MINNEAPOLIS , Minnesota ( CNN ) -- David and Christina Macfarlane always dreamed of opening a restaurant . And with David 's background as a White House chef , they certainly have the in-house culinary ability . David and Christina Macfarlane in their Minneapolis restaurant , L'Ecosse . But they never imagined they 'd be doing it in one of the toughest economic times ever , and they wondered if it would even be possible . `` The banks were like , 'You 're opening a restaurant now ? ' `` Christina says. `` 'Yeah , we 're opening a restaurant now . ' `` David was born in Glasgow , Scotland , but moved to the United States with his family in his early teens and soon found his passion for the palate . Soon after high school , he joined the U.S. Navy , where he ultimately spent years cooking -- two of which were spent in the kitchen at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as a chef for President Clinton at the beginning of his first term in 1992 . Looking at a picture of himself and the former president , David describes a favorite memory . `` He said that was the best meal he ever ate . I was pretty geeked about that . '' See more about that favorite meal » . But the Macfarlanes wanted more time as a family -- something not suited to David 's high-profile job . They moved a number of times before settling down in the Minneapolis , Minnesota , suburbs where , most recently , David worked for Fusion Culinary -- until his position was eliminated , that is . Christina says that as dismayed as David was over the job loss , she saw it as `` a blessing . '' `` I thought , 'Thank you , Lord ! Thank you , Lord ! ' `` she says , adding that she saw it as the perfect opportunity to follow through with their dream . Now , despite the battered economy , the two stand behind the bar in their new restaurant , L'Ecosse , which , incidentally , is French for `` Scotland . '' However , they have a slightly different take on the menu than perhaps they would have had if times were perkier . `` We went to over a dozen restaurants looking at menus , pricepoints , [ and ] realizing the struggles in the economy , '' Christina recalls . The two concluded that while people are still eating out , they are n't seeking `` fancy '' food -- in other words , they were n't seeking the type of fare one might typically associate with state dinners at the White House . David says that 's all a misconception anyway . `` Comfort food , '' he says . `` That 's what the president wanted most . '' Some of the president 's favorite foods , David says were nachos and salsa , tuna sandwiches , or just warm milk and cookies . `` [ President Clinton ] was n't looking for any of the fancy frou-frou stuff . We did that for state dinners or we did that for dignitaries that would come in , but ... at lunchtime when the president would be in the Oval Office by himself , [ he 'd say ] ' Lem me have a tuna sandwich . ' `` At L'Ecosse , tuna and warm cookies are on the menu . Keeping with his Scottish upbringing , David 's menu also is largely UK-centric : meat pies and fish and chips are two of the specialties . He does it all with fresh , local ingredients and says he can keep prices down because he does a lot of the work himself and with the help of a very minimal staff . Watch the chef talk about keeping it simple » . Everything on the breakfast and lunch menus is priced under $ 10 , and the two say that when they expand to a full dinner menu once their liquor license is approved , they want to keep prices similarly low . `` The reason we did that was so nobody had sticker shock , '' David says . `` They 're very good items , but they 're also inexpensive items and you 're not going to break the bank . '' `` If you want to come in and get Bill Clinton 's favorite , it does n't have to be $ 15 during the day . And that 's what we want people to understand -- we understand where you 're at . '' As Christina puts it , `` You are going to get great food that your mother used to make for you . '' And , ideally , the bill wo n't send you into debt .
Former White House chef opens restaurant to serve ` ` comfort food '' , designed to take the ` ` sticker shock '' out of dining . Former president was fan of salsa , tuna salad , warm water and coffee . Plans suggest prices lower due to local ingredients , minimal staff .