Posted Feb 20, 2009, 12:12 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: B3K Halifax, NS
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Durty Nelly's
A class in Restaurant 101
TV cameras follow former SMU Husky as he learns ropes of running a pub
By Our Staff
Fri. Feb 20 - 5:58 AM
Kyle Drake and Joe McGuiness own Durty Nelly’s Irish pub in downtown Halifax. The pub will be featured in the Food Network documentary series called Restaurant 101. (Staff)
Construction workers are not the only ones on site at a soon-to-open authentic Irish pub in downtown Halifax.
Food Network celebrity chef David Adjey and a crew from Restaurant 101 are filming over the next couple of days at Durty Nelly’s on the corner of Sackville and Argyle streets, space formerly occupied by the now-defunct Mercury bar.
The new documentary series, expected to air on the Food Network early next year, is all about first-timers struggling to open a successful restaurant.
"It was chosen because it is a big-budget restaurant and it’s going to look amazing. It is right in the heart of downtown Halifax near the water, and we also chose it because of these great characters," said Heidi Burbela, associate producer for Toronto’s Red Apple Productions.
The characters Ms. Burbela is referring to are unlikely business partners Joe McGuinness, a 45-year-old Irishman and veteran of the food, beverage and hotel industry, and Kyle Drake, a 24-year-old former Saint Mary’s University football player and newcomer to the trade.
The two, who got started on their venture last spring with help from a silent partner, hired Mr. Adjey to be a consultant for Durty Nelly’s, including designing a menu for the new pub and helping get it off the ground.
Mr. Adjey is best known for his part on the popular Food Network show Restaurant Makeover, in which he helps owners turn around struggling restaurants.
While consulting for Durty Nelly’s, Mr. Adjey took on the new Restaurant 101 show.
"It’s amazing how everything just came together," said Mr. McGuinness, who admits the publicity is bound to benefit the pub, which opens its doors Monday.
On Wednesday, staff were cleaning up, and construction workers were putting finishing touches on the pub, designed and created by a crew from Ireland that specializes in building Irish pubs.
Mr. McGuiness says Mr. Adjey has taken Mr. Drake, a business student at SMU, "under his wing," mentoring him on every aspect of the restaurant business.
"A lot of that is going to appear in the show. Just because of my experience, I have taken a step back from the TV side of it and focused on the pre-opening and getting us up and running.
"Eventually, when we are up and running, Kyle and I are going to be steering the ship and guiding Durty Nelly’s to future success, hopefully," he said.
Mr. McGuiness says the publicity generated by the TV show will be also good for the province.
The crew has been in Nova Scotia three times over the last several months filming for the show, which will feature a visit to Grass Roots Heritage Farm in Rawdon and Oulton’s Meats, near Windsor.
Mr. Drake, who says he is learning the industry inside and out, said he doesn’t even notice the cameras.
"I want to do everything. I’m not familiar with a lot of this industry. I’m going to be in the kitchen; I’m going to be washing dishes; I’m going to be scrubbing floors."
He admits that the business venture is somewhat of a risk and that his life has been completely turned upside down since he took on the project. But so far, he has enjoyed every minute of it.
"If it was easy, everyone would do it. It’s been a roller-coaster, ups and downs, anxiety, sleepless nights, all sorts of fun stuff."
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