Farida Dawkins is a blogger, video content creator and staff writer at Face2Face Africa. She enjoys writing about relatable and controversial lifestyle issues that pertain to women in Africa and the African diaspora.

45-year-old Andre Rush is a freelance White House chef who is adept at ice sculpting, cake decorating and building his muscles to a staggering 24-inch biceps. He’s been cooking for high-profile figures such as Obama since 1997.

Rush is a retired Army master sergeant who spent 24 years in the military. His stints include being a Senior Enlisted Aide and an advisor at the prestigious West Point Academy. In 1994, he became a cook and began honing his craft as a chef, master cake decorator, desert and ice sculptor.

He once made a 16-foot long cake replica of a Humvee, as reported by The Washingtonian. The artist has also worked with charcoal, acrylic paint, and watercolors but prefers culinary art.

Another pastime Rush is known for engaging in is bodybuilding. He went viral in June when White House passersby noticed his enormous arms.

Rush credits his build to his commitment to doing “2,222 pushups every weekday as a part of the #22PushupChallenge to raise awareness of the estimated 22 military veterans who die from suicide every day. He does up to 200 push-ups at a time, with a three to 10-minute break in between each set”, as documented by Men’s Health.

Rush also “hits the gym almost every day for an hour or two and abides by a “72-hour” rule, meaning he works out a certain body part every three days.”

Adhering to a workout regimen has helped him to cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), “cooking was very therapeutic with me,” “It was kind of my coping skill,” Rush confirmed.

His food intake on a regular basis? “On a typical day, he starts his morning off with 12 to 24 hard-boiled eggs (two are whole eggs, the rest are egg whites), a peanut butter shake (with protein powder, blended quinoa, and nonfat milk), greek yogurt, oatmeal, and lean turkey. He brings turkey in Ziploc bags to snack on in the gym. In the afternoon, he devours four whole roasted chickens.”

Apart from that, Rush keeps himself occupied by advocating for Wounded Warriors and other veteran-based causes.

He is also producing a cookbook named Combat Food Medic that’s geared towards helping veterans dealing with PTSD.

Not only is Rush super talented, but he also has the paperwork to match. He has earned degrees in business administration and culinary arts according to Business Insider.

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