Tafari Campbell’s drowning parallels tragic death of Clinton chef Walter Scheib

The tragic drowning death of former White House sous chef and the Obama family’s personal chef Tafari Campbell over the weekend is sadly similar to the premature demise of another White House kitchen veteran.

Campbell’s death comes just eight years after Walter Scheib, who served as the White House Executive Chef from 1994 to 2005, was found partially submerged in a ravine in the New Mexico mountains on June 21, 2015.

The 61-year-old Scheib was first reported missing by his girlfriend on June 14, one day after he failed to return from a hike near Taos Ski Valley.

Scheib died from drowning, an autopsy later revealed.

The Culinary Institute of America graduate was appointed White House Executive Chef in 1994, after then-First Lady Hillary Clinton was wowed by his pecan-crusted rack of lamb at a West Virginia resort, according to ABC.

Scheib eventually became known for refocusing the executive mansion’s menu on American cuisine and seasonal ingredients.

He remained in his position through President George W. Bush’s first term in office. In 2005, he left to become a food consultant and speaker.

In 2006, he co-authored the cookbook “White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen” and appeared on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.”

After his death in 2015, the Clintons praised Scheib’s “delicious and creative” meals, as well as how he “used his immense talents not only to represent the very best of American cuisine to visiting leaders, but to make a difference in people’s lives” through non-profit work, ABC said at the time.

Former First Lady Laura Bush added that Scheib was “an astounding talent.”

Like Scheib, Campbell, 45, a former White House sous chef, is believed to have drowned.

An unnamed witness saw him struggling in the water before submerging a final time while paddle boarding on Sunday evening.

The married father of two was later reported to have been wearing all black and did not have a life jacket. 

His body was found at 10 a.m. Monday following an extensive search by sniffer dogs and aerial investigators.

Campbell was a sous chef at the White House through part of Bush and all of Obama’s tenure.

The former First Family then poached him as their personal chef when they left the White House in 2017.

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

“When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House — 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.

“That’s why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.

“Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari — especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin — in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man.”

Campbell’s wife, Sherise, also shared a heartbroken tribute to her husband on Instagram early Tuesday.

“My heart is broken. My life and our family’s life is forever changed,” she wrote.

 “Please pray for me and our families as I deal with the loss of my husband.”

The Obama family was not home at the time of Campbell’s drowning, officials said.