House Special

BLACK RHINO CREATIVE PRESENTS

HOSTED BY JACKIE KAI ELLIS

A five-part TELUS originals docu-series that chronicles the Chinese Canadian experience
through the lens of small-town Asian food joints and the families that run them. Ride the rails with chef and author, Jackie Kai Ellis, as she explores Canadian Chop Suey cuisine. This is House Special.

“House Special” 2022 Teaser

WATCH

EPISODE 1: HARDWORK (22mins)

Penticton, British Columbia

Sweet and Sour Pork and Lemon Chicken. In this first episode, Jackie learns more about the origins of these “westernized” menus. A new wave of Chinese-Canadian chefs are now proud to cook what they love and have traditional food back on the menu. Jackie meets Randy, a local historian to learn about the blatant racism Chinese-Canadians faced with the Asian Exclusion Act, and the Head Tax. Jackie then meets Darcy and Christine of Wild Ginger, a restaurant proudly cooking Asian comfort food like Mongolian beef and Singapore noodles.

WATCH

EPISODE 2: FOOD IS LOVE (22mins)

Vernon, British Columbia

In Chinese culture we say “I love you” through food. Here, Jackie tries to answer the age old question, how did food come to be synonymous with love in Asian culture? Jackie meets Cynthia and Jessie, two hard working moms who work long hours and sacrifice everything they have to give their kids a better life. On the other side of the spectrum, Jackie meets the owners of Temptasian restaurant, owners that decided to close their restaurant to spend more time with family.

WATCH

EPISODE 3: HUNGRY FOR HOME (22mins)

Kelowna, British Columbia

When you’re far from home, you miss food. Jackie visits Kelowna to learn about the lengths homesick people will go to eat food that reminds them of home. Jackie makes tofu from scratch with Tun Wong, son of Su Lee Ping, one of the first Chinese immigrants in Kelowna who made a name for herself by making traditional foods for her local community. Jackie discovers Kelowna's secret Chinese menus and a hidden Chinese supermarket in town.

WATCH

EPISODE 4: NEW TRADITIONS (22mins)

Red Deer, Alberta

In Red Deer, Jackie explores how different cultures have embraced Chinese cuisine during the holidays and how these new traditions revolve around Asian food. Jackie puts on her cowboy hat as she visits locals to enjoy holiday classic dishes like lemon chicken and Peking duck, with a Jewish family. She learns the origin story of why Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas day. Before she leaves Alberta, she stops at the birthplace of ginger beef - the Silver Inn. Jackie does a cooking demo making an iconic morning after Christmas dish, turkey congee.

WATCH

EPISODE 5: HAPPINESS, WEALTH, PROSPERITY (22mins)

Grande Prairie, Alberta

Jackie learns about the biggest celebration in the Asian calendar - Lunar New Year. Cream cheese wontons, hair moss soup, and handmade dumplings are on the menu. Jackie goes Ice fishing with Jeremy, to catch fish to create a classic Asian dish, salted fish and chicken fried rice. She learns about the dwindling Asian community and the locals who are fighting to keep traditions like lion dancing alive. Settle in as she has her fortune read for the coming year and creates a Lunar New Year classic dish, Nian Gao.

WATCH

BONUS: ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION (45mins)

Meet the cast and crew of House Special as they discuss their experiences making the show!

WATCH

BONUS: CONTENT CREATOR CHAT (60mins)

This Creator chat was moderated by Natasha Jung, Co-founder and Executive Producer of Cold Tea Collective and features a conversation with House Special host and writer Kai Ellis, The Globe and Mail's national food reporter Ann Hui and visual artist and illustrator, Janice Wu. -- TELUS originals offers production grants and distribution opportunities for producers and filmmakers in British Columbia and Alberta.

PRESS & MEDIA

CBC OUR VANCOUVER

The history of Canadian Chinese comfort food in a new series

Video
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

It felt like we were of the same tribe’: Chinese-Canadian food documentary also tells stories of migration.

Article
VANCOUVER SUN

New show follows Vancouver pastry chef Jackie Kai Ellis on an exploration of Chinese-Canadian history through cuisine

Article
MONTE CRISTO MAGAZINE

In Search of Western Canada’s Adaptable Chinese Cuisine

Article
THE PROVINCE

Description goes hereNew show follows Vancouver pastry chef Jackie Kai Ellis on an exploration of Chinese-Canadian history through cuisine

Article
CTV

A Culinary Quest of Chinese-Canadian History

Article
WESTERN LIVING

New ‘House Special’ Docuseries Charts the Bittersweet Nostalgia of Chinese-Canadian Cuisine

Article
DAILY HIVE

"House Special": New docuseries is a nostalgic journey to small-town Chinese Canadian restaurants

Article
MING PAO

訪尋卑詩阿省小鎮中餐館華裔導演記錄華人傳承故事

Article
OMNI TV

紀錄片HOUSE SPECIAL：中餐館背後的故事

Article
THE NOSH PODCAST

Chinese-Canadian restaurants have become a staple across Canada, from coast to coast, in even the smallest of towns and most remote of locations (think in the environs of the Arctic circle).

Listen