As a guy who’s been with them since Chicago, I would imagine this cook has seen and heard a lot. It may be that Obama really likes him, and wanted to promote him as a favor. But it could also be that the cook knows things about Obama that are best kept under the rug. A nice new title with a fat check attached to it could buy a fair amount of silence.
Bullseye.
Doesn’t sound like “fantasy” to me - but a likelihood.