*This article originally appeared on Kingstonist.*
The Kingston food scene is about to have its time in the limelight in the first season of a new original series, Recommendations, which follows three lifelong friends as they explore Canadian cities through their food.
According to a media release from Recommendations Productions, the six-episode series will premiere on Bell Fibe TV, with all episodes available on Thursday, Jun. 4, 2026.
Associate Producer Orie Enav shared that spending time in Kingston was “such a joy.” He also detailed that all the episodes were shot over two weeks in October 2025.
The Recommendations team also includes Scott Paterson (Producer/Director), Corey Palmer (Producer/Host), and Chris Seeney (Producer/Host), all best friends since elementary school who have spent years exploring restaurants across Ontario together, according to the release.
When asked why Kingston is the first city featured in the series, Enav said that a Kingston wedding was the catalyst.
“Producer/Director Scott Paterson got married there a few years ago (his wife is from the area), which gave Chris and Corey the opportunity to explore the culinary scene for a few days,” he detailed.
“They discovered that not only was the food excellent, but the people of Kingston were full of warmth and hospitality. From there, it was a natural choice.”
Recommendations Productions said that Palmer and Seeney have built their careers in entertainment and hospitality, bringing industry insight and a deep appreciation for guest experience to the screen, and are the two hosts who appear on screen. Paterson is an award-winning veteran of the film and television industry who prefers to be behind the camera, and has worked on many projects including ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’, ‘The Shape of Water’, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, and ‘Ghostwriter’.
The season features a different Kingston restaurant in each of the six episodes:
- Episode 1 – Otter Creek
- Episode 2 – Toast & Jam
- Episode 3 – Miss Bao
- Episode 4 – The Everly
- Episode 5 – Tommy’s Diner
- Episode 6 – Smoke ‘N’ Barrel
According to Enav, the restaurants were chosen “first and foremost based on real-life recommendations from Kingston locals.” Naturally, that resulted in far too many options.
“From there, the goal was to get as broad a spread as possible of restaurants that would showcase just how diverse Kingston dining can be. We whittled the list down to a shortlist, and then made the final determinations based on practical considerations such as how well we could film in the space while impacting the ordinary business of each restaurant as little as possible,” he explained.
According to the release, at its heart, Recommendations is about friendship, shared meals, and discovering what makes a city special through the people who feed it.
“Corey and Chris like to get a little silly, so there is a lot of humour in short sketches and conversations. They meet each restaurant’s owner or manager and other key personnel to discuss style, motivation for starting the business, concerns like sustainability and local produce, etc., before tasting the food and drink,” Enav said about what viewers can expect to see in the series.
“Sometimes they will visit the kitchen to learn how to create a signature item, or undertake a challenge. For example, in one episode the pair take on a 3 lb Burger Challenge, and another is focused on near-zero-waste food preparation. Scott will usually remain behind the camera, but the crew are all enthusiastic foodies, and so will occasionally appear to taste something extraordinary.”
Local Producer Temi Adebayo was provided to the team through the Kingston Producer Accelerator Program. Enav also said that Tourism Kingston was “a big help” coordinating things on the ground.
“The warmth and hospitality of each business owner we encountered, as well as their staff, was extraordinary,” Enav stated, noting that while the team expected the heart of our historic city to look and feel beautiful, they were surprised that “the [true] beating heart of Kingston is young and vibrant and full of kindness and passion.”
He also said that everyone they encountered clearly loves what they do, and it shows in the food and environments they create.
“My favourite part of the process of creating this show was how open and welcoming everybody was, and how justifiably proud they were to show off their life’s work,” Enav expressed.
Watch the Recommendations promo video here, and catch the series on Bell Fibe TV starting Thursday, Jun. 4, 2026. Future seasons will feature other Canadian cities, according to the release.
Editor’s note: I hope to continue to share my writing, though most of my time/energy is spent at Kingstonist. As such, I will be publishing some of my articles here after some time has elapsed from the original publication date. This piece was published on Kingstonist in June 2026.
Find more Kingston-related stories here.
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