This morning, I was one of the lucky 20 or so to dine at Delilah’s Conviction Kitchen for a segment on Breakfast Television. This is the only time that the restaurant opened its doors for breakfast. We started with fresh raisin brioche slices and homemade preserves, followed by delicious chocolate-filled beignets to die for.
[Chocolate-filled beignets]
The main course was a fabulous assortment including Eggs Benedict served on brioche rolls, an incredible-tasting pancake (that looked more like a moist cornbread), fruit, and french toast. Orange juice and coffee rounded out the breakfast.
Dawn Chubai, host of Breakfast Television, discussed the concept behind the restaurant and interviewed a couple of the team involved in bringing this venue to life. The restaurant is owned by Daniel Frankel, who also runs Prospect Point Café, Mill Marine Bistro, Stanley Park Pavilion, and Burrard Bridge Bar and Grill.
Alsatian Chef Marc Thuet and his wife Biana Zorich look after the cooks and staff, comprising 12 ex-cons working in the kitchen and front of house. Thuet and Zorich had planned to go into prisons to teach restaurant skills to inmates.
[Chef Marc Thuet and wife/partner Biana Zorich]
“We wanted to go into prisons in the U.S. and train them before they came out on parole,” says Thuet. When production company Cineflix learned of their plans, the concept morphed into Conviction Kitchen. According to Zorich, “We were looking for people willing to go along on this journey and looking to change. You can sense when a person desperately wants to change.”
Similar in style to Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen concept, convicts are given a new lease on life while training as a chef or waitstaff for the restaurant.
Season 2 of Conviction Kitchen will air this fall on Citytv on Sundays at 9 pm. Conviction Restaurant is located at 1789 Comox and is open Wednesday through Sunday for dinner. Reservations can be made either via email or by phoning 604.687.3424.
