Michelle Obama will star in a children’s cooking program.
Netflix announced this week that Ms. Obama will be featured alongside a pair of dolls in a series called “Waffles + Mochi”. The 10-episode series opens on March 16.
The series is the latest project by Ms. Obama and Barack Obama’s producer, Higher Ground Productions. The Obamas, who signed on to Netflix in 2018, have so far produced three documentaries for the streaming service. Mrs. Obama was the centerpiece of “Becoming”, a 2020 documentary that accompanied her on her book tour after the publication of her memoirs with the same title.
Last week, the Obamas announced that they had several scripted projects under development for Netflix, including an adaptation of “Exit West”, a 2017 novel loved by the refugee critic, and an animated series based on a book by Michael Lewis.
In the cooking show, Obama will play the role of a supermarket owner who helps two puppet friends, Waffles and Mochi, to fulfill their dream of becoming chefs. Obama has long promoted health and nutrition, and the Obamaes said, when they signed with Netflix, that they would create a children’s program.
“Waffles + Mochi” has been in development for almost two years. In 2019, Netflix announced an earlier version of the program, “Listen to your vegetables and eat your parents”. The “Waffles + Mochi” production team includes Erika Thormahlen, writer and actress, and Jeremy Konner, producer of “Drunk History” at Comedy Central.