Welcome to Elevate with Elsner. Join us for inspiring conversations with individuals who have transformed their lives and are making a difference through the work that they do. And now here's your host, Blake Elsner.

Welcome back to another episode of Elevate with Elsner. We're going to call this one the tradition of inaugural lunches. It's hard to say, right? It's hard to pay for it too. And as taxpayers, we might wanna look at it one more time or two, but that's all right. It's a great day for America. It's a great day to be alive. We're loving the process it brings, the tradition, the history, the mass at St. John's. and all that jazz that comes with it. But let's let's dive into into this a little bit more. So welcome to another Elevate with Ellsner episode. This is going to be a podcast where we dish out a little juicy tidbits of history, politics and culture. Today, we're taking a seat at the most exclusive table in America, the presidential inaugural luncheon. Get ready for a feast of facts, a sprinkle of satire, and a dollop of humor. So let's go about this historical background of this lunch. So inauguration lunches, right? Inaugural lunches. They've been a staple since 19, I'm sorry, 19, 1897. Can you imagine having, we've been paying these since 1897. Some of our greatest ancestors would have incredible investments if some of their tax dollars didn't go to these launches. But anyway, let's continue. So, let's everybody catch our breath for a second. All right. All right. No, it's been a staple, and what it does is it kind of slows down the day a bit, right? They're going, going, going, and half the time the lunches are behind, and so they sit down in the beautiful room, in the whirlwind of a beautiful inauguration festivities of a day, and those luncheons, they are a lot more than just meals, let me tell you. Let me tell you, they're a smorgasbord of symbolism, featuring dishes that nod to the president's roots or the nation's diverse culinary culture. So let's talk about the menu, right? What did they have on the menu, Mr. Trump? Well, this year's menu was culinary, I guess you would say, almost like Epcot. but they got to experience a little bit of everything. And we're going to start with the appetizer. And the appetizer was a Chesapeake crab cake, which is a tribute clearly to the Mid-Atlantic's finest crustaceans. Those are truly incredible. And so if they weren't full after that, because probably two-thirds of them have some type of weight loss medication, Zep Bound, I'm sure they get it for free, right? Big Pharma, that's part of that. So, yeah, so going to the main course, it looked to be an Angus ribeye steak. I'm not sure if they all get it medium well or not. We'll have to find out on that one. But it came out of Nebraska, so it's Nebraska beef, right? What's better than Nebraska beef besides Missouri beef? and it's gonna be paired with a California Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc. No, not Blanc. Take the Blanc out. There's no Blanc, okay? Because nothing says unity like meat and wine from the opposite coast. But anyway, so after they, uh, enjoy that main course, they're gonna enjoy dessert. Because who doesn't like a little dessert in the middle of the afternoon, right? Nothing says like get to work like a full stomach of a little Minnesota apple ice box. Minnesota ice box, what? Now we're in Minnesota, what about gooey butter cake?

Blake Elsner

Oh man.

So yeah. And of course, tipping the hat to the land of 10,000 lakes and apparently 10,000 apples. Okay. Well, we all know you gotta, you gotta, you can't just have wine, right? So you got other, other beverage pairings at that from New Mexico to Virginia, California and suing that all guests are both well fed and well lubricated. bipartisan effort, if you will. So the price tag, I mean, we can't not talk about the price tag, right? So hosting an event of this magnitude, right? Some of us have paid for weddings and seen the cost of that. And unfortunately, that's a drop in the bucket compared to this. So cost of about $200 million the entire inauguration, right? While figures they're not public, it's safe to say that the luncheon was a multi-million dollar affair. And that's a lot of dough for some fancy bread rolls. So here's a few quirky traditions we got to get through here, right? Did you know that legal seafood's New England clam chowder has been a staple at every presidential inauguration? I hate clam chowder. I don't, I don't think I want clam chowder, but I'm sure those clams were right next to pearls inside of oysters. So ever since the Reagan's in 1981 and talk about a shellfish Talk about a shellfish tradition. And a fundraising twist. Melania Trump was offered a dinner with her and the president for a cool $1 million. For that price, you'd hope some golden forks or at least unlimited breadsticks. So humorous hot take, the irony of it all, right? Isn't it fascinating? as the nation watches the peaceful transfer of power, a cornerstone of democracy inside dignitaries, debating whether crab cakes are better than the last time. It's politics served medium rare. So a final chuckle for you. So while the president takes off and takes the oath, guests take an oath of overeating, and a history has shown the real meat of the inauguration isn't in the speeches. It's on the luncheon plate. So to wrap this thing up from historical hors d'oeuvres to, you know, decadent desserts, inaugural luncheons offer a unique lens into our nation's traditions. served with a side of humor. So join us next time on Elevate with Elsner, where we get back to real life. And in the meantime, get out there and enjoy your sirloin from Texas Roadhouse, because at the end of the day, that's really all you need. One love.

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