Barack Obama’s chef Tavari Campbell drowned in a boating accident near the former president’s ‘grieving’ Martha’s $12 million home

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Tafari Campbell, 43, worked at the White House while Obama was president. The Campbell — who was married with twins — ran into difficulties Sunday night, and the chef was recovered Monday in a pond behind the Obama home on Martha’s Vineyard.

A former White House chef for Barack and Michelle has been identified as the man who was found dead after a paddle boarding accident at the Obamas’ home on Martha’s Vineyard.

Divers recovered the body of Tavari Campbell on Monday after it went missing in the pool that supports Barack Obama’s sprawling $12 million estate.

The 43-year-old disappeared Sunday night while out with another racket in Edgartown Great Pond, Massachusetts, and emergency crews have been dispatched to the Obama residence.

Michelle and Barack Obama said in a statement that Campbell — who wed and have twins aged 19 — was one of the top chefs in the White House kitchen: “Tafari was a beloved part of our family.

When we first met him, he was a talented White House chef—creative and passionate about food, and his ability to bring people together. In the years that followed, we got to know him as a very warm, interesting, and kind person who made our whole life that much brighter.

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

Tavari Campbell, 43 (pictured with wife Cherise) was found dead Monday by divers after going missing while boarding the pond that supports Barack Obama’s sprawling $12 million estate.

The Campbell family told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in 2009 that he had always shown an interest in cooking and would often bring up something when his extended family came to visit.

He graduated from a culinary school in Virginia, and briefly owned his own restaurant before applying for a job at the White House.

Eventually appointed chef de cuisine under the George W. Bush administration, he was one of only four White House chefs asked to stay on under Obama.

During the Obama presidency, Campbell was known for brewing honey beer in the White House, using honey from Michelle Obama’s South Lawn garden.

Historian Adrian Miller writes of Campbell in The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Feeded Our First Families, From Washington to Obama: I immediately thought of the African Americans who brewed beer for Washington and Jefferson, and it was a joy to see the historical arc play through the suds.

Campbell visited Martha’s Vineyard several times, and played golf on several occasions at the nearby Farm Neck Golf Club.

He was last on the island in 2021, though it’s unclear if he stayed at the Obama family property they bought in 2020.

The photos Campbell posts online about his life often feature his wife, Cherise, and his food choices.

In one post from 2017, Campbell and Cherise can be seen in the ocean in Aruba. He captioned that photo #stillcantswim.

After the news of Campbell’s untimely death on Monday, Cherise shared a photo of her husband on Instagram, saying she was “heartbroken.”

Following the news of Campbell’s untimely death, his wife, Cherise, shared this photo on Instagram stating that she was ‘heartbroken’ In addition to Cherise, Campbell left behind two 19-year-old boys, the Campbell family said he always loved to cook, and would pull something together whenever the big family got together. She showed him a photo he shared in 2017 of Cherise enjoying the waters of Arstuba with the hashtag #

Staff at Edgartown Meat and Fish Market also praised the chef, who they described as “a wonderful guy”.

“We saw him last week, he was such a nice, happy guy,” one employee told DailyMail.com. He didn’t seem to live here, but he would stay here a lot in summer and fall, and bought different things.

“He was so sweet and calm, it’s horrible to hear that this happened to him.”

The employee added that Campbell “has been coming here for a few years.”

‘When he walked in,’ said the clerk, he was talking to us about what he was cooking. “One of the things he always asks for is juice—orange juice and strawberry lemonade.”

Tafari and Cherise married in 1999. Photographed here on their wedding day at the Obama White House, he’s famous for brewing honey beer—using honey that Michelle Obama bought on her Southern garden, and the chef frequented the Edgartown Meat and Fish Market on Martha’s Vineyard. He is pictured here with his family

Witnesses told police on Sunday night that a man – later identified as Campbell – had plunged underwater and then reappeared briefly as he struggled to stay afloat, before diving again at around 7.46pm.

The witness – who has not been identified – was rowing on the Edgartown Great Pond with Campbell.

An interagency mass search was launched when a 911 call was made from the Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard home on Turkey Land Cove Road.

The search resumed on Monday morning for the esteemed chef who was last seen dressed in all black without a life jacket.

The paddle boarder and his hat were found Sunday – and his body was found around 10 a.m. in eight-foot-deep water roughly 100 feet offshore at 10 a.m. Monday.

The mailing address for the incident came from Martha’s home on the Obamas’ waterfront. It is unclear if the former president, 61, is currently staying at the property.

Campbell was last seen shortly before 8 p.m. going up on the water in the pond behind Barack Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard property before falling underwater. Search vehicles were seen on Turkeland Cove Road on Sunday night. An interagency search began last night at the Edgartown Great Pond, and emergency services rushed to the scene at Martha’s Vineyard last night. It is understood that the 911 call and dispatch address for the incident came from the Martha’s Vineyard home of the Obamas pictured: Edgartown Great Pond. The scene of a desperate search for Campbell was triggered after his surfboard went missing in the waters off Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday, a recovery mission just yards from former President Obama’s seven-bedroom home — a 6,892-square-foot mansion near the water (pictured)

Massachusetts State Police said: ‘Shortly before 10 a.m., the body of a missing blacksmith was recovered from the Edgartown Great Pond by Massachusetts State Police divers.

MSP Underwater Resuscitation Unit divers made a recovery after the victim’s body was found by Massachusetts Environmental Police officers who deployed a side-scanning sonar from a boat.

The US Coast Guard, Edgartown Fire, Air Wing, investigators and the Dukes County Police Department were all part of the rescue mission.

They were using divers and boats with side-scanning sonar to try and find the paddle board. Investigators were on site — as were USCG helicopter crews.

Environment police located the body using sonar from a boat, according to the state police.

A command post was established at Wilson’s Landing, which is located across a narrow bay from the Obama mansion.

Just after midday, the Edgartown Police Department confirmed that Wilson’s Landing had reopened. Edgartown Great Pond is 890 acres of water.

The man’s death is being investigated by state police, along with the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office and Edgartown Police.

A phone call from Sunday night read: “Rescue personnel at Edgartown Fire and Water, Turkiland Cove Rd. Of a 40-year-old man, likely drowning.

A view of the Obama home from Turkey Land Cove where Campbell served as Obama’s personal chef. The former president purchased the mansion, pictured here, in 2019. A helicopter, part of the search mission, was seen flying over the area Monday morning.

In a statement at 10pm last night, Edgartown Police said: “The Department of Environmental Protection is assisting several agencies in the search for an adult male missing from the rowing paddles on the Edgartown Great Pond.

“Please move away from this area and allow emergency responders to do their search.”

The rescue mission is just yards from former President Obama’s seven-bedroom home—a 6,892-square-foot mansion near the water.

He bought the Martha’s Vineyard home in 2019 for $11.75 million.

Previously, the huge estate was owned by Boston Celtics owner Wycliffe Grosbeck.

Outdoors, the land comes with its own private beach and boathouse. Their home sits on the edge of Edgartown Great Pond, with views of the Atlantic Ocean. The former first family is no stranger to the island—having spent seven summers there while Barack was president

The massive building has a pool, outdoor fire pit, and vaulted ceilings.

There are also two wings extending from the main house which are ideal for hosting guests.

Outdoors, the land comes with its own private beach and marina.

Their home sits on the edge of the Edgartown Great Pond, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

The former First Family is no stranger to the island—they spent seven summers there when Barack was president.

Obama is also an avid kayaker – he has been photographed practicing the sport over the years on vacations in Hawaii.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Obama Foundation for comment.

The Secret Service has not commented.

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