Dinner is Served

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a State Dinner

Gerald Ford and guests sitting at dinner table (White House Photographic Office/Ricardo Thomas)

President Gerald Ford and Luxembourg Prime Minister Gaston Thorn enjoy a working dinner with several officials during Gaston’s state visit at the White House November 12, 1975. (White House Photographic Office/Ricardo Thomas)

President Gerald Ford and Luxembourg Prime Minister Gaston Thorn enjoy a working dinner with several officials during Gaston’s state visit at the White House November 12, 1975. (White House Photographic Office/Ricardo Thomas)

Halibut with sesame crust and carrot juice broth

Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton applauding Nelson Mandela (William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum)

President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton greet Nelson Mandela during a state dinner in his honor in 1994. (William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum)

President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton greet Nelson Mandela during a state dinner in his honor in 1994. (William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum)

Nicely done! President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton served this meal to Nelson Mandela, the newly elected and first Black president of South Africa. (Halibut is a popular dish in South Africa.) “As we break bread together …  we are reminded of that which binds us, particularly the pursuit of freedom, justice and equality,” Mandela said at the dinner.

(William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum)

(William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum)

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