Ovation to Premiere IN SEARCH OF FOOD, 4/16

Ovation, the only network dedicated to art, artists and all forms of artistic storytelling, will premiere the second season of the critically acclaimed original series, In Search of Food, beginning Monday, April 16 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The 3-part program spotlights Jason Mraz, Ann Cooper and Joel Salatin, three heroes of the "locavore movement" -- cooking with locally sourced ingredients.

In Search of Food is hosted by award-winning chef Scott Pampuch, who was featured in season one of the series. In each episode this season, Pampuch is given a 24-hour cooking challenge set by Mraz, Cooper and Salatin, innovators spearheading the local food movement in their communities and around the country. Scott is forced to stretch the limits of his creativity and ingenuity as he faces obstacles beyond the familiar walls of an upscale restaurant.

In Search of Food features Pampuch travelling across America to three diverse locations where he meets local farmers, chefs and food artisans. Focusing on the joys and constraints of preparing and eating foods sourced locally, each episode challenge culminates in a cooking collaboration with local chefs who help prepare a mouth-watering locavore meal.

Here are highlights from each 30-minute episode:

· In Search of Food: Boulder, Colorado, "Lunch Money" - Monday, April 16, 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT Pampuch visits with "renegade lunch lady" chef Ann Cooper of Casey Junior Middle School in Boulder, CO, who challenges Pampuch to prepare lunch for 1,000 school children on a budget of $1.15 per child. Featured in the episode are Jim Roberts & Roberts Ranch,The Bitter Bar, Eric Skokan & Black Cat Farm and Jon Hulme of Boulder Fresh.

· In Search of Food: Swope and Staunton, Virginia, "Three Squares" - Tuesday, April 17, 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT Farmer and author Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms challenges Papmuch to find the best local produce and teach a family how to make three healthy meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dave, Debbie, Grace and Henry Melvin; Christie Huger & Mountain View Farm; Kathleen Stinehart & Cranberry's Store; and Lee O'Neil & Radical Roots farm are highlighted in the episode.

· In Search of Food: San Diego, CA, "Raw Materials" - Wednesday, April 18, 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT Grammy(R) Award-winning artist, eco-activist and vegan Jason Mraz challenges Pampuch (who is an omnivore) at Mraz's organic avocado farm to make a raw vegan meal. Featured in this San Diego episode are organic farmer Scott Murray, Tricia Huffman, Mitch Wallace & Evolution Fast Food (a vegan drive thru diner); Thomas Curry & Temecula Olive Oil ranch; Lucila Alejandro & Susie's Farm and Ricardo Heredia, Head Chef at Alchemy Restaurant.

To tie-in with the premiere, Ovationtv.com will offer special features for the online community including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, a gallery of photos and recipes for the dishes highlighted in each episode.

In Search of Food is produced for Ovation by Noise Productions.

About Scott Pampuch:

Acclaimed Minnesota based chef Scott Pampuch was a James Beard Award semi-finalist. Currently, the executive chef at the Minnesota Valley Country Club, Pampuch founded the award-winning Minneapolis farm to table restaurant, Corner Table, which adhered to Pampuch's commitment to sustainability and responsibility toward the land. In 2009, Pampuch founded Tour de Farm, a series of events where diners travel to local farms.

About Ovation

Ovation is the only multi-platform network celebrating art, artists and all forms of artistic story-telling. Its programming tells the stories of artists, their work, and the powerful impact art has on each of us. Ovation programming is a one-of-a-kind mix of original and selectively curated series, films, documentaries and specials. The network reaches a national audience of 51 million homes and is available on cable systems across the country, as well as nationally on DIRECTV, Dish and Verizon FiOS. Ovation is also available in HD and VOD (both in standard and high definition). Ovation extends its linear channel experience for viewers online via its popular website, www.ovationtv.com addition to offering contests, trivia, facts and supplemental video online, the network has created an award-winning online community (www.ovationtv.com/community) for everyone from passionate artists to the curious. To date, over 190,000 pieces of original art have been uploaded to the site by members.

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