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Iron Chef America Goes to the White House

partysugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:15:28 -0800

Last month Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, and Mario Batali headed to the White House. The chefs filmed a two-hour special of Iron Chef America 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, 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, actress Jane Seymour, and swimmer Natalie Coughlin. 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 and I'm excited to get a better look at it on Iron Chef. How about you? Will you tune in?

Creamless Creamed Spinach Is a Healthy Thanksgiving Side

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:00:12 -0800

Michelle Obama has only been a resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for 10 months, yet she's already managed to set an example for Americans to eat more fresh food, from planting a garden to starting a White House farmers market.

Earlier this year, I spotted a recipe for one of the first lady's favorite White House dishes, a creamed spinach without the cream. I bookmarked it, thinking it would make a satisfying yet light steak side, or a healthful addition to a large Thanksgiving feast.

The recipe calls for blanched, puréed spinach, which adds an airy, creamy taste without the calories. To see the technique, keep reading.

First-Ever White House Farmers Market Makes Its Debut

YumSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:50:44 -0700

Some legislation, like healthcare reform, might take a little more work for the White House to push through, but other initiatives, like the White House farmers market, are happening virtually overnight. Less than a month ago President Obama revealed that he and the first lady were looking into holding a farmers market outside the White House - and the plan's already come to fruition. At the opening of the FreshFarm market yesterday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Washington DC mayor Adrian Fenty spoke to a crowd of about 300 shoppers about the importance of eating healthy, local food.

The visitor that drew the most attention was Michelle Obama, who encouraged Americans to get to know the farmers that grow the market's food, and stressed the importance of fresh markets, particularly in urban deserts.

Located at 810 Vermont Avenue, just blocks from the White House, the market runs Thursday afternoons through the end of October, and accepts food stamps. It sells pasture-raised meats, artisan cheeses, milk, yogurt, fresh fruits and vegetables, breads, flowers, and preserves. DCers, have you had a chance to visit?

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President Obama Hopes For White House Farmers Market

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:00:20 -0700

In March, Alice Waters and other supporters of the local food movement thought they'd finally gotten what they wanted when the Obamas announced the planting of an organic garden in the White House. But yesterday reformers were pleasantly shocked when President Obama announced his hopes to set up a farmers market at the White House. At the Organizing for America National Health Care Forum on Thursday, Barack Obama revealed that he and the first lady are looking into the idea of a farmers market outside the White House that would sell food from the White House garden or other local farmers:

"One of the things that we’re trying to do now is to figure out, can we get a little farmers’ market - outside of the White House . . . that is a win-win situation. It gives suddenly D.C. more access to good, fresh food, but it also is this enormous potential revenue-maker for local farmers in the area."

He also discussed the importance of connecting local farmers to school districts, in an effort to improve the federal school lunch program. I wholeheartedly applaud the idea - if established, it would be the first-ever White House farmers market, setting a landmark precedent for Americans to start shopping more frequently at farmers markets across the nation. Do you think President Obama will follow through on this idea?

In Italy, Obama Daughters Dabble in Gelato-Making

YumSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:00:02 -0700

Meet Malia and Sasha Obama, first children - and future gelato makers? While President Obama was in Rome, Italy, for a G-8 summit, the US embassy contacted the Italian capital's most renowned gelato parlor, Giolitti, to arrange an insider's ice cream tour for the commander in chief's daughters. At the historic gelateria, Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8, donned aprons to become frozen-dessert makers for the afternoon. The sisters, accompanied by their grandmother, made blackberry and banana gelato. According to parlor owner Nazareno Giolitti, "Right after they made gelato, they tasted it straight from the machine, and the youngest one said, "It really tastes like blackberries." The girls, who Giolitti said "ate with great gusto," left with a whopping 6.6 pounds each of their ice cream, and took some home for the first lady.

Giolitti later showed a local television station a tub of some of the blackberry flavor the Obama girls created, saying that the leftover ice cream was immediately picked up by customers who wanted their cones filled with it. If I were him, I would have sold it for a killing on eBay.

Are you as envious as I am that the Obama girls had the opportunity of a lifetime at Rome's most famous gelateria?

Bobby Flay Dishes on Cooking With Obama

YumSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:45:40 -0700

Much like last year, Bobby Flay was scheduled to cook at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen last Friday. But at the eleventh hour, he got a call from the White House to take part in a Father's Day grilling session, so he hopped on a plane, cooked with the president, and was back in Aspen to give a demo the next morning, where he shared some of his thoughts on cooking with Obama. To see what they were, keep reading

How Much Do You Know About the First Garden?

partysugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:30:26 -0700

The Obamas have been causing a lot of buzz since they moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Not only are they puppy-proofing the premises, but they've also planted a much talked about garden. Have you been following all the hype? Find out now when you take my quiz on the first garden.

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Obamas to Plant White House Garden Today

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:30:53 -0700

Today is the day that Alice Waters and other Slow Food supporters have been waiting for: the Obamas will begin planting a garden on the White House lawn, the first such victory garden to be created since the one Eleanor Roosevelt planted during World War II.

The garden, which will be overseen by Sam Kass, the Obamas' former private chef from Chicago, will provide food for the first family's meals and formal dinners. White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford will write menus based on what's available in the garden.According to First Lady Michelle Obama, the biggest reason for growing a garden is to educate children about the benefits of growing fresh produce locally. She said:

There’s nothing really cooler than coming to the White House and harvesting some of the vegetables and being in the kitchen with Cris and Sam and Bill, and cutting and cooking and actually experiencing the joys of your work.

The first lady, who will dig up soil for the 1,100-square-foot plot of land with fifth graders from a local elementary school, has stressed the significance of healthful eating ever since entering the White House. Last month, she opened up the White House kitchen for a press tour, and recently spoke about the importance of fresh, local eating.

Advocates of farm-to-table eating have been campaigning for a White House edible garden for months now, and there is little doubt that many eat-local proponents consider this to be a huge step in the right direction. To see what fruits and vegetables will be in the White House garden, read more.

Arugula
Spinach
Chard
Black kale
Red romaine
Green oak leaf
Butterhead lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
Spinach
Cilantro
Tomatillos
Hot peppers
Berries
Thai basil
Bees, for honey

What do you think of the project? What would you plant if you were Michelle Obama?

Michelle Obama's Agenda to Focus on Food

partysugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:30:25 -0700

After the election, many prominent foodies had high hopes of President Obama taking on the country's food system. However, they were disappointed when it became clear that the president has more important things to worry about than the nation's obesity crisis. His wife's agenda, on the other hand, will focus on fresh, local, and healthful eating.

Since moving into the White House, Michelle Obama has opened the kitchen up for a press tour while publicly discussing her family's diet. Last week she served lunch at a neighborhood soup kitchen, Miriam's Kitchen, an organization that offers 100 percent homemade dishes to the homeless. Of the experience, Mrs. Obama said:

You know, we want to make sure our guests here and across the nation are eating nutritious items. Collect some fruits and vegetables; bring by some good healthy food. We can provide this kind of healthy food for communities across the country, and we can do it by each of us lending a hand.

I'm happy to see that the first lady is being a role model and encouraging the country to understand the importance of nutritious, fresh, and delicious foods. Only time will tell if her efforts make a significant impact on the way we eat. What do you think of her foodie agenda?

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Michelle Obama Gives White House Kitchen Tour

YumSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:00:13 -0800

Yesterday, before the National Governors Association Dinner - President Barack Obama's first official dinner at the White House - First Lady Michelle Obama and White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford opened up the White House kitchen to reporters from the New York Times and top students from L'Academie de Cuisine, a culinary school in nearby Gaithersburg, MD. Along with First Lady Obama, Comerford, Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses, and former Obama private chef Sam Kass gave the community an opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes in the White House kitchen before a large event, and even sampled dishes, from citrus salad with watermelon radishes to Chesapeake crab agnolotti. Then the first lady opened up the floor for questions, asking the first: "Actually, how do you become executive chef of the White House?" she inquired. To watch the video and get a glimpse into the White House kitchen, read more.

Obama also spoke more about the White House kitchen's focus on local produce - as well as the first family's White House dining preferences. For instance, the Nantucket scallops are the president's favorite, while the first lady prefers the "mean waffles and grits." After watching the video, I'm impressed by Michelle Obama's community-outreach efforts as well as her down-to-earth sensibility. Do you agree?

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