Dan Tang, owner chef at Heaven Dragon in Thornton, got plenty of press and TV time when President George W. Bush was in town July 21. Yes, this column gave him some shout outs, too. Tang claimed that he was asked by someone on the president’s staff to make Peking duck for the prez to eat on Air Force One after a luncheon for congressional hopeful Rick O’Donnell. Tang has claimed that he cooked twice before for the prez. And got plenty of press those times too.
Only one problem. Local Republican heavyweights with strong White House ties say Bush has likely never eaten Tang’s food. The Peking Duck, sesame chicken and crispy shrimp were delivered by O’Donnell’s campaign manager K.C. Jones to people at Buckley Air Force base, where Air Force One rested. What happened to it after that is unclear. I heard it was eaten by members of the motorcade.
“It went to the airplane,” now says Tang. “I don’t know who ate it.”
One former White House staffer told me that any food cooked for the president or anyone in the White House Press Corps or staff while on the road is totally vetted – with background checks conducted at the catering service or restaurant.
“Think about it,” said another former White House staffer and bigwig Colorado Republican. “The president is not going to eat food that someone brings to him. It simply wouldn’t happen.”
