Dinner is Served

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a State Dinner

Robert Hawke, George H.W. Bush, Oprah Winfrey standing (George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum)

President George H.W. Bush and Oprah Winfrey with Prime Minister Robert Hawke of Australia at a state dinner June 27, 1989. (George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum)

President George H.W. Bush and Oprah Winfrey with Prime Minister Robert Hawke of Australia at a state dinner June 27, 1989. (George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum)

Oprah Winfrey, media mogul

Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones arriving at event (© Mark Reinstein/Corbis/Getty Images)

Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones arrive at the White House for a state dinner for Japanese Emperor Akihito June 13, 1994. (© Mark Reinstein/Corbis/Getty Images)

Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones arrive at the White House for a state dinner for Japanese Emperor Akihito June 13, 1994. (© Mark Reinstein/Corbis/Getty Images)

Great choice! Winfrey is a media megastar and accessible, too. If you don’t know which fork to use for what course, she will be able to relate. At her first state dinner — when President George H.W. Bush fêted Australian Prime Minister Robert Hawke in 1989 — Winfrey says she found that the table “was covered in so much flatware that I can still remember thinking, ‘Which fork do I use?’” The two of you can talk it over.

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