Last month Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, and Mario Batali headed to the White House. The chefs filmed a two-hour special [1] of Iron Chef America [2] that will open the upcoming season of Iron Chef on Jan. 3.

First Lady Michelle Obama got in on the fun, challenging the chefs to create a meal for America using only ingredients grown in the White House garden.

According to his Twitter [3], Flay joins forces with the White House chef Cristeta Comerford to battle Lagasse and Batali. The judges are a trio of females, chef Nigella Lawson [4], actress Jane Seymour [5], and swimmer Natalie Coughlin [6]. Longtime host Alton Brown provides his usual enthusiastic commentary.

Over the past year the White House garden has spent plenty of time in the spotlight [7] and I'm excited to get a better look at it on Iron Chef. How about you? Will you tune in?