WASHINGTON (AP) – When visiting one of his favorite Chicago restaurants in November, President Barack Obama was asked by an excited waitress if he wanted the restaurant’s special margarita made with the finest ingredients, straight up and shaken at the table.

“You know that’s the way I roll,” Obama replied jokingly.

Rick Bayless, the chef of that restaurant, Topolobampo in Chicago, says Obama’s comfortable demeanor at the table bodes well for the nation’s food policy. While former President George W. Bush rarely visited restaurants and didn’t often talk about what he ate, Obama dines out frequently and enjoys exploring different foods.

“What I’m hoping is that he’s going to recognize that we need to do what we can in our country to encourage real food for everyone,” Bayless says.

Phrases like “real food” and “farm-to-table” may sound like elitist jargon tossed around at upscale restaurants. But the country’s top chefs, several of whom traveled to Washington for Obama’s inauguration this week, hope that Obama’s flair for good food will encourage people to expand their horizons when it comes to what they eat.

These chefs tout locally grown, environmentally friendly and – most importantly – nutritious food. They urge diners, even those who may never be able to afford to eat at their restaurants, to grow their own vegetables, shop at farmer’s markets and pay attention to where their food comes from.

Most of the chefs say they realize food policy and government support for larger corporate farms isn’t going to change any time soon. Congress, with Obama’s support, overwhelmingly enacted a $290 billion farm bill last year that directs many subsidies to the largest agricultural players.

But Obama has already given chefs a small reason to hope. In his confirmation hearing, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made an overture to the growing number of food groups and experts who have criticized government subsidies for large corporate farms, saying he will seek to work “with those who seek programs and practices that lead to more nutritious food produced in a sustainable way.”

“There’s a lot of work that can be done in this area,” Vilsack said after he was sworn in.

But despite loftier goals, Bayless, the Chicago chef, says the Obamas could make a world of difference if they just publish what they are eating every day.

“Everyone’s going to want to be like the Obamas,” he said.