One of of us is not a binge watcher and that’s not always a good thing when it comes to Netflix.
After viewing a couple of episodes of the series Pressure Cooker, the publicity dam broke with Delaware chef Robbie Jester declared the winner of the $100,000 prize. In this case, all of the episodes dropped at once.
In the end, knowing the winner in advance did not take away a lot from the entertainment value of the show.
Jester came across as one of the good people on the show that came with elements of the popular Big Brother and Survivor reality shows as well as the endless parade of Food Network gladiator competitions.
During Pressure Cooker, contestants formed alliances and in a few cases appeared to hasten the exits of better chefs in gaining an edge. Jester was not in that category. The commercial-free format and high production values keep you focused on the quirks and skills of participants.
Jester, a Culinary Institute of America grad who grew up across the line in Galena, MD, likes down-to-earth fare minus the nitrogen and other exotic techniques of competitors. But when push came to shove, he showed a flair for more sophisticated offerings and not forgetting basics like undercooked food. In the end, being a good teammate and human being seemed to make the difference.
Jester is no stranger to cooking contests, having bested celebrity chef Bobby Flay and won Guy Fieri’s supermarket cooking show on the second try. For that matter, Delaware supplies more than its share of chefs to reality TV, including Newark’s Dana Herbert who has won a couple of high-profile bake-offs and runs Desserts by Dana in the Newark aera.
Jester came to the kitchen-dormitory set gambling that being on the show was worth taking time off from his ventures that include Marinara’s Pizza in Newark and work as a private chef. He admitted on air that the exposure to talented chefs and their more exotic techniques improved his considerable skills.
Like many who will read this column, we were lucky enough to sample his fare at the Stone Balloon Ale House in Newark and have a word or two with the chef at our table. More recently, we have been picking up unique ziti pizzas from Marinara’s and its friendly staff. Jester’s career dates back to a stint in the early 2000s at Toscana, the long-running eatery in Wilmington’s Trolley Square area.
My guess is that some foodies on I-95 will set their Waze apps and GPS systems for Cleveland Avenue and the chance to sample Jester’s shrimp scampi that beat out Bobby Flay while seeking one of the parking spaces. So far, we’ve been lucky.
It turns out that the show’s sizable audience put it into the top 10 on Netflix, making it the only reality show to be on that list. TV Guide (yes it is still around) panned the show. Granted we are Delaware “homers” but beg to differ. – Doug and Sharon Rainey
– Doug and Sharon Rainey
