Executive Chef

Chef Josh Butler was hired during the final two months of the Chiles' administration. One interesting fact that Chef Josh shared with us was that while researching his Irish heritage he discovered that his surname, "Butler", means "trusted steward". But after three administrations of his service, that fact was no surprise to us. He has lived true to his name, and proven to not only be a remarkable chef, but also a trusted steward to our first families. Primarily self-taught, Josh has proven that some abilities are innate. He has prepared thousands of meals from private family celebrations at Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Inaugurations to large-scale receptions and festivals with world leaders present, including the Hispanic Heritage Month festivities with President Jose Aznar of Spain in September 2003. The creative freedom of the job, among many things, is particularly rewarding to Chef Josh: "What I do is very personal, keeping the governor healthy and happy so that he can meet the demands of his job. It is very rewarding to me personally to do this."

At one time in the mansion history, there were two chefs who prepared two to three meals a day, six to seven days a week. Chef Josh is responsible for preparing dinner each week night when the governor is home, plus all special dinners and receptions. During the past year, he prepared food for over 50 official functions for over 5,000 invited guests.