President Obama Takes "Dinner with Barack" Contest Winners To Lunch At Scion Restaurant

White House doesn't explain how much-hyped evening meal with President turns into lunch ...but Campaign has history of changing its own contest rules...
UPDATE, Jan. 11: Winner Kathie Toigo dishes on her "dunch" with the President
Since last summer, Obama for America has held three different contests for "Dinner with Barack," offering what was dubbed the "rare" opportunity to dine with President Obama as a heady enticement for supporters to fill campaign coffers with donations. On Friday, the donor winners for the second contest, officially called "Dinner with Barack II," got a bit less than the President promised. The firefighter, teacher, Army Reserves vet, and US Postal worker who had traveled from the four corners of the US had a mid-day lunch with Mr. Obama at Scion restaurant in Washington, DC. (Top: The President beside winner Val Grossman and across from the other winners at Scion, with video equipment to film the event. Inset is one of many graphic logos created for the contest)

There was no word from the White House or from OFA aides about how or why what has been the much-hyped centerpiece of fundraising had magically transformed from a Presidential dinner into lunch. The DuPont Circle neighborhood restaurant was closed to regular customers so Campaign staff could videotape the proceedings, according to co-owner Joanne Liu.

Liu also said the White House commanded her not to reveal the selections the President chose from the Asian-influenced American menu, instructing her to refer queries to the White House Press Office. White House aides also declined to reveal the menu. The event lasted a little more than an hour. (Above: Another graphic for the contest)

The President actually ate dinner with the winners of the first "Dinner with Barack" contest in October, held at The Liberty Tavern in Arlington, VA. This was videotaped for use as promotional materials for the subsequent "Dinner with Barack" contests. Friday's lunch fulfilled--sort of--the President's dinner commitment for the contest from the fundraising quarter that ended Sept. 30, 2011.

Members of the media were let in to Scion for a brief photo op before any food was served. The President, his shirt sleeves rolled up, sat with his arms crossed over a striped place mat in the restaurant's only dining room, and asked his guests about their backgrounds. All come from battleground states, and are what the Campaign calls "Everyday Americans." They were Kathie Toigo, 64, of Yerington, Nevada, an early-childhood special needs teacher; Bill Blackwelder, 31, of North Carolina, a US Army Reserves veteran of the war in Afghanistan and horticulture student; Val Grossmann, 54, of Westminister, Colorado, a US Postal Service worker; and Scott Zoebisch, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, a firefighter.

The President's group of winners for the first "Dinner with Barack" included two teachers and a US Postal Service worker, and one was also a senior citizen. Campaign aides declined to say how many people had donated as little as $3 to be entered in each of the three dinner sweepstakes.

As the guests made small talk about their families, one said his six-year-old daughter was very excited that her father was meeting the President, and had given him questions to ask.

"I'm very big with that demographic," President Obama said, chuckling.

“They think I look like a cartoon character with the big ears and everything. And they like saying my name.”

Media was ushered out rapidly. The rest of the conversation will be in the OFA-produced videos.

Changing "the menu" for the contests...
OFA spent months touting the exclusivity of DINNER with the President, which included e-mails from the President, First Lady Obama, and staff discussing how rare the opportunity was as they asked for donations. (Above: The entry/donation form for the dinner on OFA's website)

OFA heavily promoted the dinner on Facebook and Twitter, with the hashtag #DinnerWithBarack. "What would you talk about at #DinnerWithBarack?" was a much-Tweeted question from the @BarackObama account.

"These dinners also set our campaign apart," the President e-mailed in September. "No matter what our opponents do over the next 14 months, dinners like these are how we will continue to put people at the heart of this campaign."

There's no mistaking that the contest meals were supposed to be evening dinners.

"At the end of a long day, Barack and I cherish the same things most American families cherish: togetherness, warm conversation, and the simple pleasure of one another's company," Mrs. Obama e-mailed to donors. "That's what this upcoming dinner is going to be all about. "

"I've worked for President Obama for almost five years -- but I've never actually sat down for dinner with him," Deputy Campaign Manager Julianna Smoot e-mailed to donors. "That's why I'm excited about (and maybe a little jealous of) the opportunity you have to join the President for dinner."

The promise of dinner was crucial to OFA's fundraising strategy for much of 2011.

"#DinnerWithBarack isn’t just a contest—it determines whether or not we have the resources to win across the board," Tweeted @OFA_NM as the third dinner contest deadline approached.

Deputy Campaign Press Secretary Katie Hogan told Obama Foodorama in an interview last September that the "Dinner with Barack" events would NOT be filmed to be used as campaign tools, but 6 different campaign videos were produced from the President's first dinner at The Liberty Tavern. The President's lunch guests at Scion all had to sign releases agreeing to be used in Campaign promotional materials in order to receive the "dinner" prize.

But turning a dinner into a lunch is not the first "menu change" from the Campaign for the "Dinner with Barack" fundraising project.

Vice President Joe Biden was supposed to be at the first "Dinner with Barack," which was re-named after it was launched as "Dinner with Barack and Joe." But the Vice President did not attend the dinner, though Campaign staff spent much time touting his addition to the line-up. The Campaign also violated its own rules for the first dinner, failing to announce the names of winners on the website, as stated in the Official Rules. The rules for the second and third dinners were changed. (Above: The OFA graphic for "Dinner with Barack and Joe")

The President ordered from the regular lunch menu...
Scion co-owner Liu was adamant about not revealing the menu. (Above: The President at lunch)

"They asked us to refer everyone to the press office at the White House for all details," Scion said. "At least until Monday or Tuesday."

But Lui said the President and his group ordered off the regular lunch menu [PDF], which includes loaded burgers, crab cakes, and a lobster Reuben sandwich, with prices for entrees ranging between $9.95 and $18.95. Scion is known for a wide selection of craft beers.

"It was an honor to have the President here," Liu said. "It was very exciting."

The President autographed menus before his departure, and Liu posted a photo of these on Scion's Facebook page. The President arrived at 12:26 PM, and left the restaurant at 1:39 PM from a side door, avoiding a small crowd that had gathered out front. He was back at the White House at 1:43 PM. (Above: The autographed menus)

The prize package is taxable...
The contest winners received air fare and a one-night hotel stay as part of their prize package, which is taxable for the assigned retail value of $1,150. The first dinner had a lower pricetag, with an assigned retail value of $1075. The third "Dinner with Barack" contest includes dinner--or lunch--with Mrs. Obama, barring any unannounced changes to the contest, and is officially called "Dinner with Barack and Michelle." Entries closed on Dec. 31, 2011, and that dinner has an assigned retail value of $1,600. (Above: The graphic for the dinner)

The Campaign has not yet announced if the President will be raffling himself off as a dining companion for a fourth time, though one of his e-mails in September promised that dinners with supporters are going to be "a regular thing."

A video of the photo-op during the lunch:



Information: Scion is at 2100 P Street NW, Washington, DC, 20037. Phone: 202.833.8899.

*Photos by AP/pool, except for menu photo, courtesy of Scion. AP video.

An Instagram From @BarackObama

The "Dinner with Barack" campaign fundraiser was magically turned into "Lunch with Barack" at DC's Scion restaurant on Friday. Read about it here.

Week Ahead Schedule For First Lady Michelle Obama, Jan. 11-13, 2012

First public events for 2012: Campaign fundraisers, iCarly screening, Joining Forces announcement...
First Lady Michelle Obama will have her first public events of 2012 beginning next Wednesday, Jan. 11, when she'll kick off her 2012 campaigning for President Obama with a Democratic National Committee luncheon in Richmond, Virginia. On Friday in Alexandria, Mrs. Obama will join the cast of Nickelodeon TV show iCarly to screen the special episode "“iMeet The First Lady,” which she filmed last June in Los Angeles. (Above: Mrs. Obama and cast members during the episode)

"Miranda Cosgrove and the iCarly cast will be joined by Mrs. Obama at Hayfield Secondary School, a school with a large number of military children," the East Wing said. "They will screen the episode, participate in iCarly’s “Random Dancing” and answer questions from the students."

Mrs. Obama has said that iCarly is a favorite of daughters Malia and Sasha. The episode premieres on Nickelodeon on Monday, January 16th.

In between the two events, Mrs. Obama on Wednesday will announce a new commitment for the Joining Forces campaign from the medical profession, during remarks at Virginia Commonwealth University, also in Richmond. She'll zip over to Charlottesville afterwards for a DNC reception.

The First Lady's Schedule:

Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Richmond, Virginia * 12:30 PM – Mrs. Obama will deliver remarks at a Democratic National Committee luncheon in Richmond.

Richmond, Virginia * 2:45 PM – First Lady Michelle Obama will announce a major commitment by the country’s top medical colleges and universities to create a new generation of doctors, medical schools, and research facilities to ensure that veterans, service men and women receive the medical care that they deserve.

Mrs. Obama will be joined by numerous leaders from academic medicine who are committing to pursue groundbreaking research in the areas of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). These leaders are also uniting with the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine to enhance education and share research, information, and best practices with each other in order to better serve veterans and their families.

The First Lady will deliver remarks at Virginia Commonwealth University – a national leader in TBI research and a strong partner with the local VA hospital.

Prior to this announcement, the First Lady will tour the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center’s Polytrauma Unit to visit wounded warriors and veterans receiving in-patient treatment, along with residents and attending physicians who have completed their Traumatic Brain Injury - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency training program at Virginia Commonwealth University. This visit will be closed press.

Charlottesville, Virginia * 5:15 PM - Mrs. Obama will deliver remarks at a Democratic National Committee reception in Charlottesville.

Friday, January 13, 2012
Alexandria, Virginia * Morning – First Lady Michelle Obama will join the cast of Nickelodeon’s iCarly at a special screening of “iMeet The First Lady,” a new episode featuring Mrs. Obama that honors America’s military children. The show’s lead character, Carly Shay (played by Miranda Cosgrove), is the daughter of an Air Force Colonel currently serving overseas in the military. In “iMeet the First Lady,” Mrs. Obama talks with Carly about her service to America as a member of a military family and thanks her friends for supporting her during her father’s deployment. The episode airs on Nickelodeon on Monday, January 16th.

The iCarly cast will host special screenings of “iMeet the First Lady” at military bases across the country starting on January 9th to give military kids the first chance to see the new episode. The cast will visit Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California; Naval Submarine Base, New London, Groton, Connecticut and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Wrightstown, New Jersey. As the final event of the tour, Miranda Cosgrove and the iCarly cast will be joined by Mrs. Obama at Hayfield Secondary School, a school with a large number of military children. They will screen the episode, participate in iCarly’s “Random Dancing” and answer questions from the students.

Mrs. Obama will also appear in a Joining Forces PSA produced by Nickelodeon that will debut immediately following the airing of “iMeet the First Lady” on the 16th.

*Photo courtesy of Nickelodeon

School Lunch Makes Sam Kass Cry

The Senior Policy Advisor talks about judging an emotional episode of Food Network's "Chopped," airing this weekend...
Joining host Ted Allen to film the special Chopped episode titled "Class Acts" was a "profound" experience, Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass told Obama Foodorama. Kass served as a guest judge for the show, which starred four school cafeteria chefs in a culinary showdown that required them to use the kind of ingredients found in school kitchens across the US. Without spoiling the ending, it can be said that the tense competition made Kass very emotional: He cried onscreen...and not from sliced onions. "Class Acts" airs again on Saturday and Sunday on Food Network. (Above: Kass onscreen during the show)

Kass said the dueling chefs showed how truly difficult it is to serve kids healthy, delicious food under tight budget constraints, and hailed them as "wonderful contestants." First Lady Michelle Obama has made improving school foods a pillar of the Let's Move! campaign because more than 32 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program, and many get up to half their daily calories in school.

The chefs on Chopped represent "work being done all over the country," Kass said. And he wasn't the only one who cried during the filming.

"The producers were crying, the cameramen were crying, the host was crying, the chefs were crying," Kass said.

"You saw four people who work day in and day out tirelessly trying to do what's best for the kids that they're serving, in very difficult circumstances, be recognized for their work and be shown the respect that I think that they deserve. It was such a powerful moment for everybody involved."

Host Ted Allen agreed.

"Tonight--seriously--is one of the best Choppeds EVER," Allen tweeted in November, when "Class Acts" first aired.

The competing chefs are exemplary: All work in school cafeterias that rely on scratch cooking rather than pre-packaged, processed foods. Three chefs are from Connecticut: Cheryl Barbara, from High School in the Community in New Haven, runs a backpack program, and sends food home with kids on weekends. Rhonda Deloach, from the Common Ground magnet school in New Haven, sources fresh produce from a farm run on school grounds. Diane Houlihan is the assistant cook manager at Great Neck Elementary School in Waterford. The fourth chef, Arlene Leggio, is from Islip High School in Long Island, New York.

"It was an honor to part of an event with such wonderful contestants," Kass said. "I truly enjoyed it."

Two other guest judges joined Kass to decide the winner of the $10,000 prize: Chef Marc Murphy, who is a "big supporter" of Share Our Strength's "No Kid Hungry" campaign, and "fine dining specialist" and chef Amanda Freitag, who is a supporter of Edible Schoolyard NYC.

Kass is the mastermind behind the Let's Move! subcomponent Chefs Move To Schools, which marries professional chefs to schools to boost nutrition initiatives. At Mrs. Obama's behest, Kass and White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford and Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses have adopted Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Washington, DC, as their Chefs Move school. There are now more than 3,700 professionals signed on to Chefs Move, according to Kass. In his first interview of 2012, Kass gives an update on the progress of the Let's Move! campaign.

Showtimes: "Class Acts" airs on Food Network on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 12:00 AM/11:00 PM central and 9:00 PM/8:00 PM central, and on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3:00 PM/2:00 PM central.

Endia Eason Bakes 23 Pies For President Obama

President gets Sweet Potato Pie, his staff gets Peach and Cherry...
Turns out that Endia Eason of Cleveland, Ohio, didn't just give President Obama a Sweet Potato Pie when he visited her home on Wednesday with newly minted consumer watchdog Richard Cordray. Eason, 91, treated the President's entire Advance Team to her locally famous creations, baking 23 pies in total, including cherry and peach. Which perhaps qualifies her for some kind of Guinness World Record for Presidential Piemaking By A Citizen. (Above: Endia Eason sits beside the President during their meeting)

Eason used to run a home bakery, and President Obama praised her skills during his speech at Shaker Heights High School while announcing Cordray's controversial recess appointment as chief of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

"Ms. Eason makes a really good sweet potato pie," President Obama said. "I'm going to eat it later. I didn't want to eat it before because I didn't want to get sleepy having a big piece of pie before."

The President's entourage was grateful for the sweet treats, and Eason was thrilled, reported Cleveland.com.

"Those agents and staff people kept thanking me for the pies," Eason said. "I'm glad they enjoyed them."

The President visited with Eason at her home for twenty minutes before his speech, joined by Eason's husband William Eason, a Marine Corps veteran, Cordray, and Deonna Kirkpatrick, communications director for Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People, a housing non-profit that helped the Easons save their home, after they were misled by an unscrupulous mortgage broker and wound up $80,000 in debt.

Cordray's appointment will ostensibly help stop such criminal activity in the non-banking financial sector, according to the President. He is scheduled visit staff and deliver brief remarks at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today at 11:40 AM.

The elderly pie maven first became the face of the White House campaign for Cordray in early December of 2011, when she appeared in a CNN report about Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's efforts to get Cordray confirmed.

Related: The President's speech is here.

*Photo by Pete Souza/White House. In the photo at top, from l: William Eason, Cordray, the President, Endia Eason, and Kirkpatrick.

Today: President Hosts "Lunch With Barack"

UPDATE: The lunch was for the "Dinner with Barack" fundraising contest. Read about it here.
*See note at bottom of post
President Obama's first lunchtime restaurant outing of 2012 is in service to his re-election effort. At 12:15 PM today, "the President will have lunch at a local restaurant with winners of a campaign contest," the White House announced. The eatery has not yet been identified, but the luncheon will be in Washington, DC.. The White House didn't announce President Obama's last lunch outing with the winners of an OFA contest, when he dined with volunteers at DC's Ted's Bulletin restaurant last August (above).

Nor was that luncheon listed on the President's daily schedule. Today's outing is. Mr. Obama chowed down on a cheeseburger and fries at Ted's, in keeping with being the most beef loving President in modern history.

The President's most recent campaign dining contest, "Dinner with Barack and Michelle," ended on Dec. 31. The names of the three winners have not yet been announced.

Before today's lunch, the President "will visit staff and deliver brief remarks at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau" at 11:40 AM. He announced his recess appointment for CFPB chief Richard Cordray on Wednesday.

*Note, 5:50 PM: Before today, "Lunch with Barack" was never part of the Campaign's dinner contest lingo, though many large media outlets, including ABC, have reported it as such.

"President Obama lunched in Washington today with four grassroots supporters and winners of his re-election campaign’s “Lunch with Barack” fundraising sweepstakes," ABC reported.

OFA released this behind-the-scenes video of the campaign lunch at Ted's Bulletin:

President Obama, Richard Cordray Meet With The Best Piemaker In Cleveland, Ohio

Before announcing Cordray's recess appointment, President gets gift of Sweet Potato Pie from locally famous pie maven Endia Eason...
President Obama's favorite dessert is pie, and early Wednesday afternoon he got a sweet gift as he met with 91-year-old Endia Eason of Cleveland, Ohio, who is famous among her neighbors as an accomplished crustmaster. Before he announced the controversial recess appointment of Richard Cordray as chief of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the President and his newly minted consumer watchdog had a twenty-minute meet n' greet with Mrs. Eason at her home. William Eason, a Marine Corps veteran, was also on hand for the dinner table confab, and they discussed how the couple went into debt and almost lost their home due to what the President described as the "trickery and abuse" of an unscrupulous mortgage broker. (Above: The President and Mrs. Eason share a laugh)

"Ms. Eason makes a really good sweet potato pie. She gave me one," President Obama told his audience of more than 1,200 at Shaker Heights High School after the meeting, as he formally announced Cordray's appointment. "I’m going to eat it later, after."

"I didn't want to eat it before because I didn't want to get sleepy having a big piece of pie right before."

In prepared remarks released by the White House, the President was due to say that Mrs. Eason is "known for making some of the best pies in Cleveland," but during his speech he exchanged this compliment for the more personal anecdote about the gift of pie. The President adores Sweet Potato Pie, according to First Lady Obama.

The elderly pie maven first became the face of the White House campaign for Cordray in early December of 2011, when she appeared in a CNN report about Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's efforts to get Cordray confirmed. Mrs. Eason told CNN she'd like to bake Geithner a pie--or cook him dinner. (Above: Mr. Eason speaks as Cordray, the President, Mrs. Eason, and Deonna Kirkpatrick of housing non-profit Empowering & Strengthening Ohio’s People listen)

“My pies are the best pies in town – they’ve been saying that for years,” Eason said. “I make apple, sweet potato, peach and cherry.”

"We’re so glad that we've got somebody like Rich Cordray..."
At the Eason dinner table, the President blasted the unscrupulous mortgage broker who left the Easons $80,000 in debt after attaching fees to a home loan refinance that was supposed to get their house repaired.

"It's a good example of the kinds of trickery and abuse in the non-bank financial sector that we’re going to have to do something about," President Obama said.

"And we’re so glad that we've got somebody like Rich Cordray who’s willing to take this on and make sure that families like the Easons, who've done the right thing, who've been responsible, who've served their country, that they’re not taken advantage of and they’re able to live in security and dignity in their golden years."

The President also told the reporters packed into the small dining room that the Easons have been married for 42 years, and hailed Mr. Eason's service during the Korean War.

"He’s not mentioning he also used to be a boxer, so if you guys break anything in here you could be in trouble," the President joked.

A crowd of fans awaited President Obama outside the Easons' snow-covered home as he departed to make his speech At SHaker Heights High at 12:50.

Cordray starts work immediately...
Cordray, former Attorney General of Ohio, will ostensibly have the non-banking financial sector on a tight leash as part of his role as what the White House bills as "America's Consumer Watchdog." Work will start immediately, Cordray told reporters before the President's speech.

"We're gonna begin working to expand our program to non-banks, which is an area we haven't been able to touch up until now," Cordray said.

Press Secretary Jay Carney today called Cordray's recess appointment "a no brainer." It is part of the President's "We Can't Wait" campaign, in which he uses Executive Power to accomplish his mission without waiting for a Congress. In his final weekly address of 2011, President Obama vowed to move ahead without Congress whenever he feels it is necessary.

GOP leaders early Wednesday morning were already blasting the Cordray appointment, and have suggested they'll file a lawsuit to block it, among other actions.

Above, the President holds a baby as he greets supporters outside the Cordray home.

*Second and last photo by Pete Souza/White House; others by AP/pool