NEW YORK BAKER ASHLEY FOXEN TAKES BITE-SIZED CREATIVITY TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN FOOD NETWORK SERIES "REALITY CUPCAKES"

Cupcakes Come to Life with Double Episode Premieres Beginning Monday, August 6th at 10pm ET/PT

NEW YORK -- July 10, 2018 - New York baker Ashley Foxen is known for creating unique, unexpected cupcakes that resemble whatever her clients imagine. Joined by her mom Denise, brother Alex and sister Lindsay, her up-and-coming business has become the go-to spot for bite-sized edible art that can fool even the most discerning eye. In the new series Reality Cupcakes, Food Network takes viewers behind-the-scenes as Ashley and her family create cupcakes that look like anything but cupcakes. The eight-episode series premieres Monday, August 6th with back-to-back episodes at 10pm (all times ET/PT) and 10:30pm.

"Ashley's creativity has a unique twist - her cupcakes are so realistic that guests are in for a big surprise when they take a bite," said Courtney White, General Manager and Executive Vice President, Programming, Food Network and HGTV. "That's not a sushi roll, flower pot or T-bone steak - it's a fully edible sweet creation that fools the senses!"

In the 10pm premiere episode, Ashley debuts her pastrami on rye cupcakes for a thrilled crowd at the 130th anniversary party for New York's famous Katz's Deli. Later, a super-chic succulent arrangement is created for sports personality Hannah Storm's get-together and finally, the Foxen family delivers mouthwatering lamb chop cupcakes with a side of mint jelly to a backyard barbecue. Immediately following at 10:30pm, the crowds at Ripley's Believe It or Not! are stunned by a magician's trick using a shrunken head cupcake. Later, the gang brews up a latte made of cupcakes at a local coffee shop, complete with an edible cup and then a bachelorette party brunch toasts with Foxen-made margaritas and burrito cupcakes. Upcoming episodes feature a Shark Week-themed rooftop party with shark head cupcakes, peanut-butter and jelly school lunch cupcakes with edible milk cartons for a milestone performance of Broadway's School of Rock and a special creation for Coney Island's Mermaid Parade.

Head online to see the best of Ashley's unique creations at FoodNetwork.com/RealityCupcakes and on Food Network's Facebook and Instagram pages. Tell us which ones are your favorites using the hashtag #RealityCupcakes.

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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 nearly 100 million U.S. households and draws over 46 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine's rate base has grown 13 times and is the No. 2 best-selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, with 13.5 million readers. Food Network is owned by Discovery, Inc., a global leader in real life entertainment whose portfolio also includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, TLC, Investigation Discovery, and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.