Obama’s foodie cred, Susur’s American takeover, Anthony Sedlak’s new gig

• Obama-mania has spread to the Washington restaurant scene. The Philadelphia Inquirer talks to local gastronomes, who praise the foodie first couple’s restaurant picks. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

• Susur Lee has to stop taking the helm at new restaurants—it’s making it difficult for us to follow his career. Lee’s latest venture is Zentan, the new restaurant at Donovan House Hotel in Washington, D.C. Co-owner Jason Pomeranc calls Lee the “father of modern Asian cuisine.” [Washington Business Journal]

• Anthony Sedlak, celeb chef and host of the Food Network’s The Main, has converted to the west coast’s health-obsessed lifestyle. After years of living in London, he’s now 53 pounds lighter and celebrating a new Vancouver gig, plus the release of his cookbook. Proof that we can trust a skinny chef. [Vancouver Sun]

• Two Ontario farmers are taking the locavore movement beyond produce and livestock, making pasta from grain grown and milled in the Niagara area. The Drake Hotel and two of Toronto’s biggest farmer’s markets have taken notice. [Globe and Mail]

• Montreal chef Benoit Lenglet serves seal dishes and says he’s been getting death threats from angry European animal rights activists ever since Governor General Michaëlle Jean munched on raw seal heart. But don’t worry too much for him—business is up. [Canadian Press]