Danny Villanueva, 87, a retired Navy senior chief petty officer who served five presidents at the White House and aboard the presidential yacht during his career as a military chef, died April 25 at Georgetown University Hospital.
His death, from a stroke, was confirmed by his daughter Beverly Villanueva Lee.
He was born Donato Castillo Villanueva on Dec. 12, 1925, into a farming family in Alaminos, Philippines. He joined the Navy just after World War II and was assigned to be a cook.
According to his daughter, he was serving in the Mediterranean when his ship received a visit from Dwight Eisenhower. Villanueva so impressed the president with his cooking that he was invited to work in the White House.
He also served in the White House staff mess during the administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. During the Nixon and Ford administrations, he was a chef aboard the presidential yacht Sequoia.
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