VH1 GREENLIGHTS NEW SERIES "FAMOUS FOOD" (WORKING TITLE) TO PREMIERE THIS FALL

Celebrities Include Heidi Montag, Ashley Dupre, Danielle Staub, Jake Pavelka, Vincent Pastore and DJ Paul and Juicy "J" from Three 6 Mafia

Santa Monica, CA - April 20, 2011 - From Ashton Kutcher's Geisha House to Robert DeNiro's Ago, attaching a celebrity's name to a restaurant is definitely a growing trend in Hollywood.... but is it always a recipe for success? This fall, VH1 is going to put the concept to the test by partnering with renowned restaurateurs, The Dolce Group, to give seven celebrities the chance to turn one of their West Hollywood, CA properties into a flourishing and fully-operating restaurant. Joining the cast is Heidi Montag ("The Hills"), who not only has a passion for food, but also knows a thing or two about the restaurant business, especially after dealing with the unfortunate demise of her parent's restaurant. Academy Award-Winning artists, DJ Paul and Juicy "J" from rap group Three 6 Mafia), who both have experience in the kitchen and have dreams of hosting a cooking show, will finally be given the opportunity to bring their culinary expertise to the table. Working with them, a cast of food connoisseurs in their own right, Danielle Staub ("Real Housewives of New Jersey"), Jake Pavelka ("The Bachelor"), Ashley Dupre (Singer) and Vincent Pastore ("The Sopranos") have always had the desire to pursue their visions and conquer the restaurant world. For eight weeks, this colorful crew of celebrities will roll up their sleeves and work together to launch their own restaurant, aptly named, Famous Food. This new one-hour, ten episode series is set to premiere in the fall.

Mike Malin and Lonnie Moore are the founding members of The Dolce Group and they define what it takes to open a successful celebrity restaurant. Some of their well-known Hollywood establishments include Ketchup, Angels & Kings, Geisha House, Ten Pin Alley, rare 120, Wonderland and Dolce. Over the course of the series, Mike and Lonnie will provide the cast with a variety of tasks that need to be completed in order to get the restaurant off the ground. The cast will be tackling such duties as renovating the space, agreeing on a restaurant concept, creating marketing plans, crafting a menu, hiring the staff and eventually, ensuring a flawless grand-opening. Every week it will be up to the team to work together and complete their list of tasks, while Mike and Lonnie review their progress. The season will conclude with the finale episode featuring the grand opening of one lucky restaurateur's dream restaurant open for business and ready for the public's review.

After the restaurant's grand opening, Mike and Lonnie will assess the celebrities' individual achievements (and failures). Whoever they deem the most deserving, will ultimately be awarded a partnership stake in the restaurant. In the end, only the most valuable star will come out on the top while the rest will leave with nothing.

Can these celebrities work together to turn Famous Food into a thriving Hollywood hot-spot or will they be left with nothing but bad reviews? Watch it all unfold when "Famous Food" premieres on VH1 this fall.

VH1's "Famous Food" is created and executive produced by Mark Cronin and Cris Abrego for 51 Minds Entertainment, LLC. an Endemol Company. Ben Samek and Matt Odgers also executive produces for the series and the company. For VH1, the series is executive produced by Jill Holmes, Kristen Kelly and Jeff Olde.

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