SAL BASILLE AND FRANCIS GARCIA ARE BACK IN A NEW SEASON OF PIZZA MASTERS

SAL BASILLE AND FRANCIS GARCIA ARE BACK IN A NEW SEASON OF PIZZA MASTERSSAL BASILLE AND FRANCIS GARCIA ARE BACK FOR FOOD, FUN AND ALL NEW ADVENTURES IN A NEW SEASON OF PIZZA MASTERS

SAL BASILLE AND FRANCIS GARCIA ARE BACK IN A NEW SEASON OF PIZZA MASTERSSeason Premieres Wednesday, September 23rd at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT on Cooking Channel

NEW YORK – August 27, 2015 –  are back for all new culinary adventures and fun in season two of Pizza Masters premiering Wednesday, September 23rd  at 9:00pm ET/6:00pmPT on Cooking Channel. First cousins by birth and best friends by choice, these pizza aficionados are always on the hunt for good times and great food – and not just pizza!  Join the boys on the road as they make stops all the way from Rhode Island to Louisiana to Alaska and back again, trying delicious dishes everywhere they go.

From mom and pop joints to legendary establishments, these Pizza Masters know delicious pizza and amazing food when they find it, and are always up for having a good time along the way.  Of course a new season wouldn’t be complete without new adventures and Sal and Fran do not disappoint.  Over the course of ten episodes, they’ll visit a working ranch with hardworking cowboys, judge a pageant contest and search for buried treasure just to name a few.  Sit back and enjoy the ride with these food- and fun-loving cousins at the wheel!

Visit CookingChanneltv.com/PizzaMasters to check out the web-only series Pizza Masters: Sliced! to see Sal and Fran compete to make the best pizza possible using the craziest mystery ingredients on CookingChannelTV.com. Join the cheese and pepperoni chatter with #PizzaMasters.

Upcoming episodes include:

Premiering Wednesday, September 23rd at 9pm ET/ 6pmPT – “Miami Slice” – SEASON PREMIERE!

Francis Garcia and Sal Basille are in Miami for a charity golf tournament. There’s only one problem: they don’t know the first thing about golf. But, what they do know is how to find the best eats that Miami has to offer. First up, Thea’s Pizzeria. Rumor has it Thea’s makes a delightful Artichoke Pizza, and the guys have to test it out to see how it compares to their own. Plus, no trip to Miami is complete without stopping for a Cuban sandwich, and Fran and Sal find the best one at David’s Café Cafecito. Finally, the guys head to Michael’s Genuine for a mouthwatering grouper delivered straight off the boat and a refreshing, fizzy Lychee cocktail to help them unwind after a long day on the links.

Premiering Wednesday, September 30th at 9pm ET/ 6pmPT -“Black Magic Pizza”

The mojo’s rising as Francis Garcia and Sal Basille find themselves in New Orleans. In the Crescent City, food comes first. The guys make a stop at Slice Pizzeria for real New Orleans-style pizza. Fran settles down with an elaborate Bloody Mary at Apolline while Sal has an encounter with his own Bloody Mary. Then, they head to Domilise’s for a taste of their famous po’boy sandwiches. Of course, no trip to NOLA is complete without a little jazz. So the guys step out to the historic Little Gem Saloon where legends of jazz like Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong have graced the stage; but, the star of the show is always their famous Louisiana Crawfish Cheesecake.

Premiering Wednesday, October 7th at 9pm ET/ 6pmPT -“Miss Rhode Island Italia”

Francis Garcia and Sal Basille have been given a high honor – they are judges in the Miss Rhode Island Italia pageant which is held annually in Providence. Even better, the city is known for having an amazing food scene that the guys are hungry to check out. First stop is Caserta’s Pizza in historic Federal Hill for their famous Wimpy Skippy and Pepper Pig. Then, they are off to Al Forno to meet the creator of grilled pizza. After helping pick 2015’s Miss Rhode Island Italia, Fran and Sal celebrate at Iggy’s on the coast for Clam Cakes, fresh Rhode Island Clam Chowder, and a fried, sugary treat called a Doughboy.

Cousins Francis Garcia and Sal Basille opened Artichoke Basille’s® Pizza in Manhattan’s East Village in 2008. Since launching Artichoke Basille’s® Pizza, the cousins partnered with New York nightlife proprietors and restaurateurs Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss to expand their pizza empire. Seven locations later, Artichoke Basille’s® Pizza brand is going strong. The renowned pizza is now available on the West Coast and in your local grocer’s freezer. Most recently Francis and Sal appeared in Cooking Channel’s Pizza Masters, and have appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Chew and the Rachael Ray Show. In April 2015, the cousins released their first cookbook “Staten Italy,” a tribute to the Italian-American cuisine they grew up with.

Pizza Masters is produced by 11 Studios.

COOKING CHANNEL (www.cookingchanneltv.com) is an entertainment brand dedicated to today’s passionate food lover.  For food people, by food people, Cooking Channel is the answer to a growing hunger for more content devoted to food and cooking in every dimension from global cuisines to international travel, history and unconventional how-to’s.  Cooking Channel is part of the media portfolio of Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also includes Food Network (www.foodnetwork.com), HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Travel Channel (www.travelchannel.com), and Great American Country (www.gactv.com).