Toronto Restaurateur Merrick Aries Eulogized as Bringing Light into the Lives of Others

 

By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed       Merrick Aries, the late co-owner of The Diner's Corner restaurant in Toronto, Canada

 

Popular Jamaican Canadian restaurateur and chef, Merrick Orlando Aries, was eulogized as someone who bridged differences and saw the good in others.

 

A thanksgiving service was held at the St. Andrew Parish Church in Kingston, Jamaica, on December 14 — exactly two months after he visited his homeland to attend the funeral of a relative and seven weeks after his body was found in bushes in Salt River, Clarendon on October 24. 

 

According to media reports, homicide detectives theorized that Aries — the owner of The Diner’s Corner, a Jamaican restaurant on Yonge Street in Toronto, who lived in Ajax, Ontario, and owned a home in St. Andrew — was lured to the area where he was robbed and fatally shot.

 

Born Owen Anthony Grant on January 11, 1980, to mother, Lilieth Henry, and father, Anthony Grant, at the Buff Bay Hospital in Portland, he lived in the community of Riversdale with his parents and was brother to siblings Nicole Henry, Kadian Smith, Gregory and Clement Grant, and Michelle and Marcia who were like sisters to him. He would later change his name.

 

As a student at Mount Olivet Infant and Mount Hermon All Age schools, he excelled in various subjects and had a passion for cooking which resulted in his mother enrolling him in the HEART Trust Vocational Training Centre in Above Rocks, St. Catherine. 

 

It was there that his family said he was moulded to become an exceptional chef and baker who would practise at home in the nights whatever he was taught earlier in the day at the academy. His baking of bread and sweet potato puddings was a joy of his mother and sisters who became his taste testers. Soon he was known as the community baker whose gizzadas, coconut drops, cakes and puddings were in demand, said his sister, Nicole Henry.

 

His leadership abilities were enhanced at Mt. Olivet A.M.E. Church where he was a member of the choir and president of the youth department, and in the community as a member of the Riversdale Police Youth Club.

 

With his eyes set on Kingston and expanding his horizon, Aries moved from Riversdale to the capital city where he worked in the fast-food industry and other businesses. While there, he enrolled in the University of the West Indies and subsequently left for Canada to pursue his dreams at the age of 21.

 

The beloved restaurant owner was described as bringing light into the lives of his family, of being kind and generous, and as someone who had a warm and welcoming smile and a great sense of humor. 

Photo credit: Neil Armstrong    Merrick Aries serving customer, Junior Harrison, at The Diner's Corner

 

Delivering the second part of the eulogy on behalf of Antovin Aries and Ashleh Aries, Merrick’s family in Canada, Reverend Aina-Nia Ayo’dele, who flew there from Toronto, said Merrick was a genius with his hands. “It was with his hands and his heart that he demonstrated his love for his family and friends over the 22 years that he lived in Canada. He was very giving, sociable, talented, resourceful, entrepreneurial — and meticulous, that’s when we saw how much of a perfectionist he was. He would redo things until they met his high standards.”

 

Ayo’dele said it was not surprising that at the age of 21 he migrated to Canada in the summer of 2001 in search of a better future. 

 

“That search saw him taking on various jobs to survive and thrive — he worked in retail at Walmart, Banana Republic and Eddie Bauer stores, CIBC in the credit card department, and eventually with Rogers Communications where he became a customer service agent and within a few months received a promotion. These jobs were important to him and, luckily, he had friends who supported him when he experienced hardship. But his true love was really in the culinary arts where he used his hands and heart to craft delicious Jamaican cuisines and cakes — and won over many friends and customers. You could easily feel the love coming from whatever he prepared for you to eat — the presentation of it was also important to him.”

 

When Merrick became a father to Ashleh, who is now 12, he was very proud and took her to live with him at only seven months old. He didn’t have daycare available so he structured his days that he could work from home while still associated with Rogers Communications, earn a living, and take care of her himself. Ashleh was the apple of his eye, and friends and family would often hear about her accomplishments in conversations with him. Their father-daughter relationship was strong and although he is no longer physically here, the loving and long-lasting memories of him will remain with her for years to come, Ayo’dele said. 

 

She said the day Merrick and his brother, Antovin, opened their restaurant, The Diner’s Corner, on St. Nicholas St. in Toronto in the summer of 2016 was quite an achievement, but it was also a bittersweet moment. Before acquiring the restaurant, they would entertain at home with his cooking and baking delights, baked and sold to customers, and did catering sometimes. When the opportunity arose for him to own a restaurant, he seized it. The early years were tough, but he persevered and created a niche for his culinary skills and hospitality in a place that was his. The pride of being an entrepreneur surpassed the days when the restaurant only made a couple hundred dollars. Their introduction of a Sunday Brunch and seeing how customers gravitated to it brought him so much joy.

 

“Creating your own wealth was important to Merrick and he did everything he could to ensure that he would succeed as a restauranteur.  That included the heavy lifting of cleaning floors, scrubbing walls and kitchen grills, painting, repairing, renovating, assembling furniture and artwork, building a patio at the St. Nicholas St. location, and at the present address of the restaurant, participating in the CaféTO Program which provided restaurants and bars in Toronto with the opportunity to access public space and expand their outdoor dining space through sidewalk cafés, curb lane cafés or patios on private property.

 

“With the acquisition of The Diner’s Corner food truck, they participated in many of the significant cultural events in the city — Toronto Caribbean Carnival or “Caribana” as many Torontonians and visitors still call it, Blockorama, Afrofest, Blockobana, and other festivals. Merrick understood and embraced Canada’s multiculturalism in embracing and serving his customers.

Photo credit: Neil Armstrong   Merrick Aries at the annual Blockorama in Toronto, Canada

Photo credit: Neil Armstrong      Merrick Aries stepping out of The Diner's Corner food truck at Blockorama

 

“Although he enjoyed travelling to his birthplace — Jamaica — he, equally, loved staying home and relaxing in his bedroom. Incidentally, before what would become his final visit to Jamaica in October, he repainted his room and changed his bedroom set and the carpet because, according to him, the room was too dark, and he wanted more light. He also installed a new lock on the door so that it would be just the way he left it on his return home to Ajax, Ontario. In hindsight, one wonders if this was an omen of what would befall him in Jamaica.”   

 

Ayo’dele said Merrick loved meeting people and was always willing to help them solve whatever problems they were experiencing. There were many long conversations held at the restaurant with strangers he just met. “His charming smile disarmed many — he became the point man to resolve issues. We will miss those skills. Those who were among his circle of friends knew he loved them — the love was mutual — and those who weren’t, knew exactly where they stood with him. In as much as he was a sociable person, he was a disciplinarian who ensured that rules were followed.” 

 

His family in Canada wants everyone to remember him as a very talented person who believed in creating an elegant Black-owned restaurant for fine dining downtown in the heart of Canada’s largest city, Toronto, — and on Yonge Street, the longest street in the world.

 

“Although his hands and heart are now stilled, and he will never be able to show us his love again, we will continue to love Merrick. As we bid him adieu, we say …walk good our beloved; we will always speak well of you and cherish the fond memories you left us. Walk good.”

Photo credit: Neil Armstrong   Merrick Aries assembling art for the walls of The Diner's Corner

Photo credit: Neil Armstrong    Merrick Aries checking his phone in a conversation

 

A slideshow highlighting moments of Aries’s life was shown complemented by the song, “See You Again,” by Sam Smith.

 

In his sermon, Rev. Father Bertram Gayle said Aries was dear to the hearts of all gathered in the church and those who were tuned in to the service virtually.

 

“It’s a celebration we have today of a life that for many is overshadowed by the tragic circumstance surrounding his death. And given this reality and the pain and hurt that it occasions it is natural for us to ask why, why did he have to face such a tragic end, why him, why such a young person…why would a good God allow such a thing to befall someone who had such a big heart.”

 

Reverend Gayle said there were also other whys such as, “why should we continue to give ourselves to a country that is so unsafe for everyone, why should we invest our time, our treasures and our talents in a nation that has caused us so much grief and trauma, why hold on to hope, hope for the land of wood and water.”

 

To answer those questions, he directed everyone to the words of Jesus: “To keep fighting for the good in a land that has so much evil, and may Jesus’s words help to recentre us, to reenergize us when we are overcome by grief and a deep sense of loss. And to help us see that the memory of those who are taken from us, the memories of Merrick, the memories of Owen, those memories are best served when we continue in his mission.” 

 

The reverend said the mission that Aries was involved in included “seeing the good in others, in bridging differences, in bringing a sense of joy and love to those who were around him, to forge a world fashioned by compassion, understanding and peace.”

 

In his tribute, Dennis, a friend of Aries, described him as “a culinary master who has left an indelible mark on the vibrant tapestry of Toronto’s culinary scene.” Speaking on behalf of her niece, Janet Henry Thompson, his aunt Pauline Henry said Aries was compassionate, kind, loving, resilient, and had very strong work ethics.

 

In November, Marci Ien, Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre, which includes the location of the restaurant, expressed her condolences on the loss of Aries.

 

“We are deeply saddened to hear about the loss of Merrick Aries. Merrick’s warm smile and delicious food brought so much joy to our community. He will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the entire Diner’s Corner team during this difficult time. Merrick’s memory will live on in our hearts, and his legacy at the Diner’s Corner will be cherished.”

 

Pride Toronto said as co-owner of The Diner’s Corner, “Merrick has blessed the Blockorama stage with delicious Caribbean food for many years. Merrick will truly be missed.”

 

Friends of Aries held a community vigil at the restaurant on November 1, which included tributes, singing, dancing, drumming and the pouring of libation. Among those in attendance were MP Ien, Chris Moise, city councillor for Ward 13 – Toronto Centre, Reverend Paulette Brown, Reverend Jaqueline Daley, and Kojo Sherwin Modeste.

 

Some of his loyal customers said they always looked forward to Aries catering at their family dinners and staff events. 

Photo contributed        Merrick Aries

 

The interment was held at Thetford Park Cemetery in Old Harbour, St. Catherine, Jamaica.