Matthew Wendel is the author of the cookbook and memoir Recipes from the President’s Ranch: Food People Like to Eat. He describes himself as a man whose story is rooted in humble beginnings, hard work, perseverance, and a desire to fulfill his call to duty. From working as an investigator with the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and the Texas Attorney General’s Office, he made the leap to the White House, the US Department of State, and currently Blair House, the President’s Guest House. Matthew has entertained and cooked for the first family during the George W. Bush administration, for world leaders at Camp David and the Bush family’s Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas, and on staff for the US ambassador to the Czech Republic. He loves to prepare food people like to eat, and all his life he has enjoyed serving his homestyle Texas recipes to his friends and family.