Chefs Strive for 'Sweet' Success With Ron Ben-Israel in New Season of 'Sweet Genius'

Season Premiere Thursday, March 15th at 10pm ET/PT

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2012 -- Master Pastry Chef Ron Ben-Israel returns to Food Network for the second season of the sugar-packed competition series Sweet Genius , premiering Thursday, March 15 ^th at 10pm ET/PT.




Back with more whimsy and wonder, each episode has four of America's premier pastry chefs competing against one another through three rounds of challenges judged by Ben-Israel, along the way testing their creativity, ingenuity and imagination. The chefs are given surprise ingredients, an inspiration and a limited amount of time; with those three elements as a guide, they must create a delectable chocolate, candy and cake dessert.

The winners from each round will advance for a final test, with Ben-Israel crowning the remaining chef Sweet Genius and receiving a $10,000 cash prize.

"Sweet Genius viewers will be on the edge of their seats as we continue to push the limits with inspirations and ingredients, while showcasing the talents of some of the best pastry chefs around," said Ron Ben-Israel. "As a result, the desserts that the chefs create are truly outrageous."

Over the thirteen-episode season, the chefs experience a myriad of new inspirations and ingredients, testing their pastry prowess. Whether it is making flamingo-inspired chocolate desserts with pink lemonade; creating candy desserts from rolled fruit snacks and shortbread cookies; or incorporating the inspiration of a music box to bake a cake using avocado and stinky cheese, each pastry chef will prove their imagination and skills worthy, but in the end, there can only be one Sweet Genius!

ABOUT RON BEN-ISRAEL
As Chef-Owner of Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, one of the country's finest couture cake studios, Ron Ben-Israel's cakes have been hand-delivered to destinations throughout the continental U.S and abroad. Ron started his confectionery adventures after a fifteen-year career as a professional modern dancer. Upon retiring from performing with companies spanning three continents, he utilized his art training, military background and ballet regime into the discipline of pastry arts. After arriving in New York City, Ron's cakes were discovered by Martha Stewart while on display in the windows of Mikimoto on Fifth Avenue. In 1999 he established his flagship design studio and bakery in Manhattan's fashionable SoHo neighborhood. He is a Master Pastry Instructor at the International Culinary Center in New York City, and has been awarded prestigious gold medals for his confectionery achievements.

Sweet Genius is produced by Jane Street Entertainment.

FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring and empowering through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to more than 100 million U.S. households and averages more than 9.9 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine has tripled its rate base and delivers a circulation of 1.4 million. Headquartered in New York, Food Network has a growing international presence with programming in more than 150 countries, including 24 hour networks in Great Britain, India, Asia and Africa. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also owns and operates Cooking Channel (www.cookingchanneltv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Great American Country (www.gactv.com), HGTV (www.hgtv.com), and Travel Channel (www.travelchannel.com), is the manager and general partner.

SOURCE Food Network

To Crunch or To Chew? With New Jolly Rancher Crunch 'n Chew Candy, You Can Do Both!

Jolly Rancher Teams up with Videographers and Asks Fans to Vote for their Favorite Crunchy and Chewy Video

HERSHEY, Pa., Jan. 16, 2012  -- The Jolly Rancher® brand is introducing a unique way to enjoy bold fruit flavor with Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew® candy. With a crunchy candy shell and a soft, chewy center, new Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew combines the unmistakably, bold fruit flavors of original Jolly Rancher® Hard Candy with the chewiness of Jolly Rancher® Chews. The result is a new, untamed candy experience that satisfies both crunchy and chewy candy fans. To celebrate the product launch, Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew candy partnered with Poptent, an online videographer community, to create cool original video spots highlighting the crunchy and chewy elements of the new Jolly Rancher product and is inviting consumers to cast their vote and help choose the winning video.

Poptent is a vibrant community of filmmakers, actors, comedians, animators and more who are connecting to each other and to brands to showcase their talents while exploring a new way of creating branded messages for the Internet age. The Jolly Rancher assignment received a tremendous response, surpassing expectations with nearly 200 creative submissions ranging from catchy musical raps to humorous spoofs focusing on the product's unique characteristics. Consumers are invited to engage with Jolly Rancher and learn about the new product by voting for their favorite Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew candy video at www.jollyrancher.com.

Starting today, fans can visit the Jolly Rancher website (www.jollyrancher.com) to view the final three videos and cast their vote for their favorite commercial once per day through February 15, 2012. After the votes are tallied, the prize-winning videographer will produce two additional videos, resulting in a three-part video series that will be posted on the Jolly Rancher website this spring.

Jolly Rancher fans can visit www.jollyrancher.com and vote for one of three original video spots:

• Do You Wanna Crunch – A vibrant and catchy Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew rap, highlighting the product's crunchy and chewy characteristics.
• Brand New – Jolly Rancher's newest product inspires young artists to produce a fresh new track that starts on the basketball court and finishes as a colorful music video.
• The Adventures of Bart the Bold – Part 1 – Bart the Bold goes on a bold adventure, defeating villains and eating Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew candy along the way. Consumers can choose where Bart's adventure takes him next!

"The combination of a hard candy shell and a soft, chewy center gives candy lovers the best of both worlds and the chance to experience the untamed fruit flavor of Jolly Rancher candies in a brand new way," said Anna Lingeris, spokesperson for the Jolly Rancher brand and The Hershey Company. "We wanted to give our fans the opportunity to engage with the brand like never before and after reviewing the nearly 200 submissions from Poptent videographers across the country, we've selected our top three videos and are excited for our fans to select the winner."

With four mouthwatering flavors including cherry, blue raspberry, green apple and watermelon, Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew candy offers an intense taste experience unlike any other and is available nationwide at mass grocery, drug and convenience stores. For more information and to cast your vote for one of three original Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew video spots, visit Jolly Rancher online at www.jollyrancher.com.

About Jolly RancherThe Jolly Rancher® brand produces a wide selection of candy varieties, including Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, Gummies, Chews, Awesome Twosome Chews, Sours Candy, Jelly Beans, Candy Canes, Stix Candy, Lollipops and the latest, Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N Chew. With a wide variety of flavors to choose from, including cherry, blue raspberry, watermelon and green apple, among others, Jolly Rancher candy is the perfect dose of bold fruit flavor to wake up your taste buds.

Jolly Rancher was founded in 1949 and acquired by The Hershey Company in 1996. For more information, visit www.jollyrancher.com.

About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest producer of quality chocolate in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. Headquartered in Hershey, PA, The Hershey Company has operations throughout the world and more than 12,000 employees. With revenues of nearly $6 billion, Hershey offers confectionery products under more than 25 brand names, including such iconic brands as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's Bliss, Hershey's Special Dark and Hershey's Extra Dark, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, and Ice Breakers. Hershey also is a leader in the premium and artisan chocolate segments, with such brands as Scharffen Berger and Dagoba, offered through the Artisan Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary. The company is focused on growing its presence in key international markets such as China and Mexico while continuing to build its competitive advantage in the United States and Canada.

For more than 100 years, The Hershey Company has been a leader in making a positive difference in the communities where its employees live, work and do business. Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of the company's global business strategy, which includes goals and priorities focused on fair and ethical business dealings, environmental stewardship, fostering a desirable workplace for employees, and positively impacting society and local communities. Milton Hershey School, established in 1909 by the company's founder and administered by Hershey Trust Company, provides a quality education, housing, and medical care at no cost to children in social and financial need. Students of Milton Hershey School are direct beneficiaries of The Hershey Company's success.

SOURCE The Hershey Company