Specialty beef from Oregon is entree as Obamas fete the Mexican president and entourage

When the White House prepares a meal for the president of Mexico it does not include pork and beans from a can. No, the menu is carefully considered and prepared. Meatingplace.com, a trade journal for the meat industry, takes particular interest in the beef that was served to Mexican President Felipe Calderon. The meal included Oregon wagyu beef "as the main course on a menu designed to showcase the best of American cuisine." Wagyu cattle were first is imported from Japan in 1976, according to the American Wagyu Association. (Read more, free registration required)

Chicago chef Rick Bayless, winner of the America's Top Chef award, prepared the meal for the dinner, the second full state dinner held by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Bayless told National Public Radio that he uses only locally grown produce and had to recreate his menu in Washington without the benefit of his usual supply. (Read more) The American Wagyu Association will be holding its 2010 national sale in Lexington, Ky., in October 2010.