“You look around our country and you see that we have a lot of major challenges, the origin of which is food,” said Mr. Kass. ... “It’s not a big step to think about a) What am I doing? How is that affecting this problem? How am I helping?"

- Sam Kass, the assistant White House chef and food initiative coordinator, who is profiled in the New York Times today.

As Times writer Rachel Swarns notes, "proponents of sustainable farming and locally grown, organic foods are cheering Mr. Kass on," because of his involvement in planting an organic vegetable garden at the White House. The Times profile explores Kass' relationship to the Obamas, which dates back two years before Obama won the presidential election, and his potential role in shaping food policy.

I've always appreciated what Kass is doing at the White House, but I didn't realize that our paths had come so close in Chicago. According to the article, Kass, who's just 28, was an undergrad at the University of Chicago at the same time that both Dorothee and I were, and he then went on to cook at one of my favorite Chicago restaurants, Avec. Here's hoping the next time we cross paths will be on the South Lawn of the White House.

-Mark