Have Fun in the Sun with Food Network's Summer Squad LIVE

Food Network kicks off summer with Summer Squad Live, a dynamic, cross-platform event on Wednesday, May 23rd at 4:15pm ET. A follow-up to February's #GameDayEats, which drove over 11 million video views and reached nearly 2 million fans on average per post, #SummerSquad Live will offer real-time entertainment and engagement featuring a menu of seasonal recipes, tips and inspiration from Food Network experts across the brand's platforms including Facebook Live, Snapchat, FoodNetwork.com and on-air. Katie Lee, host of Cooking Channel's BEACH BITES WITH KATIE LEE and co-host of Food Network's The Kitchen, will also join the #SummerSquad party live to help make sure fans at home get their summers started right!

"Food Network's squad of food stars and culinary experts, along with an extensive library of over 60,000 recipes continually fills our pipeline with food-first content, providing a one-stop-shop for fans for their entertainment and entertaining needs," said Vikki Neil, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Discovery's Lifestyle Digital Studios. "The Summer Squad Live event not only reinforces our role as the ultimate resource, it is another example of how Food Network best showcases thematic, cross-platform seasonal stunts with real-time engagement and reach to a motivated and enthusiastic audience."

The #SummerSquad event will start at 4:15pm ET with #MondayBites host Vivian Chan live from Food Network Kitchen sharing sure-fire, how-to-win summer recipes that will have fans everywhere ready to light up their grills this summer. Vivian will demonstrate how to make Animal-Style Burgers,a dish inspired by the burgers-themed Guy's Grocery Games premiere airing at 9pm later that day, and serve up the soon-to-be-fan-favorite, Double Watermelon Keg.

At 5:15pm ET, chef Dan Churchill, host of Genius Kitchen's Feast with Friends, will join live to announce a search for the newest featured menu items for Hilton Garden Inn. Dan will showcase two dishes that are potential contenders for the Sophisticated Bites Sweepstakes, giving fans a chance to weigh in on social media. Also launching on May 23rd as part of the Sophisticated Bites Sweepstakes, fans can visit and vote for their favorite recipe at FoodNetwork.com/SophisticatedBites and enter for a chance to win one of three seven-night stays at a Hilton Garden Inn.

Popular social media series, Food Network Finds, which has amassed over 700 million views in its ongoing culinary treasure hunt, will cool things off at 6:15pm ET with a spotlight on a quintessential summer treat - ice cream. In a nod to Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen's cereal-themed challenge on May 27th, the Food Network Finds team will travel to Boston to get the scoop on the magic happening at Rolled Ice Cream parlor. Viewers will get a virtual taste of their signature frozen treat - the colorful and delicious cereal-infused rolled ice cream.

Fresh off her coastal travels, Katie Lee joins the #SummerSquad event live from Food Network Kitchen at 7:15pm ET. Katie will give fans a preview of the upcoming season of Beach Bites, plus share some of her most popular recipes from THE KITCHEN including the frozen cocktail delight, the Fromosa, perfect for any summertime soiree. Katie will also share her Crab Hush Puppies with Cilantro-Jalapeno Dip recipe while chatting with fans.

Then, at 8:15pm ET, it is a race against the clock as Food Network's Snapchat team makes another bid for an entry into the record books. Team members will go 'ear-to-ear' to see if they can top the current world record of most number of ears of corn shucked in under a minute!

Baked by Dan's Dan Langan is known to Food Network fans for his incredible edible creations which have racked up more than 342 million views and counting, and he won't disappoint as he joins #SummerSquad at 9:15pm ET, showcasing a cake that looks like a sizzling rack of ribs on the grill. Join Dan as he creates his delicious, summertime work of dessert and chats about his upcoming series, Dan Can Bake It, which will launch on Food Network's Youtube page in June.

Throughout the day, Food Network's digital platforms will be serving up even more fantastic recipes to help fans win summer, such as Shark Attack Punch, Ice Cream in a Bag, Grilled Cheesy Loaded Potatoes, as well as tried and true favorites including Campfire Cookies, Matambre, Watermelon Tequila Shots and Cooler Shrimp Boil. On-air viewers can find more grilling inspiration from barbecue-themed episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy's Grocery Games and IRON CHEF AMERICA to the grilling-themed weekend lineup taking place Saturday, May 26th and Sunday, May 27th with outdoor cooking-themed premieres of Baked in Vermont, Giada on the Beach, The Kitchen, THE PIONEER WOMAN and Valerie's Home Cooking.

Food Network's #SummerSquad event will offer inspiration, help and real-time engagement to help fans win summer. For more information, visit FoodNetwork.com/SummerSquad. Grab your squad and join the fun using #SummerSquad.

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