‘Everything was always Irie’: Ed Pottinger, affable co-founder of Toronto’s The Real Jerk Restaurant, dead at 69

Ed Pottinger, the co-founder of Toronto’s legendary The Real Jerk Restaurant and the owner of the now-closed music venue The Jerk Pit, died on March 12 at his Etobicoke home. He was 69. (Supplied)

An icon of Toronto’s diverse Jamaican community, widely known for championing his homeland’s flavourful cuisine, colourful music, and rich culture to the city, has died.

Edward John Pottinger, affectionately known as Ed, was the co-founder of Toronto’s legendary The Real Jerk Restaurant. He was also the owner of the now-closed music venue The Jerk Pit.

Pottinger died on March 12 surrounded by family at his north Etobicoke home. He was 69.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica on April 9, 1956, there, Pottinger “first developed his lifelong passion for Caribbean cooking,” his online obituary said.

“The flavours, traditions, and spirit of Jamaica shaped not only his recipes but also the warm hospitality he brought to everyone he met. Everything was always Irie,” it read.

Pottinger was the ‘life of the party’

In a March 13 statement, the Pottinger family said their patriarch never saw The Real Jerk “simply as a restaurant.”

“To him, it was the Pottinger family dining room — a place where there was always an extra seat at the table. He believed deeply that food brings people together, and he considered the thousands of customers who walked through the doors over the years to be part of his extended family,” the Pottingers shared, adding they’re “deeply touched by the outpouring of condolences, stories, and kind messages from friends, customers, and community members.”

In his obituary, the late restaurateur is remembered as often being the “life of the party,“ the one who liked to dance to Caribbean music with friends, family, and even his customers.

Pottinger was known for his love of spending time with friends and family over a good meal, not to mention his love of sports, especially the English Premier League (West Ham was his team.), dominoes, pool, and tennis as well as his affinity for his homeland of Jamaica and his adopted city, Toronto.

“My husband loved Toronto, he loved his culture, and he loved people. Ed always promoted the city and Jamaica,” his wife Lily told CP24.

Pottinger, she said, was a man with a “big heart” who was “really, really funny,” and a “fantastic father” to their three children, Troy, Cleigh, and June.

“He really enjoyed his life,” Lily said, adding that since her husband’s passing she’s heard from several people about how he quietly helped others.

“He was really there for people.”

Pottinger opened first restaurant in Jamaica

As a child, Pottinger lived in England for several years, immigrating to Canada with his mother in the late 1970s at the age of 16.

After graduating from Centennial College, he moved back to Jamaica to work at his uncle’s import/export business. While there, he met his future wife, Lily, and together they opened up their first restaurant, Little River Jerk, in 1981.

That year, Pottinger came back to Canada, with Lily following soon after, and they got married.

The couple initially lived in Milton but by 1984 they decided to open another restaurant called The Real Jerk. That first location was located in the city’s east end, near Queen Street East and Greenwood Avenue.

While times were tough at first, the Pottingers’ endeavour began to see some success and they were able to relocate to a much larger space a few years later at the corner of Queen Street East and Broadview Avenue. The Real Jerk Restaurant called its flagship location, known for its smiling sunshine façade, home for 24 years before having to vacate the building after the property was sold.

Long-time friend Rob Davis was instrumental in helping the Pottingers when they were forced from their long-time location in Riverside, assisting them in obtaining an injunction to stay past the 30-day eviction period. At that time, Davis bought a large “OPEN” sign for Pottinger to carry when he shared the news with his staff and the media, who had been following the developing story closely for weeks.

Like many, Davis said he was sad to learn of Pottinger’s death, adding he’ll “miss him dearly.”

“He was one of a kind and put Jamaican and Caribbean food on the map in Toronto,” Davis shared in a Facebook post.

About a year later, the Pottingers reopened their restaurant at 842 Gerrard St. E. at Carlaw Avenue. That spot made international headlines as it was where Rihanna and Drake filmed the music video for “Work” in 2016.

• READ MORE: Toronto’s Real Jerk restaurant featured in Rihanna’s ‘Work’ video

Many photoshoots and music videos took place over the years at the Pottingers’ uniquely decorated eateries.

“Despite local fame and notoriety, Ed never lost the common touch,” his family said in their statement.

Other Real Jerk locations later sprung up on Kingston Road in the Upper Beach and on College Street in Little Italy, but have since closed. Last September, the family sold the business to one of their long-standing employees.

Condolences pour in online

Many people have taken to social media to remember Pottinger, sharing their heartbreak and devastation at his death, and commending him for the “incredible impact” he had on the Jamaican community. They also remembered him for his warm welcome and great food he always provided to everyone who walked through the doors of his restaurants.

Others said he was a “special guy” who leaves behind an “amazing legacy,” someone who “did the community proud” and was “undaunted, breaking barriers, peaceful and beyond others expectations.”

Another called him a “very smart businessman, so approachable, honest, kind and truly proud of his children and loved his wife Lily dearly.”

Pottinger is also being described as a “mentor” and a “wonderful and kind friend” who had the “most radiant smile and the warmest hugs.”

Celebration of life on March 26

Pottinger, who struggled with ill health for the last three years, leaves behind his wife, three children and four grandchildren as well as his mother, sister, and two brothers.

A celebration of life service for Pottinger will be held at Mississauga’s New Haven Funeral Center on March 26.

The viewing is set for at 9 a.m., followed by a service at 9:30 a.m. A reception will immediately follow. Anyone interested in attending must RSVP online.

The family is asking that attendees wear colourful Caribbean attire to “honour the legacy (Pottinger) built through food, friendship, and community.”

In lieu of flowers, they’re urging people to make a donation to the staff at Humber River Hospital’s urology and cancer care teams.