Andre Rush (born September 7, 1974)[1] is an American celebrity chef and military veteran. He worked in the White House as a Chef for four administrations. Rush, a retired Master Sergeant of the U.S. Army, gained attention for his large biceps and muscular physique.[2][3]
Andre Rush | |
|---|---|
_Cropped.jpg) Rush speaking at the Washington Redskins 58th annual Welcome Home Luncheon in 2019 | |
| Born | Andre Rush September 7, 1974 Columbus, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Education | Trident University International Central Texas College |
| Occupation | Celebrity chef |
| Known for | Chef in the United States Military Member of the United States Culinary Arts Team |
| Website | chefrush |
Biography
editEarly life and education
edit
Rush grew up in Columbus, Mississippi.[4][5] He played football in the position of running back at Lee High School in Columbus.[4] He holds a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Trident University International and an associate degree in Hotel Restaurant Management from Central Texas College.[6]
Culinary career
editRush enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1993. He has been deployed overseas several times, and served as a trainer in hand-to-hand combat and food service. In 1997, Rush began to work as a chef at the White House. He has served the presidential administrations of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.[7][8] He worked at the White House part-time while simultaneously working at The Pentagon.[9] He was in the gym of the Pentagon when it was hit during the September 11, 2001 attacks, and chose to volunteer for combat duties afterwards.[4] Rush was a member of the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Team.[3]
In June 2018, Rush received fame when he was photographed by CNN reporter Kate Bennett and Wall Street Journal reporter Vivian Salama preparing a Ramadan meal for a White House dinner.[5] The photo of him cooking on the White House lawn during the annual White House Iftar dinner circulated on Twitter, and subsequently went viral.[10][5] Later that year, he signed a deal to produce a television show entitled Chef in the City.[11] He has since left his job as a White House chef.[12]
In 2020, Rush attended the opening of a Salvation Army in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, whereupon they gave him a celebration of service award.[12]
In 2023, Rush starred in Kitchen Commando, a show about helping struggling restaurants in the DMV Area. It was produced by Gordon Ramsay and premiered on Tubi.[13] In 2024, he was featured in Culinary Class Wars, a South Korean cooking challenge show broadcast by Netflix. In his episode, he participated in a restaurant challenge amongst mukbang YouTubers.[14]
Fitness
editRush is known for his physique and large 24 inch arms that gave him notoriety on social media.[3] As a high school senior he reportedly could bench press 350 pounds (160 kg) while weighing just 150 pounds (68 kg).[5] In 2010, he was reported to be able to bench press 605 pounds (274 kg).[15] Rush states he does 2,222 pushups daily as part of the 22 pushup challenge, with the goal to raise awareness for the roughly 22 veterans who die by suicide every day.[16][17]
In 2021, Men's Health published an article featuring Rush's daily routine, which included him eating eight meals a day and up to 10,000 calories.[18] Some of his claims were received with skepticism by the professional bodybuilding community.[19]
Personal life
editRush's older brother, Ricky, died of lung cancer in 2016. Rush has been outspoken about the necessity of cancer screening.[20]
In addition to cooking, Rush's other pursuits include ice carving, motivational speaking and life coaching.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Post from Chef Rush". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
- ^ Panetta, Grace (2018-06-07). "The internet is going nuts over this insanely buff White House chef who could be a bodybuilder". Business Insider France (in French). Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ a b c d Goncalves, Delia; Hash, James; Sindass, Loriston; Martin Ewing, Samara (November 13, 2018). "This is the Buff White House Chef. He uses cooking to save soldiers' lives". WCNC. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ a b c Plair, Zack (November 11, 2018). "Muscle-bound chef has served 4 presidential administrations". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Watkins, Billy (December 6, 2018). "This Mississippi-born chef stayed true to himself. Now he cooks for President Trump". The Clarion Ledger. Archived from the original on 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ "About Chef Andre Rush". chefrush.com. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ Dickerson, Karma (September 3, 2019). "Former White House Chef Visits Saint John's in Sacramento". Fox 40. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Minutaglio, Rose (2018-07-19). "Meet the Jacked White House Chef With 24-Inch Biceps". Men's Health. Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ "Bringing 'guns' to the White House: Muscle-bound Columbus native and chef has served four presidential administrations". The Commercial Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ Feldberg, Sarah (June 17, 2019). "Meet Andre Rush, the White House Chef with the Viral Biceps". Yahoo News. Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ "White House Chef and Combat Veteran Andre Rush Has Signed a Deal to Produce 'Chef in the City'". US Veterans and Military Magazine. 2018-10-02. Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ a b "Salvation Army of Harrisburg celebrates worship center". WHTM-TV. Nexstar Media Group. August 7, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ^ Sidman, Jessica (13 February 2023). "Former White House Chef Andre Rush Saves DC Restaurants in Kitchen Commando". Washingtonian. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ Azeem, Mantasha (4 October 2024). "From Heebab to Andre Rush: Mukbang content creators that appeared as customers on Culinary Class Wars 'Restaurant Mission'". Sportskeeda.
- ^ Wiggins, F.M. (March 9, 2010). "This Chef is All meat". The Progress-Index. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ "Meet the White House chef who does 2,222 pushups a day". WUSA9. November 12, 2018. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ "White House chef Andre Rush flexes his viral biceps for veterans this Fourth of July". Good Morning America. ABC News Internet Ventures. July 4, 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ Ocampo, Joshua (18 March 2021). "'Jacked Chef' Andre Rush Eats Up to 10,000 Calories a Day". Men's Health. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ Odrljin, Goran (24 March 2021). "White House Chef Rush Eats Up To 10.000 Calories Per Day!". Fitness Volt. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Iconic Supermodel Veronica Webb and Celebrity Chef Andre Rush Urge Those at Risk to Get Screened for Lung Cancer (Sponsored by Merck)". Ebony. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.