TRAVEL WITH KATIE LEE TO THE TASTIEST BEACHSIDE DESTINATIONS ON COOKING CHANNEL'S NEW SERIES "BEACH BITES WITH KATIE LEE"

Series Premiere Thursday, June 2nd at 10pm ET/7pm PT

NEW YORK - April 18, 2016 - Katie Lee crosses sand and surf in search of the best beach foods to dive into, with the best views to match, on Cooking Channel's Beach Bites with Katie Lee, premiering on Thursday, June 2nd at 10pm ET/7pm PT. On this gourmet getaway, Katie follows her taste buds to find delicious dishes, and along the way meets the chefs serving up the finest fare that the shores have to offer. From freshly-caught seafood to local twists on grilled favorites, Katie will try it all, with time to spare for cocktails and sweet treats.

"Whether it is recipes that have been handed down for generations, coastal canteens serving up satisfying bar bites or snacks with a twist using local ingredients, Katie Lee is the perfect tour guide for this flavorful voyage to some of the most beautiful beaches," said Didi O'Hearn, Senior Vice President Programming, Food Network & Cooking Channel. "Viewers will get to experience the regional cuisine that defines these scenic surfside destinations, as Katie Lee takes everyone along on some of her most delicious adventures."

In each of the six half-hour long episodes, Katie searches high and low for the most mouthwatering meals and gets a look at how they are prepared. In Miami, Katie snacks on pork and chicken Cuban pressed sandwiches, then over in Key West, she nibbles on Conch Fritters with a home-made key lime sauce from local limes that made the island famous. In Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, Katie gets tropical with Coconut Shrimp Arepas. Over on the Golden Isles off the coast of Georgia, Katie finds Crab Hush Puppies with Homemade Pickles - the perfect mix of traditional Southern fare with a seafood flair. While in St. Barths Katie gets a taste of European-luxury and casual-island cooking with Snapper Chimichurri served with local Caribbean Squash. Then it is bold flavors and spices with Chile Rellenos in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico and a sweet sip of a Pineapple Raicilla Cocktail to wash it down. Sunglasses, flip flops and an appetite are all you need on this trip!

Visit CookingChannelTV.com/BeachBites to flip through Katie's best beach pictures, and check out a guide of some of the best seaside restaurants across the country, and share your favorite tasty travels on Twitter using #BeachBites.

For Katie Lee cooking was not just a hobby growing up - it was a way of life. Katie began cooking at the tender age of 4 under the guidance of her mentor Grandma Dora. Using fresh vegetables from her Grandpa's garden and meat from the family's cattle and pig farms, she quickly learned the value of seasonal ingredients. Today, Katie is a co-host of Food Network's The Kitchen, The Kitchen Sink and author of three cookbooks - The Comfort Table (2008), The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions (2009), and Endless Summer Cookbook (2015). In addition to her comfort food cookbooks, she published her first novel, Groundswell, in 2011. Outside of her culinary and literary adventures, Katie is an ambassador for 96 Elephants and works closely with the Wildlife Conservation Society. When not working or volunteering, she resides in the Hamptons and NYC, enjoying surfing, traveling and playing with her pug, Fionula.

Beach Bite with Katie Lee is produced by BSTV Entertainment.

# # #

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-tos. Cooking Channel is part of the media portfolio of Scripps Networks Interactive (NASDAQ: 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).