For three years, Evans George spent long days and late nights preparing banquet dinners, soups and other meals for presidents, the First Family, diplomats and visiting dignitaries.
“It was a fixed-term contract. I was attached to the sauce station—the section of the kitchen responsible for hot sauces, gravies and sautéed dishes—and reported to the Executive Chef, who approved every menu served at the president’s table,” George says.
Before joining the State House kitchen, George worked at Muthaiga Country Club. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, he was among thousands of hospitality workers who lost their jobs.
“The hospitality industry was badly hit during Covid-19. Our jobs became very unstable, and many of us had to leave. That’s when I learnt about the State House opportunity, applied and got hired,” he says.
Cooking for presidents who dislike spices
George says the State House kitchen employs numerous chefs, each assigned to a specialised section, including sauces, starches, soups and starters. They all report to the Executive Chef, who in turn reports to the Director of State House Hospitality.
He says maintaining the highest standards of hygiene, consistency, timing and perfection are non-negotiable.
“We have to be top-notch all the time. Those are the non-negotiables.”
George’s day often began at 4am with planning meetings involving the entire kitchen team. Chefs from each section presented their proposed menus before submitting them to the Executive Chef for approval. Once reviewed, the final menu was issued for preparation.
“The Director of State House Hospitality gave us the following day’s programme early enough for us to prepare and align,” he says.
“If breakfast had to be ready by 6am, we’d report by 4am. Once breakfast was served, some chefs remained on service while the rest immediately started preparing lunch.”
The pace rarely slowed, especially during official functions.
“The State House kitchen is always busy. There is always something happening. If we weren’t preparing meals for visiting dignitaries or VIPs, we’d be serving local guests invited by the president.”
Whenever larger functions were held, outside caterers handled the bulk of the guests, allowing the in-house chefs to concentrate on the presidential table.
What surprised George most was not the grandeur of cooking for heads of state, but their surprisingly simple tastes.
“I had worked at Muthaiga Country Club, where many fine diners appreciated artistic presentation and complex flavours. I assumed presidents would be the same. But to my surprise, some preferred food prepared in the simplest way possible, with no spices at all. It didn’t matter whether the spices were organic.”
For a chef trained to see food as a canvas, preparing plain dishes became a test of skill.
“As chefs, we love to experiment because cooking is an art. But for such presidents, you don’t. You follow the instructions exactly. Imagine preparing a meal with no heavy seasoning or elaborate flourishes—just natural cooking while ensuring the perfect balance. That’s not easy. It takes real skill because you’re not cooking for just anyone.
“If it’s beef, for example, they may want it roasted or simply boiled. That’s where your expertise comes in. How well can you roast or boil it? What temperature do you use to preserve the full flavour while ensuring the meat is tender?”
George says roasted lamb ribs were among the presidents’ favourite dishes.
“Roasted lamb ribs rarely missed from the president’s menu, together with ugali and kienyeji vegetables. Whenever there were no roasted lamb ribs, you could tell the president didn’t enjoy the meal as much, even if there were other meat options. If ribs weren’t available, we’d serve roasted lamb chops instead.”
State visits required an even broader culinary repertoire.
“If, for example, the Italian president was visiting, we’d include Italian dishes alongside Kenyan cuisine.”
George says he frequently worked alongside foreign chefs because visiting leaders often travelled with their own culinary teams.
“They’d come into our kitchen, and we’d prepare the meals together while providing locally available ingredients.”
An invisible layer of security
Cooking inside State House involved far more than culinary expertise.
“We weren’t allowed to use our phones while working. Everyone required security clearance. Security officers monitored every movement. They stood in the kitchen throughout the preparation process. They wore plain clothes and sharp suits. We used to call them the ‘Men in Black’.”
Security became even tighter once the food was ready.
According to George, after the buffet was set, a specialised food-safety team quietly collected samples of every dish before any food could be served.
“The protocol is even stricter during functions held outside State House. Nothing is served until the food has been cleared.”
Travelling with the president
Do Kenyan presidents travel with chefs?
“Yes. The Executive Chef selects the team that accompanies the presidency on foreign trips and approves all the food supplies needed. One item we never travelled without was several packets of maize flour.”
During his State House career, George travelled to Burundi, South Africa and China, among other destinations.
“I loved the China trip because I learnt so much. I was exposed to Chinese cuisine and picked up techniques that I still use today. We also learnt that the Chinese president’s favourite dish is seafood.”
Looking back, George says the greatest reward was not the prestige but the experience.
“For me, it will always be about the exposure and the experience I gained. It’s not every day that a chef gets the opportunity to serve the president, the First Family and other high-profile dignitaries almost every day.”
