Michelle Obama welcomes 'Iron Chef America'

Michelle Obama's White House garden is having quite a week.

The garden played a starring role in Tuesday night's episode of "The Biggest Loser," and today Food Network announced it will also take center stage in a special episode of "Iron Chef America." Chefs Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse go to D.C. where they will be greeted by the First Lady and joined by White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford for a Super Chef Battle.

The chairman's challenge: Create a meal for America using The White House Kitchen Garden’s produce as their secret ingredients. The episode premieres Sunday, January 3rd.

According to Food Network, the chefs will be allowed to use anything found in the White House Kitchen Garden to help them create their meals. It will be Flay and Comerford against Batali and Lagasse. Each team must come up with five dishes that showcase their garden fresh ingredients and best represent "the ultimate American meal."

The judges include: chef and best-selling cookbook author Nigella Lawson; Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin; and actress, author and designer Jane Seymour.

--Rene Lynch

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Photo credit: NBC Universal

Comments

[Paul A. Elston]

I think it is great that Top Chef is coming to the White House and using the garden as the secret ingrediant. I feel that there appearance at the White House would be better served (no pun intended) finding out ways to end hunger and malnutrition in our nation. We may not want to admit it but unless you are wealthy in this country it is very difficult to feed your family quality foods on a daily basis.The great chefs of our country should lead the fight to end hunger for good instead of face time on a cable channel.