JFK's French chef dies at 86

FRENCH chef René Verdon, who was J.F. Kennedy’s personal chef at the White House, has died. He was 86.

Mr Verdon was hired by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961 to scotch the rumour that the president liked food that you didn’t need teeth to eat.

Born in the Vendée, his gastronomic flair, learned in kitchens in Nantes, Paris and Deauville before the Second World War, is credited with giving a new sophistication to American tastebuds and a new appreciation for French cuisine.