First Lady Michelle Obama Appearing on Iron Chef America

A purr-fectly costumed Michelle Obama distributes what can only be healthy, organically grown, locally-sourced fruit treats to children on Halloween. (Courtesy The White House Flickr)

Last month celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Emeril Lagasse visited the White House garden to film part of a special two-hour episode of Iron Chef America to emphasize locally-grown, healthy food. The three were joined by the White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford, who teamed up with Flay against the other two chefs in a cooking contest filmed later in NYC.

After the chefs finished foraging for vegetables in the garden, the first lady came out to make a cameo in the episode (wearing a pumpkin-orange dress with teal blue shoes and short sweater!) and talked about her crusade to reduce childhood obesity through better school lunches, community gardens, farmers’ markets and exercise. Iron Chef America is watched by over a million viewers, and off-camera the first lady told the chefs, "This is huge. It is going a long way to help change the way this country thinks about food. I want you to come back."

According to the Times, she also told the chefs that one of her Secret Service agents wants to challenge them to a "brisket-off." The episode will air January 3rd at 8 p.m. on the Food Network.