Search and rescue teams scoured the rugged mountains above the Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico on Thursday for any sign of a missing former White House chef who was last seen setting off for a hike in the area over the weekend.

Walter Scheib, 61, embarked alone on Saturday on the Yerba Canyon Trail, which a spokesman for Taos Search and Rescue said reaches altitudes above 12,000 ft (3,658 meters). Scheib’s vehicle was found parked at the trailhead, said the spokesman, Dave Griffith.

“From Saturday until today, he could have covered a lot of ground,” Griffith said, adding that a helicopter crew and multiple teams on the ground were looking for the missing hiker.

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Brian Williams, coordinator for New Mexico State Police Search and Rescue, said Scheib’s girlfriend reported him missing Tuesday night and the search was launched early on Wednesday.

Williams said Scheib lives locally and was in good health. He said no clues had been found so far.

According to Scheib’s professional website, www.theamericanchef.com, he served as White House executive chef under President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush from 1994 until 2005.

He was initially hired by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, who the site says was “impressed by the comprehensive spa menu Scheib had developed for the Greenbrier resort, as well as his highlighting of American cuisine.”

He is listed as co-author of “White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen,” published in 2007.—Reuters

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