Former President Barack Obama was recently in Chicago to work on plans for the in-progress Obama Presidential Center, including a stop at Peach’s in Bronzeville.
Peach’s owner Cliff Rome is partnering with Bon Appétit Management Company to run the Obama Presidential Center’s restaurant and café, as well as catering on the campus. According to a press release from The Obama Foundation, Bon Appétit and Rome’s Joy Companies will be working together as “BAMJoy” to “offer a mix of deep community roots with the experience of large-scale cultural institutions to meet the Center’s vision and practical needs.”
So, what does the former president himself like to eat? When he visited Peach’s, Obama ordered shrimp and grits, salmon croquette and peach cobbler to go, on Chef Rome’s recommendations. Rome has deep roots in Chicago – he grew up in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side and built his decades-long career in the city, starting as a dishwasher and working up to run Peach’s, which opened 10 years ago.
“With over 30 years in food service, he has earned worldwide recognition and is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of young chefs at home in Chicago and around the world,” said the press release.
Rome said it was important to open a restaurant on the South Side since it is “steeped in so much history and culture,” going back to the Great Migration, when Black Americans from the South moved to the North. At the presidential center, Rome hopes that visitors will have an amazing culinary experience when they visit.
“We’ll have the opportunity to create memories and experiences – that is truly what it’s about,” said Rome.
In addition to getting a taste of the culinary offerings at Peach’s, Obama also discussed plans for the presidential center, including various museum exhibits and a tour of the museum site. Overall, the Obama Presidential Center campus spans 19 acres in Chicago’s Jackson Park. It is expected to feature an athletic center with programs and event space, a fruit and vegetable garden, a world-class museum, an auditorium, a Chicago Public Library branch, and programming. It is scheduled to open next year.