OPEN, a new documentary series from journalist Ivy Knight and director JR Reid, gives viewers an unobstructed glimpse inside some of Toronto‘s most beloved restaurants. A series of short films that celebrates the people that create unforgettable restaurant experiences, OPEN moves the spotlight from the allure of a finished plate to the rush of prepping for daily service.
Premiering on November 19th, on Pain Ordinaire, the duo’s YouTube channel, OPEN’s first season consists of four episodes, featuring Edulis, General Public, Afrobeat Kitchen and Linny’s. The series, explains Knight, came about as a follow-up to the team’s inaugural short film, Skyline, which premiered at Hot Docs, in 2023.
A love letter to the Skyline Restaurant, the documentary was created as a way to “celebrate this family diner coming out of the longest lockdown of any major city in North America,” she adds.
In a similar vein, OPEN, “was this idea of wanting to celebrate the restaurants that we love in the city but in a different way,” says Reid. “We wanted to highlight all the work, all the passion and effort that goes into creating and opening a restaurant.
“And not opening, you know, for the first time. It’s more the idea of, let’s celebrate the fact that all of these restaurants are still open. That just opening every day is a lot of work, is a struggle, [and] takes all sorts of people working together to bring these dishes to the table.”
Shot entirely on film, including Super 8, Polaroid and point-and-shoot, the series has a “nostalgic vibe,” to it, he adds. “[Film] really lends itself to the human storytelling aspect of it. You’re really getting a sense of authenticity through that lens.”
Each episode is meticulously designed. “JR is very specific about what he shoots,” explains Knight. “We don’t go in and blanket the whole restaurant and shoot everything and everybody in sight. It’s like, ‘What’s important? What’s beautiful? What’s really showing the theme of this episode?’”
Edulis, the subject of episode one, is an unassuming local gem that just happens to hold a Michelin star and be widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the country. “With Edulis, we’re focused on the farmers who come to their door and bring the fresh produce in, and how they literally make an entirely new menu from what they get each week,” explains Knight.
At General Public, she continues, the film hones in on owner Jen Agg’s “aesthetic and her exquisite taste and how she crafts a restaurant from the ground up.”
For OPEN, the team approached a variety of restaurants. “We wanted to celebrate some new places, like Linny’s and General Public, but also some places that have been around for a little while that we really love, like the contemporary Nigerian food that Victor is making at Afrobeat,” says Knight.
Written by Knight, voiceovers are narrated by James Chatto, a Toronto-based journalist and one of Canada’s preeminent food writers and critics with an undeniably Attenborough-esque quality to his voice.
“I wanted someone who is an expert, who’s engaging, who is revered and classy. So, of course, I thought of James Chatto,” says Knight. “For a lot of us who came up as cooks in this city, he was the Pete Wells of our time. He knows so much about restaurants and also, he’s at these restaurants all the time so he’s very much a part of this community.”
A series that celebrates restaurant processes and people, OPEN invites diners to peek inside their favourite spots and, hopefully, gain a better understanding of what makes them tick.
Says Reid, “there’s something to all that time and effort, a lifelong dedication to craft, making something special, and that’s not lost on us.”
