t may be Victor Brown’s operation, but it was Chef Pat Riley’s dream. A few years ago, while Riley was cooking at Avalon, a magical idea came to him: build a restaurant with the kitchen positioned in the centre of the dining room like a TV cooking-show set.
Why? Because when you visit this restaurant in Pat Riley’s head, that centrally placed kitchen could facilitate catering to diners' culinary desires in a more intimate fashion; likes, dislikes and curiosities would be taken into consideration when preparing meals.

That restaurant is Perigee, a restaurant in the Distillery District that’s seemingly impossible to find (second floor of the Cannery Building, entrance leading from an unnamed lane). Built with the intention of caressing Toronto’s fickle patrons, Perigee is one of the more original entities these parts have seen thus far.

The partnership that operates Perigee includes Victor Brown, his two sons (one on the floor, one in the kitchen), and Chef Pat Riley - a team that has previously worked together at various stages of their careers. At Perigee, the team is playing on a more distinct stage. "Perigee was a complete team project," says Riley. "And while the environment here involves more work for us, it’s all done to create a multi-course line-up to your liking."