Hell week at East Coast Grille in Cambridge is a popular annual event.

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) – Here's a question for you: How hot is too hot when it comes to spicy food?

If you want to find out first hand, it's Hell Week at the East Coast Grill in Cambridge.

For those who aren't familiar with the event, the restaurant cooks up what may be the spiciest dish you could ever eat.

Before you can even order the Pasta Plate from Hell, you have to sign a waiver saying you understand that you are putting yourself in danger.

Those who think the waiver is some kind of a publicity stunt only need to look at an incident Tuesday night.

The spicy food forced one man to get medical assistance. An ambulance showed up after witnesses say the man passed out.

WBZ-TV's Jonathan Elias reports

Owner Chris Schlesinger created the Pasta Plate from Hell. He says it's aimed at a specific clientele.

"All the people that like hot and spicy food consider themselves gun slingers and they come looking for trouble," he said.

Cameron Butts from the Coast Guard summed up the experience.

"Pain. I can't breathe. I can't talk," he said. "It tastes good at first. Now I can't taste anything," he said.

Countless others echoed that same sentiment.

Fortunately, there is an antidote that the restaurant keeps handy.

Chants of "wimp" accompany the delivery of the coveted orange Popsicle – a true lifesaver here.

"I saved another soul," a server cracks.

The secret ingredient of Hell Week is the Naga pepper, one of the hottest peppers on the planet.

A scoreboard keeps a tally of the torture. Many have tried, but only a handful have eaten the whole bowl.

And while there have been trips to the hospital, the good news, according to Schlesinger, there have been no fatalities so far.