And the secret ingredient in the White House Iron Chef of America special — stand-in vegetables.
In a garden-variety produce-gate, the fresh veggies publicized as coming from the White House garden for the episode actually were stunt doubles, including ringer radishes.
The Jan. 3 special pitted White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford and Bobby Flay against the team of Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse.
The four chefs harvested the veggies from Michelle Obama’s White House garden in a segment taped in late October. The substitution of other fresh produce became necessary because the actual “Kitchen Stadium” contest in New York took place about a week later. But the Food Network did not reveal the substitutions on air, politicsdaily.com said.
Politicsdaily.com columnist Lynn Sweet wrote that First Lady Michelle Obama’s staff e-mailed her that the veggies the four chefs picked at the White House garden in October were donated to a local food kitchen.