In 1966 The White House put out an open call for a Chef. Haller (indifferent to the excitement surrounding this) actually told his wife, ‘Well, if they want me, they can call me.” He actually did receive a call from Lady Bird Johnson, the nation’s First Lady at the time. And he did get excited when he was invited to tour the White House and its kitchens. On January 20 1966, Haller officially became the Executive Chef of the White House. He served under five presidents in a period spanning twenty-two years.
At ten, Nina Egli decided she was going to become an actress, and then forgot about it. In the meantime she had circus aspirations—as a tightrope walker. She studied dance, developed her gift for painting… At twenty, she was randomly asked to be in a movie—playing a fire eating trapeze artist. Somehow all her forgotten childhood ambitions were fulfilled in one fell swoop. From the experience, she recouped the acting bug, discovered she was terrified of heights and moved to New York to pursue a thespian life…