By Emily Heil
Michelle Obama's mission of encouraging kids to eat healthier is getting a global spin – and a few puppet allies.
The former US first lady is launching a kids' cooking show on Netflix as part of the production deal between Netflix and the production company she founded with her husband, former president Barack Obama.
In addition to executive producing Waffles + Mochi, which debuts March 16, she'll play the proprietor of a "whimsical supermarket" that employs the titular puppets, who are best friends and aspiring chefs. (One is an adorably small orb formed like the Japanese rice cake and the other a creature whose ears are shaped like the griddled breakfast treat.)
"I'm excited for families and children everywhere to join us on our adventures as we discover, cook, and eat delicious food from all over the world," she wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.
Netflix described the 10-episode series as "the culinary adventure of a lifetime" in which the characters hop aboard a magical shopping cart to seek out ingredients all over the world.
"Whether they're picking potatoes in the Andes of Peru, sampling spices in Italy, or making miso in Japan, these curious explorers uncover the wonder of food and discover every meal is a chance to make new friends," the streaming service says.
And there will be plenty of opportunities for cameos by the kind of A-listers that Obama famously counts as her own pals: Netflix says the show will feature "renowned chefs, home cooks, kids and celebrities" helping the duo.
The project amplifies several causes Obama has long championed. At the White House, she encouraged kids to eat healthier as part of her "Let's Move" initiative. And she has promoted a global approach to empowering young people, including founding the Girls Opportunity Alliance to promote education. Obama suggested the show would also address children living in poverty.
Waffles + Miso, whose previous title was Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents, is a light-hearted entry into the catalogue the Obamas are developing with Netflix. Other projects from their Higher Ground Productions company include documentaries American Factory, about a transformation of a former General Motors plant, and Crip Camp, which focuses on a summer camp for disabled people.