On today’s episode we take a moment to reflect on how local neighbourhoods all over the city are being devastation by the coronavirus pandemic in the disappearance of familiar landmarks such as popular eateries, niche businesses, or larger establishments that could not adapt to the changes brought on by the economic pressures of the pandemic. Some of these places contributed to the unique character of their neighbourhoods.

One such place was the Pear Tree Restaurant, and its owner Asokan Rasiah.

By all accounts Asokan Rasiah was a man of considerable stature, on arriving in Canada from Srilanka in 1988, he settled in St. Jamestown and almost immediately found employment as a dishwasher in a restaurant on Parliament Street. From the accounts of his early days in Canada, we learn that by months end he had been promoted line cook, and in the period of six months he had become a chef.

Over the years, the Pairtree Restaurant acquired the kind of cultural cache that comes with being recognised as reflecting the “vibe” of a neighbourhood. Offering a menu that might suit the palette of just about everyone, at affordable prices and good-sized portions, The Pairtree Restaurant embraced Canadian, Cajun, French, Italian and vegetarian cuisine. The food was considered exquisite and prepared from scratch with creativity and enthusiasm - soups, sauces and dressings, steaks, fish, chicken, and with breads and pies baked on the premises.

Asokan Rasiah, said of his business, “I see regular customers here weekly; the same people that were here on opening night. It’s a truly incredible feeling to know that these people have stuck by our restaurant for decades,”

Thirty years in one place is virtually a lifetime, a whole generation to be more exact. Asokan and the Peartree Restaurant that he created will be greatly missed.