Ace Ltd is hardly the setting that would inspire a top sitcom but one chef is hoping that is exactly what will happen after signing a production deal with a top US company.

Ian Friedman, who used to work at Cafe Cairo, and Scott Krol were both attending Ace's Christmas function a year-and-a-half ago when they came up with the concept "Bachelor Pad", a situational cooking show aimed at men.

The two men, who both have wives who work as lawyers for the insurance giant, started bouncing ideas off one another over the supper and it has grown from there.

Last week they signed a deal with Dick Clark Productions. The company is an entertainment production company founded by entertainer Dick Clark. It has produced shows such as American Dreams and American Bandstand.

The next step is pitching the show to US television networks such as ABC and NBC, as well as cable channels such as HBO.

"I'm shocked," Mr. Friedman told The Royal Gazette. "It has been a long process and I have learned a lot. I think the TV industry is changing a lot right now. Networks are becoming more daring and are willing to look at shows they might have passed over in the past because they feared it was too risque.

"Our show will be like Entourage (the big HBO hit about a group of friends living it up in LA), there won't be just one set.

"Originally the idea was to have a situational cooking show that would appeal to men and teach them what to do when they have to entertain.

"But now it has grown and 'Bachelor Pad' is going to be a sitcom about two men living in New York who are on a situational cooking show."

The men are co-creaters and co-executive producers of the show. They will not act in it.

A key theme of the show will be instructing men how to use simple recipes to impress women.

It prompts men to up the ante and prepare a picnic or a special third-date dinner.

Mr. Friedman said the production company was confident they would be picked up by a network.

The men will be heading to Los Angeles in two weeks for more meetings.