LAUNCH OF KATHY WHITE HOUSE BOOK PRESENTED BY KATIE HANNON AT THE 2023 LISTOWEL FOOD FAIR

Were she alive today, the odds are that Kathy Buckley would be as well-known as celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson” – Sharon Ní Chonchúir.

A new book called ‘Kathy White House –Her Culinary Odyssey’ by Kerry historian Vincent Carmody has been launched at the 2023 Listowel Food Fair by RTE Presenter and Kerry Person of the Year Katie Hannon at St. John’s Theatre, Listowel. ‘Kathy White House –Her Culinary Odyssey’ documents the life of Listowel woman Kathy Buckley who was Head Cook for three past American presidents.

Kathy Buckley was born in Upper William Street in Listowel, Co. Kerry. She was the eldest of seven. Her father worked as a cooper in a workshop at the rear of their house, and her mother came from a long-established family of grocers and shoemakers. When Kathy was in her early teens she left school to take a job in the kitchen of the Butler Arms Hotel in Waterville. She showed a talent for cooking, and eventually that flair would take her all the way to the White House. Kathy was appointed Head Cook for the duration of the term of office of President Calvin Coolidge (1923 – 1929) and for the presidential terms of both Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

She would look back upon this time with fondness when she eventually retired to Listowel in the early 1950s.By that stage, she had earned the nickname “Kathy White House” in the town and she often regaled her family and friends with tales of her time among the powerful and famous. She brought mementos of her time in the White House back with her to Listowel when she retired. They remain there to this day. Kathy broke her hip in 1969 and spent some time in a nursing home in Listowel before she died.

Vincent Carmody has included recipe books and menu cards that Kathy collected on her travels. There are also letters Kathy received from Herbert Hoover’s wife Lou Henry, as well as the key that President Coolidge received when he was given the freedom of Fort Worth in Texas. He gave this to Kathy as a gift when he returned from that city.

Speaking about the special presentation Listowel Food Fair Chairman, Former Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Jimmy Deenihan said:

‘At today’s launch of ‘Kathy White House – Her Culinary Odyssey’ here at St. John’s Theatre, Listowel it was appropriate that historian Vincent Carmody should launch this very important and historical book at the 2023 Listowel Food Fair, where literature and food rhyme. This is a beautifully written and presented book and I would like to congratulate Vincent Carmody on his extensive research and publication of ‘Kathy White House – Her Culinary Odyssey’.

The 2023 Listowel Food Fair runs from Thursday 9th – Monday 13th November 2023.
Information on the 2023 Listowel Food Fair is available at www.listowelfoodfair.ie.
Tickets can be purchased at www.eventbrite.ie

The 2023 Listowel Food Fair is supported by Kerry Group, Bord Bia, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Teagasc, Fáilte Ireland, Tipperary Crystal, Kerry County Council, Kerry Local Enterprise Office, Garvey’s Supervalu, Sure Alarms and Eno Wines.