What were chefs up to at the White House’s annual Easter Egg Roll?

All the White House Chefs turned out in force. Joining them on the cooking stage were Maneet Chauhan, Alexandra Guarnaschelli, , Marc Murphy, and Charles Phan.

Sam Kass, personal chef to the the First Family and Executive Director for First Lady Michelle Obama‘s Let’s Move efforts, prepared Honeydew Soup for crowds on the “Play with your Food” stage. Surrounding him were the Super Sprowts, singing and dancing vegetables.

“Being healthy is fun,” Chef Kass told Super Che. “It feels good, and it tastes good. And that is what today is all about.”

White House Pastry Chef Bill Yosses added: “Healthy eating means being aware of where your food comes from, hopefully its is local. We are lucky in the White House, since we have a vegetable garden.” The White House vegetable garden is one of the neatest, most weed-free vegetable patches anywhere. Right now, new lettuces are sprouting up in rows that mimic the L’Enfant’s plan of Washington DC.

To kids around the country, Chef Yosses said:

The message should be that healthy food is not only delicious, but it is fascinating to study as science: the botany of fruits, the micro organism in the soil! There are more types of creatures in the soil than in the entire planet—and there is life a mile down, too. That is amazing!

Chef Kass backed him up:

The most important message for kids is that we need your leadership. It is up to you to make a healthier county for all of us. You guys can change the world. First by making good decisions for yourself, and helping your family and then in your schools and communities. Talk to adults about getting healthier and more active. That will change our country.

True to his word, near the cooking stage was a whole science area called the “Eggsperiment Zone,” where kids could find out about eggs, soil, and plants.

See also TIME For Kids: http://www.timeforkids.com/news/meeting-first-lady/158971