Authorities say they have found the body of former White House chef Walter Scheib.
The 61-year-old was missing for about a week. Search and rescue teams found his body on a trail in the mountains near Taos on the fifth day of their search.
"The former White House Executive Chef had not been seen since June 13, when he is believed to have embarked on a hike near Taos Ski Valley. Authorities said he is not known to informed anyone of his plans and was not believed to have been prepared for more than a day outdoors.
"Scheib's Subaru was found at the Yerba Canyon trail head off N.M. 150 Tuesday evening. A search-and-rescue mission was launched Wednesday focusing on the steep, four-mile trail as well as a network of parallel paths that lead up to Lobo Peak.
"Each day of the five-day effort involved dozens of volunteers, including some on horseback and others with dogs. A state police helicopter also undertook a search from the air but its flight crew found the forest below too thick to see the trail."
Scheib was hired as executive chef under President Bill Clinton. President George W. Bush kept him on.
"'For 11 years, I had the challenge and honor of doing daily what most chefs might be lucky to do once, serving the First Family of the United States,' the chef wrote on his website. 'From planning State Dinners that paid tribute to world leaders such as Nelson Mandela to creating a repertoire of First Lady Lunches to orchestrating barbecues for thousands of guests on the South Lawn, I was thrilled to help shape White House cuisine and events for more than a decade.'
"After leaving the White House, Schieb worked as a food consultant and speaker. He also appeared on the TV show 'Iron Chef America' as a contestant, and penned a memoir entitled 'White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen.'"
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
