DON'T BE LATE FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL ON COOKING CHANNEL'S NEW SERIES "THE FRESHMAN CLASS"

Series Premieres Monday, June 10th at 10:30pm ET/7:30pm PT

NEW YORK, NY - April 30, 2013 - Cooking Channel follows four aspiring chefs as they try to earn a degree at the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge in the new docu-series The Freshman Class, premiering Monday, June 10th at 10:30pm ET/7:30pm PT. Follow four freshmen, over the course of eight episodes, as they make the journey from the first day of school to final exams at the end of the first semester. The series chronicles the unique challenges each student faces with their varying backgrounds as they pursue their dream of becoming a professional chef. Culinary school is difficult and offers no guarantees, and these students all desperately want to do well at the institute to better their lives.

"The Freshman Class is a unique look at the daily challenges students face while pursuing their dreams of working in the culinary field," said Michael Smith, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Cooking Channel. "The trials and tribulations of these freshmen grant an intimate behind the scenes glimpse at what they face in balancing their personal and professional lives."

In the premiere episode we meet The Freshman Class as they arrive at Louisiana Culinary Institute. Tiffany is a 41 year old mother, whose daughter, April, is also enrolled at the school. Tiffany was at the top of her high school class and planning to become a doctor, but her plans quickly changed when she got pregnant, and by the time she was 22, became a full-time mom with four kids. She has enrolled in the school to get a culinary degree and open her own restaurant. Jared is a 23 year old Marine Corps veteran, who suffered memory issues and hearing loss as a result of the injuries he sustained while serving in Afghanistan. Jared now is looking to fulfill his dream and earn his degree so he can open up a restaurant with his friend. Jasmine is a 22 year old single mother and exotic dancer, who always had a dream of becoming like her grandfather, the owner of a popular seafood restaurant in Louisiana. Now she's finally taking a big step to be able to provide a better life for herself and her daughter. And Ben is a 41 year old taxidermist who's barely making ends meet. A loving husband and father of three, Ben is determined to provide a more stable life for his family.

Throughout the semester the freshmen face numerous tests and challenges, including their families' reaction to them starting classes, and personal issues are revealed that may have repercussions on their classwork and overall success. At the end, will The Freshman Class make it? Will they all take a giant step toward achieving their goals, or will they fail and be right back where they started?

The Louisiana Culinary Institute is a state-of-the-art facility, which is an authentic environment for the education of culinary professionals. The Louisiana Culinary Institute's purpose is to educate its students to become highly trained professionals in food service operations. Its intent is to provide its students with the appropriate knowledge and skills in professional cooking techniques, sanitation, nutrition and day-to-day business operations to successfully operate and manage a food service facility. By doing so the Institute's goal is to fulfill the ever-growing need for culinary professionals in the food service industry.

The Freshman Class is produced by Punched in the Head Productions.

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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), Great American Country (www.gactv.com) and Travel Channel (www.travelchannel.com).