L-R: Chef Dennis Prescott, designer Karin Bohn and restaurateur Nick Liberato.
Cottage Life is expanding reach through its TV channel, with the launch of Restaurants on the Edge, a new series that combines adventure and cuisine.
At its heart, the show, premiering Jan. 2 with two back-to-back hour-long episodes, is a documentary-style series exploring culture, food and design that celebrates, “the spirit of getting away from it all,” says Sam Linton, head of original content at Blue Ant Media.
Restaurants on the Edge travels to 10 countries across 13 episodes including Finland, Malta, Hong Kong, Hawaii and Muskoka, documenting struggling restaurant owners in need of some support. What these entrepreneurs have in common is the dream of getting out of the big city life to live on the precipice, Linton says, and the show is about helping these people execute that dream.
Led by chef Dennis Prescott, designer Karin Bohn and restaurateur Nick Liberato, the show – part travel journey, part makeover – is what Linton calls a “slam dunk” for the Cottage Life audience, often people aged 25 to 54 and who are keen on real estate, travel and DIY content. Linton says Blue Ant has leveraged the Cottage Life brand through its television platform and in the process realized, “it’s not just about cottages.”
Restaurants on the Edge follows similar shows like Life Below Zero: Canada, a spin-off from the National Geographic show of the same name. “Our audience is really adventurous,” Linton says. “[ROTE] is not just about the restaurant, it’s about these restaurant owners’ dream. Our audience in TV watches our channel to really escape and dream of getting away from it all.”
Numeris data shows Cottage Life reaches approximately three million households nationally. Since its launch in 2013, viewership has grown steadily: 10% in the last year, its highest to date.
Restaurants on the Edge is a collaboration between Blue Ant Media, Marble Media and OutEast Entertainment.