"Pressure Cook" On MOJO: Gavone Out Of Water

"Hell's Kitchen" finalist and "Iron Chef America" contender Ralph Pagano is a big, friendly New Jersey dude who loves to cook and eat. He's run his own restaurants and now heads a high-end catering business in the Hamptons. But would he survive starting from the bottom in a totally strange town where he doesn't even know the local food?

That's the premise of "Pressure Cook:" drop Pagano in a place he doesn't know and give him 72 hours to earn enough money to make it back home. If he fails, there's a nasty penalty. In the first episode, he's sent to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to learn about Aztec cuisine and earn three thousand pesos, or eat three incredibly spicy habanero peppers. He sells some cookies along the beach, then works in a taco shop, where he learns about huitlacoche (corn fungus), escamole (ant larvae) and other traditional ingredients. After a stop at an all-night taco shop, he's got just a couple hundred pesos. The next day he makes brunch for some hotel VIPs, then spends the afternoon working in a tequila distillery. Finally, he cooks dinner for some slow-food epicurians and makes his fare home.

The contest is really only half the point. Mostly, it's a tour of the local food scene from top to bottom, with an affable lunk of a host. Pagano is the sort of person you want with you when you go out eating and drinking. He's not a lecturer, he's not a pretentious foodie. He just loves eating, and he manages to be friendly and likable without upstaging the food he's cooking or the people who are kind enough to teach him about it and let them work in their kitchens.

One thing to note about "Pressure Cook" is that, like everything else on the MOJO network (formerly INHD), it's broadcast in high definition, so you get a really good look at what Ralph is cooking and eating. Unfortunately, you also get a close look at Ralph, who's no Sam Talbot, if you know what I mean. The rest of the  network lineup looks a lot like a high-def version of Spike: They've got a car show, a technology show, a poker show, and one called "Three Sheets," where they send a comedian around the world to learn about booze in all its many forms and flavors.

If you like the travel/cooking/contest concept and have an HDTV setup, "Pressure Cook" is definitely worth watching. It debuts on October 14 on MOJO. Details about the shows and network are available at mojohd.com.