WASHINGTON -- One may assume the big-money donors at Republican fund raisers chow down on steak while the Democrats pick at tofu and bean sprouts. "Not true," said Scott Roeb, founder of Scott Roeb Catering & Events in Los Angeles.

Roeb, who is producer Lawrence Bender's exclusive caterer and whose political clientele has included both Clintons, former New York gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Cuomo and nearly all of the 2004 Democratic presidential contenders, said food crosses the political spectrum.

When Roeb catered the recent "Young Hollywood" event for Kerry that Bender hosted at his Bel Air home, the menu featured Indian samosas with tamarind dipping sauce. Another Bender event -- this one for Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. -- served up miniature waffles with pieces of fried chicken.

Republicans and Democrats alike, Roeb said, gobble up the mini-beef Wellington hors d'oeuvres he likes to call "filet in a duvet."

As for his own politics, Roeb is solidly in the Democratic column, working for the Clinton campaign in 1992. But, he says, his business is nonpartisan -- he just enjoys catering to Washington types.

"You meet a real interesting group of people. I'm a political hack, so I like to mingle with the political celebrities," he said.

Other popular Los Angeles political caterers include Along Came Mary Productions, which boasts "five-star cuisine tailored for every occasion," and Academy Awards caterer Wolfgang Puck.

Said Roeb, "It isn't the rubber chicken circuit anymore."
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