Duff Goldman Said Madeleine Albright 'Liked His Baking' In Sweet Tribute
Madeleine Albright, the Czech-born American diplomat who became the first woman to serve as the United States Secretary of State, died on Wednesday at 84 after a battle with cancer (via New York Times). Before serving under former President Bill Clinton, Albright and her family fled their home country for Britain in the late 1930s to escape Nazi persecution. It wasn't until later in life that Albright learned that her parents had converted from Judaism to Roman Catholicism to avoid becoming victims of the Holocaust (via Washington Post).
Albright followed in her Czech diplomat father's footsteps by flexing her knowledge of public affairs in her first husband's family-owned newspaper before serving as a counselor to President Jimmy Carter, lending her expertise as a foreign policy adviser for a handful of presidential candidates, and working her way up the ranks to fill the groundbreaking role of Secretary of State (via New York Times).
Albright's death has been met with countless condolences from public figures, including celebrity pastry chef and Food Network personality Duff Goldman. The celebrity baker shared a memory of her in a tweet.
They met several times in D.C.
In response to a Reuters announcement on Twitter that touted the diplomat as a "pop culture feminist icon" upon the news of her death, Duff Goldman wrote, "Aw man. I had the pleasure of meeting Madeleine Albright three times while I was living in D.C. She liked my baking. What a bright star we just lost." The Charm City Cakes baker's message was simple but touching.
While Albright never made an appearance on Goldman's former Food Network show "Ace of Cakes," it appears she was a fan of the baker based on his tweet. Perhaps she was a regular at Todd English's former D.C. restaurant Olives, where Goldman worked as a bread baker (via Food Network). In a 2020 episode of the Aspen Institute podcast "The Bridge," Albright also revealed that she used to organize bake sales as a child — a small, sweet detail hidden among the former secretary of state's extraordinary accomplishments. As more people honor her life and legacy, it's sweet to see Goldman share his memory of the icon.