FOOD NETWORK TAKES VIEWERS INTO THE WORLD OF "MEAT MEN" WITH ACCLAIMED NEW YORK BUTCHER PAT LAFRIEDA

Series Premieres Monday, April 9th at 11pm ET/PT

NEW YORK, NY - March 7, 2012 - Famous New York butcher and meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda brings Food Network viewers inside the fascinating and compelling world of Meat Men, premiering Monday, April 9th at 11pm ET/PT. Running Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, a third-generation wholesale meat purveyor business, Pat, along with his cousin Mark Pastore, and his dad Pat Sr., supply over 500 customers, including some of the most prestigious restaurants and bistros in New York City. Expanding from a small corner shop in New York City to a 35,000 square foot facility in New Jersey, this growth comes with great pressure to maintain the high-quality product for which Pat has become known, and to manage the volume of hurdles that occur. Whether it's last-minute requests, creating custom burger blends and menus for new clients, dealing with difficult customers, or navigating the personalities of a work staff, Meat Men takes viewers on a high-steaks ride with a side of humor, served medium rare.

Episodes include:

Premiering Monday, April 9th at 11pm ET/PT "White Label Burger" Pat makes custom burger blends for one of the hottest chefs in America, Michael White. Chef White has won numerous Michelin stars for his Italian cuisine, but this is his very first burger. The pressure is on and it's up to Pat to work his meat magic. Meanwhile, Pat Sr. is determined to hang the signature LaFrieda Meats sign on their new place in New Jersey, and Pat's worst fears come true - one of his butchers suffers a serious injury.

Premiering Monday, April 16th at 11pm ET/PT "The Prime Rib" Pat and Mark are gunning for one of the most famous steakhouses in Washington, D.C., The Prime Rib. They only get one shot to impress the "Godfather of Steak," Buzz Beler. Determined to expand the business beyond New York, Pat invests $200K in a new packaging machine.

Premiering Monday, April 23rd at 11pm ET/PT "Burger Re-Mix" Pat is asked to recreate an existing burger blend for the very popular, meat-centric restaurant, Resto. If he can nail this burger, they will land a huge new account. But this is a real challenge for Pat, who is famous for coming up with new blends, not replicating them. Meanwhile, business is booming and it's time to buy new trucks to keep up with demand, and Pat Sr. proves to be a tough-as-nails negotiator.

Premiering Monday, April 30th at 11pm ET/PT "Steaks on a Plane!" Pat and Mark go to Miami to drum up new business. They have arranged to meet with two of the hottest chefs in town, Michael Schwartz and Michelle Bernstein; this is Mark's chance to shine as the ultimate salesman. While the guys are away, Pat Sr. is in charge back at LaFrieda Meats, and he hasn't run the shop on his own in quite some time. Is he up for the challenge of a last-minute emergency order?

Premiering Monday, May 7th at 11pm ET/PT "Grandpa's Secret Sausage Recipe" Chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi want a classic Italian sausage for their new restaurant Parm. Pat is thrilled for the chance to recreate his grandfather's sausage recipe, which they haven't made in years. The only problem, there is no recipe to work off of. Meanwhile, the family business is growing and it's time to hire a new butcher. Pat and his dad put the candidates to the test, who is good enough to make the cut? Later, LaFrieda Meats gets on average $6,000 worth of parking tickets each week! Pat Sr. is fed up and decides to fight City Hall.

Premiering Monday, May 14th at 11pm ET/PT "Emergency Steaks"

Chef Franklin Becker from Abe and Arthur's runs out of Porterhouse Steaks in the middle of service and calls Pat with a meat emergency. It's a big order on any night but even harder to fill with dull knives. On top of that, Chef Alex Guarnaschelli calls in a last-minute order for 60 Tomahawk Steaks. 80,000 pounds of meat need to go out the doors tonight and the butchers have no knives. This is Pat's worst nightmare!

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