Cousins and pizza entrepreneurs Francis Garcia and Sal Basille are set to return to the Cooking Channel on Dec. 5 for Pizza Masters, a six-episode series that tracks their culinary adventures across North America.
Garcia and Basille, first cousins who together own some of the more successful pizza shops in New York City, made their TV debut in Pizza Cuz in 2013. In Pizza Masters, the cousins will seek out other foods in other locations, not just pizza.
"Francis and Sal showed off their knowledge and expertise with Pizza Cuz," said Cooking Channel senior vice president and general manager Michael Smith in a statement. "But being restaurateurs, not to mention one-of-a kind personalities, their appreciation goes beyond pizza to include all things food. Viewers will love seeing Sal and Francis hit the road to experience all the different people, restaurants and food, with a little bit of fun sprinkled in."
In the premiere episode Francis and Sal travel to Los Angeles, visiting Guisados in East Los Angeles for tacos filled with homemade braises and wrapped in fresh corn tortillas. Next, the pair visit their friend, film executive, and now bakery owner Lisa at Cake Monkey Bakery and finally, to celebrate a successful trip, the pair heads to the famous food trucks of Abbot Kinney in Venice to grab a slice at the Urban Oven.
Throughout the series, Francis and Sal visit some of the most popular cities in North America, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Las Vegas, and New York City.
The cousins opened Artichoke Basille's Pizza in Manhattan's East Village in 2008 and have since partnered with New York nightlife proprietors and restaurateurs Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss to expand their pizza empire. Seven locations later, Artichoke Basille's Pizza brand is available on the West Coast and in your local grocer's freezer. In addition to Pizza Cuz, Francis and Sal have appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Rachael Ray Show. In April 2015, the cousins will be releasing their first cookbook "Staten Italy," a tribute to the Italian-American cuisine they grew up with.
Pizza Masters is produced by 11 Studios.
