More Than Horses to be featured by George Hirsch in Food & Lifestyle TV Segments

Bridgehampton, NY—August 16, 2004— Sag Harbor’s own food and lifestyle television host Chef George Hirsch will tape special features at this year’s Hampton Classic Horse Show for MSG and for his Living it UP! television series.

The Hampton Classic, which returns to Bridgehampton from August 29 through September 5, is more than just horses. After 29 years, The Hampton Classic has evolved into a community gathering of family and friends featuring wine and food pairings, a celebration of Hispanic culture, culinary demonstrations by celebrity chefs, corporate entertaining with the best of style, and celebrities gathering to sip fine champagne.

Over the past two decades, the American television audience has developed a hunger for food and lifestyle and George Hirsch will satisfy this hunger by going behind the scenes in the Classic Kitchen while the chefs from Robbins Wolfe Eventeurs prepare elegant food for this must-see event. On Cablevision’s Kids Day, Hirsch will interview smiling children as he gets the “scoop” on their favorite flavor ice cream. Chef George will also visit and nibble with Inside the Actors Studio’s Jim Lipton as he entertains his celebrity guests while sharing yarns of his horse jumping days. Viewers will hear Hirsch clink glasses with Champagne Louis Roederer CEO Jean Claude Rouzaud in celebration of the company’s 10th Anniversary at the Classic.

Each year the Hampton Classic Horse Show attracts more than 50,000 spectators and a dazzling line-up of celebrities who come to watch the country’s best horses and riders compete in an array of competitions headlined by the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix. There simply is no other competition that brings together the thrill and prestige of the hunter-jumper horse show circuit with so many thousands of spectators, extravagant social events, and celebrities, all surrounded by the beaches and elegant villages of Long Island’s summer playground—The Hamptons.

The nine days of the Hampton Classic kick off on Saturday, August 28 with the 2nd Annual Wine Spectator’s Long Island Wine Classic. Tickets to this celebration of Long Island wine, produce, seafood and top regional chefs are $175 in advance and are sold on a first come first served basis. (Tickets purchased the day of the event at the door will be $200, if available.) Tickets to the Wine Classic may be ordered by email at info@liwineclassic.com or by calling 631-537- 3177. The Long Island Wine Classic’s website is www.liwineclassic.com.

Throughout the week at the Classic’s new Loaves & Fishes Cookshop & Demonstration Kitchen presented by Viking & TurboChef located in the Classic’s Boutique Garden, chefs such as Abby Hitchcock of Manhattan’s Camaje and Jason Weiner of Bridgehampton’s Almond will join chefs representing Viking Range Corporation and TurboChef in demonstrating their skills on the state-of-the-art kitchen equipment. On Saturday afternoon, September 4, the public is invited to join Chef George Hirsch at the Classic as he appears on the culinary stage for his live Living it UP! cooking demonstration.

Hampton Classic Executive Director Tony Hitchcock said, “We are delighted to have chosen PBS Chef George Hirsch to host our special features segments this year. George brings years of on-air experience to our event and his combination of food, beverage and lifestyle approach to television makes him a superb choice to introduce this new component to our sports television show.”

Hampton Classic horse show competition runs from Sunday, August 29 through Sunday, September 5 with a break in competition on Monday, August 30. Admission is $10 per person or $20 per carload, with children under the age of 6 admitted free. Reserved grandstand seating for Sunday, September 5 is $15 per person (in addition to regular admission) or $25 per person in the special Premium Seating center sections. Parking is free throughout the week.

As a chef, author and lifestyle expert, George Hirsch has taped programs throughout the US and the globe at exotic and prestigious locations in the Caribbean, Mexico and, most recently, at Ashford Castle County Mayo, Ireland to name a few. In addition to his lifestyle and cooking TV series, George Hirsch Living it UP!, he appears regularly on Live with Regis and Kelly along with other national and local television shows sharing his tips on food and lifestyle.

For information on George Hirsch Living it UP!, visit www.chefgeorgehirsch.com .

For more information on the Hampton Classic Horse Show, please visit the Hampton Classic website at www.hamptonclassic.com or call (631) 537-3177.