you can use to brew the honey ale.
2. Campbell owned a restaurant and worked for President Bush before working for the Obamas
According to a 2009 article in The Sun Sentinel, Campbell went to culinary school in Virginia and owned his own restaurant before applying for a job at the White House.
Campbell was first hired to work at the White House while George W. Bush was president, the newspaper reported. He was reportedly one of four cooks who were asked to stay on by the Obamas.
“I’m so proud of him, I can’t put it into words,” Campbell’s father, Trevor, told The Sun Sentinel in 2009, adding that his son would often cook for large family gatherings at the house growing up.
During both White House administrations, Campbell worked under Cristeta Comerford, the first woman and first Asian White House executive chef. She was appointed by Laura Bush in 2005 and still holds the position.
3. The Obamas asked Campbell to keep working for them after leaving the White House
In their statement Monday night, the Obamas said they liked Campbell’s cooking so much they asked him to stay on after leaving the White House.
“When we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed,” the Obamas said. “He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.”
But it wasn’t just Campbell’s culinary skills that impressed the Obamas. They said in the statement that they loved his personality and the way he approached food.
“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,” they said. “In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter.”
4. Campbell’s wife, who he shared twin boys with, owns a bakery and catering service
Campbell’s wife Sherise also works in the culinary arts. She owns a bakery and catering service called Sweet Sage Baking and Catering that serves northern Virginia and the Washington D.C. area.
Sherise said in a 2021 interview that she started her business after she reached a point in life where she wanted to achieve more for herself. She had been getting a lot of positive feedback from coworkers on her baking and cooking, which were skills she’d honed at a culinary school, and decided to continue in that direction.
“As long as I can remember, I was in the kitchen doing something – helping my mom, helping my grandmother,” she said. “When I was about seven I could fry an egg…And I always loved food.”
Campbell and his wife shared two twin boys, Xavier and Savin. It is unclear how old the boys are or whether they were with Campbell on Martha’s Vineyard when he died.
The Obamas referenced Sherise and the children in their statement.
“Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari – especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin – in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man,” they said.
5. Campbell showcased his culinary creations on Instagram
Campbell had an Instagram account called Thymeless Creations where he posted pictures and videos of the food he made, from Mayan chicken to peach fosters.
Some of the videos show him cooking, while others just show aesthetically pleasingly plated dishes.
On Campbell’s account, he called himself an amateur golfer and sometimes posted photos and videos of him golfing. He also liked to post pictures of himself with his wife, Sherise.
Campbell last posted on Instagram a few months ago.
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