Body of Obamas’ personal chef recovered from lake

WASHINGTON: A missing paddle boarder whose body was recovered from a lake in the Massachusetts resort community of Martha’s Vineyard was the personal chef to former President Barack Obama, authorities said.

Tafari Campbell, 45, was the subject of a two-day search after a paddle boarder was seen struggling and going under the water in Edgartown Great Pond near a home owned by the Obamas on Sunday night.

He had been a sous chef at the White House, and came to work for the family after Obama completed his second term in 2016, the former President and his wife, Michelle Obama, said in a statement on Monday.

“Tafari was a beloved part of our family,” the Obamas said in a joint statement.

“He was … creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together. In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter.”

Divers began searching for Campbell on Sunday, after receiving a call that a male paddle boarder had gone into the water and then appeared to struggle before going under, police said. He did not resurface.