FOOD NETWORK'S DUFF GOLDMAN IS BACK WITH TOP TIER CAKES ON NEW SERIES "CAKE MASTERS"

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

Plus New Episodes of Cupcake Wars Beginning Monday, April 11th at 8pm ET/PT

NEW YORK - March 10, 2016 - Food Network's April sugar rush continues with new series Cake Masters, premiering on Monday, April 11th at 9pm ET/PT, as extreme baker and cake artist Duff Goldman and his talented team construct the most massive, mind-blowing and elaborate cake creations imaginable. As one of the most sought after cake designers in the country, Duff has traveled from coast-to-coast delivering cakes for Hollywood movie premieres and red carpet events. After years of cross country travel, he opened Charm City Cakes West in Los Angeles, and ever since, has been inundated with cake requests from A-list clients with tight deadlines and high expectations. In each of the six hour-long episodes, viewers get a behind-the-scenes view of how the unconventional cakes come to life.

"No job is too big, and no detail is too small for Duff and his extraordinary team of experts as they create the boldest, tastiest and most impressive cakes for demanding Hollywood clients," said Didi O'Hearn, Senior Vice President Programming, Food Network & Cooking Channel. "Viewers will be floored by the unrestrained creativity and ingenuity of the outrageous cake designs and equally entertained by the larger-than-life personalities of the cake masters that create them."

Throughout the season, the incredible and unpredictable cake requests test the talents of Duff and his crew of culinary masters, sculptors and architects, featuring some familiar faces such as Geof Manthorne (Ace of Cakes). He also calls upon award-winning special effects artists, who have worked on big blockbuster movies, to ensure the clients' cakes are top tier. On the premiere episode, the cake masters take on a mega cake for the anniversary of a video game powerhouse franchise. The bakers bite off more than they can chew when they must also make a towering cake for the groundbreaking ceremony of a popular California casino-resort. From a taste of Tinseltown with a panoramic cityscape cake for a billion dollar Hollywood gala, to a four-wheeled showstopper of a mega monster truck cake, and to a playable edible guitar cake that must take center stage, these elaborate-edible works of art are unlike anything ever seen before.

Fans can check out photo galleries of Duff's jaw-dropping creations for his A-list clients at FoodNetwork.com/CakeMasters, and can talk about the designs on Twitter using #CakeMasters.

Plus, for the icing on the cake, before the premiere of Cake Masters, fans can get an even bigger fill of confectionary creations with new episodes of Cupcake Wars beginning on Monday, April 11th at 8pm ET/PT. Featuring kid competitors to celebs, these Cupcake Wars will deliver tons of fun and cupcakes galore!

Duff Goldman graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with degrees in history and philosophy. He then went on to study at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, and from there went on to work at several acclaimed culinary destinations, including French Laundry, Vail Cascade Hotel, and Todd English's Olives before returning to Baltimore in 2000 to become a personal chef. In March 2002, he opened Charm City Cakes, and it soon became a household name on the hit Food Network show Ace of Cakes, which aired for 10 seasons. Duff recently co-hosted Kids Baking Championship, and served as a judge on Food Network's Holiday Baking Championship and Spring Baking Championship. In 2011, Duff was nominated for two James Beard Foundation awards for Best TV Food Personality/Host and Best Television Program. He published his first cookbook book in 2015 entitled, Duff Bakes: Think and Bake Like a Pro at Home. In addition to owning and operating Charm City Cakes, Charm City Cakes West and Duff's Cake Mix, Duff is also a sculptor, artist, and musician, and has an affinity for wearing his signature hockey jerseys.

Cake Masters is produced by Authentic Entertainment.

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FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to more than 100 million U.S. households and up to 35 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine's rate base has grown 13 times and is now the third largest monthly magazine on the newsstand, with over 12.4 million readers. Headquartered in New York, Food Network has a growing international presence with programming in more than 150 countries, including 24-hour networks in the United Kingdom, Asia, and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also owns and operates Cooking Channel (www.cookingchanneltv.com), HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Travel Channel (www.travelchannel.com) and Great American Country (www.gactv.com), is the manager and general partner.