The Capital: Into the Blender

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When Rene Verdon quit in a Gallic huff last month as White House chef, Lady Bird Johnson had already lined up his successor: Henri Haller, 43, Swiss-born executive chef at New York City's Sheraton-East Hotel, better known to gourmets as the old Ambassador (and soon to be torn down for an office building). By last week Haller's security clearance was in, and the White House announced his appointment. He was immediately enmeshed in the big blender of bureaucracy. The White House handout changed his first name to plain old Henry, and Liz Carpenter, Lady Bird's press aide, ordered him not to talk to reporters.

But Liz and Henry had already made clear he would not have to fight the battle of Verdon. René quit because Mrs. Mary Kaltman, the new White House "food coordinator," insisted on budget-paring barbarities such as frozen vegetables. Though Haller's main job will be to cook for official dinners and luncheons, he is an accomplished cuisine czar in his own right and will also supervise Mrs. Kaltman's "central storage service," which supplies all three White House kitchens.

"Of course, there will be problems and conflicts," said Haller. "That's life. I can cook in any language." Even if he has to cook Pedernales-style once in a while, Haller will be closer to the cult of Escoffier than Verdon, who resigned in its cause. For poor René is now chowdering around the country demonstrating electric mixers and grinders.