Entertainment / Jay-ZTV Michelle Pushes Healthy Meals —on Iron Chef First lady will guest on Food Network competition's season opener By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted Nov 4, 2009 11:54 AM CST Copied This Feb. 22, 2009 file photo shows Michelle Obama with L'Academie de Cuisine students as they preview meals for President Obama's dinner with the state governors at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari,File) Michelle Obama’s campaign to wean kids off junk food is taking a slightly unorthodox turn: The first lady will guest on Iron Chef America’s Jan. 3 episode. In addition to discussing her crusade for healthy school lunches and more, Obama will reveal the secret ingredient for the show's chefs (anything grown in the White House garden). The White House executive chef will team with Bobby Flay to compete against Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse, the New York Times reports. “What’s exciting for us is this is the first time I can remember the White House taking an active interest in doing something about diet and health,” Batali says. “They understand this kind of PR.” (More Jay-ZTV stories.) Report an error