Stir Q&A: Antonio Cayonne on running restaurants, landing a leading role in a Hallmark film, and showing up as a Black man
The Vancouver actor is on the team behind standout dining spots Say Mercy! and the Mackenzie Room
Antonio Cayonne caught the hospitality bug while working as a busser during theatre school.
Christmas in Evergreen: Bells are Ringing premieres in Canada on the W network on December 6.
SOME PEOPLE TAKE on multiple careers over the course of their lifetime. Antonio Cayonne juggles a few at once.
The local actor is making history as one of the first male BIPOC leads in a Hallmark Channel holiday film, Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing. Originally from Toronto, where he studied at Ryerson University’s Ryerson Theatre School, he has appeared in The X-Files, Colony, The Magicians, and many Hallmark Movies of the Week, among other titles.
As a restaurateur, Cayonne is partner and operations director of Collective Hospitality, which runs the Mackenzie Room (rustic yet refined farm-to-table cuisine) and Say Mercy! (Italy meets Southern barbecue), where Sean Reeve is (the highly respected) executive chef.
Cayonne is also a dedicated father and husband.
Stir caught up with Cayonne to hear how he does it all and what’s next.
Which came first: acting or restaurants? What do you love about each field?
Technically acting came first. I hosted a TV show when I was in Grade 7 called KidsTV (later called Popular Mechanics for Kids), and did the school play (Noises Off) in high school. But it didn't stick until I got to theatre school.
When I was in university, I started working at the Distillery District in Toronto as a busser and caught the hospitality bug. Both industries are about making genuine connections, spending time with people, taking care of people, and curating transformative experiences in their own ways. So really what I love about them is almost one and the same. Both light me up in very different ways.
How do you manage both? How much sleep do you get?
My wife. The answer is my wife. She reminds me to sleep, she helps me organize my mayhem and my mind, she carves out time to help me get grounded. After that, the team I work with is supportive in ways that every other business should be jealous of. As for how much sleep I get: anywhere between five and seven hours depending on what’s going on and whether our toddler cares how tired either of us actually are.
Antonio Cayonne plays Elliot in Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing opposite Rukiya Bernard as Hannah.
We’re finally starting to see a cultural shift when it comes to it comes to representation of members of the BIPOC community not just in film and TV but across the societal spectrum. How does it feel to land a leading role in a Hallmark film? How is this significant to you personally, as someone of Trinidadian and Dutch descent, and within the bigger picture?
I've been working as an actor for years and this is something I’ve been working towards, a lead role. I'm always planning and strategizing and dreaming big, so booking this is actually the culmination of a plan put in place when I moved here. For that reason, this feels really significant. I've had my sights set on making the ceiling the floor and this role does exactly that. But there's more to this moment.
George Floyd's murder was a watershed moment. I'm not sure I know how to succinctly articulate the change, but it's evident that the BIPOC community ground to a halt and silently agreed not to play small anymore, for anyone, for any reason. I'm no different.
The profile of films that Hallmark is trotting out this year isn't perfect; there's still work to be done. But it's encouraging, and for me that has value. Getting to be a part of that change is something I've been moving towards my whole life with the way I show up, the way I advocate, the way I share experiences, and the standards I hold for myself.
I am the product of an interracial marriage at a time that it wasn't easy. I was raised primarily by my white mother; I follow in the footsteps laid out by my father years before I was even an idea with regards to what it means to show up as a Black man. I've rarely had the opportunity to see my full story played out anywhere, and when I did it was one of one. So this film is far bigger than just a love story, than just representation, and than just “Antonio booked something cool.” This is a moment of legacy carved by the agency of anti-oppression work. And I get to be a part of that.
It is frustrating that it's taking (not taken) this long. But for me, there's a choice. I can be frustrated and look for faults, or I can be encouraged and look to offer guidance through how I continue to show up. Casting is the aspect that will get a network the most accolades - the most pats on the back. Now the work begins to make sure it's not a Band-Aid. Directors, producers, execs, writers and eventually policy shifts are needed to begin to call this change.
How are you and the team at Say Mercy! and the Mackenzie Room coping with the effects of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry?
Christmas isn't cancelled! It's just a bit different. So with that in mind, Say Mercy’s B-Side patio will have holiday activities for your family so that you can get out with your bubble and still feel like Christmas can be enjoyed. We'll also be rolling out Christmas dinner and Christmas brunch to help alleviate the burden of cooking while still trying to make sure you have all the holiday comforts you've come to enjoy.
Support local. You've heard it, but honestly, restaurants need you to show up if we're going to make this through. Whether that's dining in, taking out, tweeting, Instagramming, or buying gift cards. Whatever it is, let your local know that you're here. So many restaurants are community-oriented and it behooves us in this time to really take care of each other.
Say Mercy! Will be fundraising for Mamas for Mamas, a specialized poverty-relief agency and an all-inclusive community for mothers and caregivers. This organization supports single mothers and children living in the Lower Mainland and also has branches in many other cities. They are running a Christmas Hamper fundraiser, and we are extending it to our Staff Meal Initiative to encourage the community to take part. Through our website and social media, we will be asking for contributions to go towards a $500 hamper and hope to help several families.
The Mackenzie Room will be fundraising for the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, which supports women in need in the DTES. DEWC will support upwards of 400 women this holiday, and their children, and are in need of funds for the sit-down meal they are providing on December 15. We are asking for contributions of $25, which will also run through our Staff Meal website. Each $25 will provide one woman with a gift and a meal through the centre.
What’s next for you?
I've been working on Mighty Ducks and that should come out sometime next year. Beyond that I'm focused on the restaurants day to day, focused on my family and my support system, and trying not to look too far ahead so I don't miss out on the work that needs to be done now. I love it.
Antonio Cayonne.
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