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Ancila Kamut, trained a lawyer in Bombay, came to Canada and needed a job. Even though she had no experience cooking, she started her own business, delivering home cooked meals to the huge Indo-Canadian community in the northwest suburbs of Toronto, where she lives. She wants to expand, and create a restaurant empire. But the jump to a full service menu proves much more than she expected.

Squamish, British Columbia is the next boomtown on the west coast. It's half way between Vancouver and Whistler. The area will be hosting The Olympics in 2010 and until now, there's no decent place to eat in town. But two gals and their guys from Whistler who've spent the last ten years partying and skiing decide they're the ones to change things. They think opening a sexy lounge will be easy as pie, but they have no idea what they are in for.

Leon De Magistris came to America from Italy in the 60s and made a lot of money in the hair business. He wants a legacy, so he's invested close to a million dollars in a restaurant for his three boys, where son number two—Dante, will cook. Dante is a strong willed, accomplished chef: he wants control, and his father won't give it to him.

Ed Ho has been a mutual fund manager for 10 years making good money. But he decides he can't face in himself in the mirror every morning: he needs to go back to the restaurant business, his first love. But he chooses a cavernous and dirty space where a restaurant has just failed and before he even begins renovations, he's $100 thousand over budget and it only gets worse. . He doesn't dare tell his wife, who is supporting him until he opens.

One’s a hair stylist; the other is a recent graduate from cooking school. They decide to open a soul food restaurant in suburban Los Angeles to keep their relationship alive. But they are in over their heads. They've never run a business, and weeks before opening they run out of money and are burning everything in the kitchen.

The name Legal Seafoods is synonymous with Boston. It's been an institution since 1903, when Roger Berkowitz's grandfather opened his grocery and fish market. Over the years, Legal's has grown and grown--there are now nearly 30 restaurants throughout New England. But Roger, who's been at the helm of the family business since the early 80s, knows he can't rest on his laurels and wants to attract a younger clientele. LTK, or Legal Test Kitchen, is a huge experiment that risks jeopardizing his dynasty.

A straight-laced real estate agent and his young wife have no experience in the restaurant business. They hook up with two women who are partners in a deli and in life. The odd foursome hatch the idea of a gourmet martini bar and grill in a small town. But every step in the way the difference in their values create a fiery and comic path to Opening Night.

A chef-duo couple's marriage nearly dissolves in their former restaurant, but after a year out, they decide to open a larger restaurant because it is all they know.  They make a deal to stay out of each other's way—she'll only to deserts. But he can't stop butting in and she's forced to tape a line down the center of the kitchen top keep the peace.

In Vancouver, Emad Yacoud is trying to create a hideaway as sexy as Ali Babba’s cave and glamorous enough for rock stars. Inspired by the ancient spice route, his resto-lounge takes its name from the ancient Red Sea Port on the Egypt Sinai Penninsula and will feature the cuisines of the three spice roads civilizations—Far east, Mideast and Mediterranean. But the Egyptian born Yacoub has chosen one of Vancouver’s worst neighborhoods and has taken his invested other people’s money. It’s an all or nothing gamble.

Massimo Capra and Paolo Paulini are big shots on the Toronto dining scene. Their restaurant, Mistura, is a starched-linen estabishment dining room serving up rich southern Italian fare. But Paolo is restless and thinks his clientele is as well. And "Sopra" at a cost of $1.4 million is to be the jazz and tapas lounge upstairs that will keep their business viable. But nothing goes as it should.

An ambitious investment banker decides to become a restaurateur. As a Columbian immigrant, he’s always believed in the American dream. He’s worked hard and so far he’s succeeded. But Sunset is a whole different game. As the budget spirals, his director of operations takes off to Thailand and never returns. A second one is hired but they part ways. Now it’s up to the third to make it work.  Sunset is supposed to be a restaurant theme park, blending Disneyland with the beach on one level, fine dining above. It may all be too ambitious.

An ancient print-shop building, a neighbourhood on the cusp of wealth, and three charismatic business partners. Two years ago, Mitch and Stevie Rosenthal and their friend Doug Washington took San Francisco by storm when they opened Town Hall, a restaurant specializing in high-end American food. Now, they're putting everything on the line, and opening a new place with their own money. They want Salt House to be a tavern serving well-made, simple food. But first, they have to rescue a decrepit 100-year-old building in San Francisco's SoMa district.

There's a time and a place to take a risk, but Trevor Wilkinson may have picked the wrong one. Tired of working in other people's kitchen, he mortgages his house and gambles on a dark and dirty space in downtown Toronto for his "anti establishment" dining room and bar. He and his wife have a toddler and another on the way. They've risked it all and have nothing to fall back on.

In Nashville, the big national chain restaurants are gobbling up the marketplace. But Randy Rayburn, the number one local restaurateur is fighting back. He’s decided to go big, or go home. Cabana, his new "eatertainment" complex featuring updated southern comfort food began with a budget of $300,000. But it will cost $1.2 million when it’s done. Randy and his partners don’t have the money and the banks won’t give it to them. But this good ol’ Southern boy does whatever it takes to stay in the game.

Sean Sherwood and Michael Mitton are old friends who are opening Century, a Latin-themed club and restaurant together in Vancouver's heritage district. The building is a designated heritage site; it’s old and beautiful with vaulted ceilings, gold trim, and a gorgeous marble floor. Sean is not a professional designer but he’s insisted on doing the design himself, and what’s come out is “Latin Communist Revolutionary”. But since Vancouver is becoming Canada's hottest dining destination, Michael is afraid there is too much at stake to gamble - and he isn't afraid to say so. Century could do in their friendship for good.

Cajun food is not to be confused with Creole or other cuisines we often associate with New Orleans. And most of the dishes we associate with it aren’t authentic, according to Donald Link, a chef and restaurateur born and raised in Bayou country. He was well on his way to opening New Orleans’ first authentic Cajun restaurant, when Hurricane Katrina hit. He lost his home and his other restaurant. Yet the idea of creating a Cajun party atmosphere in the new New Orleans may be a dream.

Geoffrey Zakarian became the toast of Manhattan with his first restaurant Town. Featured on Sex and the City, and frequented by celebrities it might be easy to forget the food if it weren’t so good. But Geoffry who has cooked at the best restaurants, wowed the tough New York Times food critic who said his meal at Town was one of the best he’d ever had. Now Geoffry’s poised to see if magic can strike twice with his sophomore effort Country.

Boulder, Colorado, is reputed to have one of the best qualities of life. But a young and idealistic couple thinks it’s missing the perfect deli to showcase local products. Brian Benham, a graduate of the American Culinary Institute, and his wife, Stacey, a graphic artist, manages to get all their friends to pony up the money they need to get started. But they find out they’ve got a big problem: someone else claims to have trademarked their name!

Scott Simpson loves food almost as much as he loves his adopted town, Seattle. Here, this chef lovingly crafted his first restaurant, The Blue Onion Bistro, out of an abandoned 1950s garage, and turned it into a critical success and a mecca for local foodies. But the death of his mother brought on a manic/depressive episode, leaving him unable to cook, and forcing him to sell. Now he is back with Fork, a high-end experimental restaurant located in a cozy 1920s heritage cottage and he has only 6 weeks to open. Financial and logistical stresses and expectations mount as Scott fights to keep his demons at bay long enough for him to get through to opening night.

Mark Jooris and Mark West lived the Canadian dream—they grew up playing hockey, played pro in Europe, got married, had kids and bought big houses in the burbs. But now they have nothing to do. So they decide to open a steakhouse. Turns out, it’s a lot harder than they thought, and sometimes they just wish they could be back on the ice. They risk their life savings, have a falling out with their designer/contractor and end up having to do it all themselves—they even cook the steaks on opening night.

In Los Angeles, Hollywood Boulevard’s glamour days are long gone. It may be home to the walk and gala film events but the street is lined with tacky t-shirt shops, run down buildings and low-end retailers—and there’s no place decent to eat. It is the dream of five Los Angeles entrepreneurs to transform Janes House, the one remaining Victorian structure on Hollywood Boulevard, into Memphis, the next place to see and be seen in Los Angeles. The décor is French boudoir and in health-conscious California, they are gambling on southern fried food—their signature chicken dish is fried for three hours in peanut oil.

The United Nations considers Toronto the most diverse city in the world. But two brothers from Mexico City are appalled by the state of Mexican food there. They want to open the first high end Mexican restaurant in Canada, featuring tapas style appetizers, but they quickly discover that nothing happens they way it did back home in Mexico.

A husband and wife chef team trade in their high pressure lives in New York for a picket fence in the suburbs of Atlanta. They decide they no longer work for other people and try to open their own restaurant. But Joe won’t make a move without Mihoko, his wife, who leaves to visit her family in Japan. Joe tries to second guess his wife, but she nixes almost every idea. The project grinds to a halt, the designer despairs and Joe is trapped.  They’ve just had a baby, Mihoko isn’t working and neither is he, and he has to find the cash to make mortgage payments on their home. 

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, there are countless stories of devastation, but a once successful restaurateur and an ambitious chef try to rebuild the city they love. Much of the city is still in ruins; there is a shortage of staff and essential products and there's no place for people on lower wages to live. But without new businesses like Seven on Fulton, New Orleans can't hope to rebuild.

A Sri Lankan born Wall Street investment banker goes back to her home country after the Tsunami to help and realizes she needs to change her life. She returns to New York and drops everything. She follows her brother to a small Michigan beach town and decides to open the town’s first South Asian restaurant. She’s invested everything she’s got, but knows nothing about restaurants. At thirty, single and with a glamorous shoe collection, she is the local oddity.

The Fairmont Waterworks in Philadelphia is one of North America’s finest examples of neo-classical architecture. When it was decommissioned in the early part of the 20th Century, it felt into disrepair and attempts to revive it for other uses have failed. Some say the historic site is cursed. But Michael Karloutsos, who’s Greek immigrant grandfather opened a diner in New York when he came to America, says it’s his destiny to open a Greek revival haute cuisine restaurant there. But the former political organizer is plagued by floods and a near fatal car accident.

Tim Hogle used to be a dentist, but that didn’t suit his lifestyle. So he went into nightclubs. Now he wants to open the restaurant in South Beach. In a town where appearances are everything, Tim claims to have developed "beauty cuisine"—food that actually makes you more beautiful.

Laurent Tourendel is a fiery French chef dedicated to perfection. He and his business partner Jim Haber already have two top-tier New York restaurants, BLT Steak and BLT Fish. Their new offering to the crème de la crème will be BLT Prime, built around a well-lit display of big hunks of meat and Warhol-style paintings of bulls. They can’t get the colour of the walls just right and the bulls just don’t see to pass muster. But executive chef Mark Forgione has the biggest challenge of all—satisfying his boss Tourendel. It’s "Non" to the lamb, "non" to the tomato side dish. But when the crowd of 600 shows up to the much anticipated opening, BLT Prime gets a decided "oui" all around.

In the peaceful hills of the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York, Dano Hutnik has pined for his native Austria. He's a cantankerous kind of guy, and his American wife Karen wants nothing more than for Dano to be happy. She gets her mother to come up with the cash so the couple can create a little piece of his homeland. They’ll open a heuriger, a traditional alpine restaurant serving rustic food and wine. Dano will present whole roasted animals and deserts with lots o' whipped cream. As construction begins, the couple argue about everything including what they argue about. Karen wants to adapt the concept to something the locals will understand. Dano will have none of it. Add to the mix no running water and a well-meaning mother-in-law and the stressful process of opening a restaurant skirts disaster.

There are over 19,000 restaurants in New York City, and Geoffry Chodorow owns 7 of them—including hot spots China Grill, Asia d Cuba and Mix (plus 16 other eateries around the world). Geoffry is now teaming up with another superstar, Todd English. His rustic Mediterranean cuisine has earned him numerous awards and international attention, and spawned 17 restaurants across North America.  Together they’re opening English is Italian. In the wake of two recent New York successes, Ono and Caviar and Banana, Jeffrey is determined to score again with English is Italian. He’s determined to get his hat trick no matter what obstacles present themselves.

She knows Woody Harrelson likes it raw. And she’s heard Alicia Silverstone likes it that way too. So Jennifer Italiano is gambling that more people in Toronto want it raw too. Apparently, it’s better for you. Devotees of raw cuisine say cooking kills the natural enzymes in food. But the problem is raw food (or food that’s still alive!) takes forever to prepare. A pizza can take three days because the ingredients need to be sprouted and blended. So, Jennifer Italiano has a big problem. Her new restaurant called LIVE will seat 60, and that’s a lot of sprouting and blending to figure out before opening night. Never mind the design and the budget, which run completely out of control.

After two failed marriages and a number of lousy jobs Lisa Schroeder has put herself through the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. She opened a restaurant in Portland Oregon that celebrates homey, uncomplicated food and is now opening Mama Mia. She’s behind the concept of Italian home-style cooking but she worries that the Mother’s magic won’t strike twice.

Hugo Rally and Steve Lombardo are Chicago legends - old school, rat-pack types - they aren’t content to rest on their laurels. They already own three successful restaurants including the busiest place in town: Gibson’s Steakhouse - otherwise known as “the steakhouse to the stars.” Gibson’s is a tough act to follow, but Steve and Hugo have set the bar even higher with plans for a $4 million Italian hot spot featuring high design and a high price point. Although they share 40 years of experience between them, this won’t necessarily be an easy ride for the two septuagenarians. Do they still have the energy and vision to hit another one out of the park?

Accomplished chef and ambitious restauranteur Michael Mina faces scrutiny from the media and the city's discerning foodies as he opens his namesake restaurant in San Francisco. With the food as the main attraction, Michael's restaurant features one core ingredient prepared three different ways.

Jimmy Bradley and Danny Abrams are celebrities in the New York restaurant scene running 3 restaurants. Their next adventure is Pace (Italian for peace), a rustic Italian trattoria. Will a fourth restaurant stretch their creative and organizational skills to the breaking point?

Patricia Yeo may be the only star chef in New York city who has a doctorate in bio-chemistry from Princeton. But after receiving her degree, she took a cooking class and traded in her lab coat for chef whites.

After opening The Roxbury, the quintessential place to see and be seen, n 1990, John and Bob Long became the nightclub kings of Los Angeles. Now a little older and a lot richer, they’ve decided to open a high-end restaurant. With Madonna as one of their investors, The Central will be one of the most anticipated and well-publicized openings of the year. But do two nightclub impresarios have what it takes to open a high-end Hollywood eatery?

In LA fame is a lot easier to lose than it is to acquire, and restaurateurs Lonnie Moore, Mike Malin and Shireen Arazm are anxious to prolong their fifteen minutes. Now they’re creating The Geisha House—a $2 million futuristic Japanese restaurant. Think loud music, anime, Tokyo circa 2040 with authentic sushi. The opening night party will include an A-list of LA tastemakers who will make or break their latest endeavor. In this town, you’re only as good as your latest project.

Star restaurateur, Steven Starr, is on a mission to open eight new restaurants in Philadelphia and New York City in the next nine months and Washington Square is the most ambitious. But given his frenetic energy, ever-changing vision, and the massive reputations and egos of the people he’s working with, realizing the dream of Washington Square promises to be a rocky ride.

Belgian chef Nico Sheurman and his Canadian wife Karri met in Australia during the Olympic Games. After a year of bumming around the ski slopes, they are opening a restaurant in Vancouver—a mutual dream that utilizes their respective talents. Vancouver’s foodies and critics are already buzzing about this attractive couple.

Brad Denton fell in love with the peeling façade of an old Polish deli on Queen St. West and the red and white sign out front. He leased the 81-year-old property planning to open a small cocktail bar. But as Brad’s knowledge of the space and its history expanded so did the project. Czehoksi’s has morphed into a 3-floor bar/lounge/restaurant with a huge patio.

Gordon Bailey is a biker chef who’s worked in other people’s restaurants and made ends meet by fixing other people’s motorcycles. But one day, wealthy New York restaurateur Bobby Shapiro dropped by the place Bailey was cooking for lunch. The food was so good, he went into the kitchen to offer Bailey the money to open his own restaurant. They agree to create "Dayboat", featuring the finest and freshest local fish and seafood. It may sound like Bailey’s dream come true, but Shapiro and the high-energy chef don’t always see eye-to-eye.

Didier LeRoy is everyone's ideal of what an accomplished French chef should be: handsome, charming, urbane and uniquely talented. For the last five years, he and his girlfriend and business partner, Tori Edwards, a manager and sommelier, have been looking for a suitable venue to open Didier, an authentic French bistro that will offer a classic European dining experience. Their $100,000 budget prevented them from embarking on a major construction and redesign project. Fortunately, they found a former restaurant in a good location with great bones and a luxurious wood and marble interior.

Tony Longo and Cesare Fuzari have been best friends since they were 10 years old. Now the two former busboys are working together again, creating Flow, a full service dining emporium in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville neighbourhood.

Patricia Hovington is determined to make a come back with Garçon an elegant brasserie on the ground floor of an opulent boutique hotel. Chef Jerome Lefils, from Burgundy France is creating a tasting menu that will change each week as well as an a la carte menu. Patricia’s partner Norman Earnby is handling the financial side of things so she can devote herself to the creative details she loves. Problem is, all the boys (Norman, her chef, the contractors) tend to treat her like an emotional girly girl, and the truth is, she does cry easily under pressure. With Norman constantly bullying her to cut costs, and chef Jerome demanding more and more luxe ingredients for his creative menu, Patricia is having a hard time staying within the $750,000 budget.

Two years ago, Socrates Karagonas was an unemployed bartender running through the last of his money. Then he won the lottery. He took part of his $2 million prize and bought a pizza parlour, inviting his two best friends to join him. The town was sceptical but the business was a success and now the guys want to launch their own brew pub. Problem is they know lots about drinking beer but nothing about making it. They abandon any traditional recipe and throw in what ever they think might work—hec, it’s beer anyway, eh? When it comes to deciding on the menu, they’re too hung over. But on opening night the beer is flowing and everyone is happy.

Maureen O’Neill has successfully run The Harp for over 16 years. This full service watering hole is something of a Port Credit institution, and has been voted Best Pub four years in a row. Last year prime commercial real estate became available next door in the developing lakefront area. Rather than see a competitor grab the choice property, Maureen and her contractor husband Cam bought the building for $1.5 million. The next step was deciding what to do with it. They decided to go upscale offering the community an alternative to driving into Toronto for sophisticated food and atmosphere.

Follows one of the top ten chefs in the world, Susur Lee as he opens Lee - a less expensive more accessible restaurant situated right next door to his flagship.

When a hurricane destroyed Jim Larkin's Charlottetown restaurant, he thought he was finished. Lobster on the Wharf has been in his family for 24 years, and their only source of income. Jim has managed to scrape together enough money to start rebuilding and they’ve set an opening date and are determined to honour it whether construction is fully completed or not!

At the height of his celebrity chef status, Michael Potters and his wife Karen (also an accomplished chef) decide to relocated to Prince Edward County to open a small fine dining room with a menu featuring local organic ingredients. But will they be able to succeed after their new country dream house turnsout to be a money bit?

St. John, New Brunswick: Axel and Margaret Begner have been partners in business and life for 24 years, and as Axel puts it, "that counts for double." These German immigrants have found themselves in St. John, New Brunswick, a part of the country that is not known for sophisticated cuisine. Their mission—upgrade the local palate. On opening night, as the musicians warm up, the kitchen still isn’t ready.

Marc Thuet—Toronto’s notorious bad boy chef—is opening his own restaurant and the whole city is abuzz. Plagued by heavy debts and hard living, his success, as a businessman has not matched his ability in the kitchen. Can this famously decadent chef make good or will the chaos that has dogged his life take over yet again?

After cutting his teeth in N.Y., sommelier Stephen Beckta returns to his hometown of Ottawa to open a restaurant.

John Elkhay opens Big Fish, a large, modern seafood restaurant with room for everyone in Providence. Can Elkhay really go big without sacrificing quality?

In this episode, follow Chef Mark McEwan (North 44°) behind the scenes as he prepares to open Bymark, a multi-million dollar restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s financial district.

Follow Pierre Jutras, a former Montreal nightclub owner, as he chooses an out-of-the-way location and hires an artistic chef for his new restaurant.

Ralph Brennan, from a famous restaurant family, and Chef Gerard Maras, a master of French Louisiana cuisine, join forces to open Tavern in New Orleans. Brennan is a control freak and Maras is a hippie. Working towards the most ambitious project of their careers, will they be able to blend their talents?

Marcus Samuelsson is famous for his innovative take on Swedish cuisine. Now he’s taking a big chance by going in a completely new direction with Riingo, a restaurant featuring Japanese-American cuisine.

Chef Sue Torres gambles on bold decor and adventurous food for her new restaurant, Suenos.

Andrea and Frank Randazzo have decided to open a new restaurant, Talula. Opening a restaurant is their definition of achieving success, unless of course, Frank loses his mind during construction.

Join Michael Howell and his wife Mary as they search the Eastern seaboard for the perfect location for their first restaurant.

Jeff Stober is opening The Drake, a bohemian boutique hotel on Toronto’s trendy Queen Street West. After a long search, Stober thinks he’s found the chef who can create a menu to match his vision – one that will stay ahead of the trends, not follow them.

Join Toronto restaurateur Peter Tsatsaris and Chef Paul Boehmer as they develop The Strand with fine-dining Canadian cuisine mixed with world tapas and micro-brewed beer.

Brothers and chefs Mitchel and Steven Rosenthal are protégés of Wolfgang Puck. Join them as they purchase an historic building in San Francisco and plan a menu to redefine American cuisine.

Charles Kabouth knows fabulous design and his business partner, Brenda Lowes, knows great food. In a cut-throat business, they have already proven their strength by luring one of Toronto’s most talented chefs from a competitor. Now, all they have to do is work with him.

Witold Twardowski has been involved in about 25 restaurants – as a designer, as a creative director for a restaurant group, and as an owner. Pick’s Roadhouse, situated in the church hall, is a 90 seat restaurant. With it’s tin ceiling, huge timber deck and a bar that comes from the first Live Ent production of Showboat, Pick’s is designed to appeal to diners from all walks of life.

Atlantic Canada. Historic Halifax. An ocean-side location. What kind of restaurant would you expect to open? A fish restaurant, right? Well think again. Think Bish, not fish.

Toronto’s restaurant scene is buzzing with anticipation over the launch of Brasserie Aix, David Bowen’s follow-up restaurant to one of Toronto most lauded downtown establishments: the elegant, Asian-inspired Monsoon.

Chives Canadian Bistro is located in downtown Halifax in a 1940’s Bank of Nova Scotia building built by Canadian Pacific. The 54-seat restaurant has 10-foot ceilings, sturdy concrete walls and a vault that Craig and his designer have turned into a wine cellar. But the make-or-break for Craig will be whether his philosophy of “bringing fine dining to the average person” has the appeal he hopes.

Giovanni Bernardi - owner of one of the biggest modeling agencies in Canada - has partnered with four other artful and happening people to open his first restaurant venture in the historic Old Montreal area. Housed within the soon-to-open ultra-chic Hotel St. Paul, Cube – with Nouvelle-Québeçoise cuisine - will seat 80 on the main floor and Bar Cru (Raw Bar) will be the upstairs, “scene-maker” lounge, serving cocktails, raw foods and South American inspired tapas.

Against the historic backdrop of Canada’s national Parliament Buildings, an innovative Japanese restaurant is opening up in Ottawa’s trendy Byward market. Kinki Bistro, housed in a heritage building that used to be a trading post, will be a two-floor, 120-seat bar and Sushi restaurant targeting Ottawa’s young and/or hip food adventurers.

Follow financial planner Mike Millard as he strives to create a sophisticated restaurant serving Manitoba cuisine at Winnipeg’s The Loop.

Restauranteurs Iqbal Grewal and Lalit Charma are the creators of “Maurya”, a 4500 square foot, 80 seat modern fine-dining Indian restaurant planned to open in early September. Located in the trendy South Granville section of the West Broadway corridor, Moriya aims to become a popular and vibrant destination for Vancouver restaurant goers.

Doug Turner and Bill Henderson are fashioning a watery fantasy, The Naked Oyster complete with giant fish tank, and curved bar, all in shades of blue. The owners hope that after a game or show at a nearby entertainment complex, a few discriminating diners will be tempted by oysters and wine.

Join Ned Bell as he opens his own restaurant on a vineyard in the Niagara region.

Witold Twardowski has been involved in about 25 restaurants – as a designer, as a creative director for a restaurant group, and as an owner. Pick’s Roadhouse, situated in the church hall, is a 90 seat restaurant. With it’s tin ceiling, huge timber deck and a bar that comes from the first Live Ent production of Showboat, Pick’s is designed to appeal to diners from all walks of life.

Opening in January is Provence 2, a 5,000 square foot, 90 seat seafood restaurant located on the waterfront in Yaletown. Chef owners Jean-Francis and Alessandra Quaglia attempt to recreate the charms of the Mediterranean in Vancouver. Jean-Francis’ mother, a chef at her own seafood restaurant in Marseille provides the inspiration. She also guest chef her son's restaurant in Vancouver on occassion. With a budget of $700,000, Provence 2 is an ambitious project, but in every way a family affair.

Rain is a Pan-Asian restaurant/lounge, carved out of a heritage building on Toronto's Mercer Street. The owners, Michael and Guy Rubino, have high hopes for the restaurant and have spent a fortune on the 6,000 square foot space.

Wild Rice is the creation of Vancouver restaurateur Andrew Wong. The restaurant will be situated next to the landmark Lotus Hotel in Gastown. Wong's project, which began one year ago, aims to be a casual fine-dining restaurant targeting the 25-40 year old demographic.