White House unveils Kenya state dinner menu, taps Brad Paisley, Howard Gospel Choir to perform

The Kenya state dinner at the White House will feature performances from country music star Brad Paisley and the Howard Gospel Choir, along with a menu aimed at “welcoming the beginning of summer.”

The Thursday night soiree honoring Kenyan President William Ruto and first lady Rachel Ruto will “mark the 60th anniversary of the United States’s partnership with Kenya,” first lady Jill Biden said during a media preview Wednesday.

“The World” singer Paisley and Howard University’s gospel choir will honor the Rutos’ “love of gospel and country music,” Biden said.

The sixth state dinner of the Biden administration — held just weeks after President Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for the formal fete last month — will include “an elegant dinner under the stars in a pavilion made almost entirely of glass, looking up at our one sky.”

“As guests leave their path illuminated by our one moon, I hope they will be filled with the same warmth that I felt on my visits to Kenya — that of a friendship that will endure, helping create a shining and prosperous tomorrow,” the first lady said. 

Guests will dine on a summertime-style meal: chilled tomato soup, a lobster poached in butter, and marinated short ribs with kale and roasted corn. Dessert will include homemade white chocolate baskets decorated with the Kenyan and American flags, filled with nectarine paste and banana ganache and topped with fresh raspberries and peaches.

Here’s the full Kenya state dinner menu from the White House:

First Course
Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup
Sourdough Crisps
Arbequina Olive Oil

Main Course  
Fruitwood-smoked Beef Short Ribs
Butter-poached Lobster
Citrus Butter
Baby Kale, Sweet Corn Purée

Dessert 
White Chocolate Basket
Banana Ganache
Raspberries, Peaches, Candied Lime Zest

Wine 
Hartford Court Chardonnay “Four Hearts Vineyard” 2021
St. Innocent Pinot Noir “Shea Vineyard” 2019
Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut 2020

—Updated at 6:12 p.m.