Second-year Carleton psychology student Dylan Macleod will be featured in an episode on Food Network Canada, documenting his journey to opening a restaurant.  

Macleod, 20, and his brother Devin, 27, have worked towards opening their Caribbean restaurant, called The Giggling Jerks, for the past year, Macleod said.

In the midst of their preparations, Macloed said the brothers received a call from Food Network Canada, expressing their interest in having them on their new show, The Opener. This new reality series follows TV celebrity chef David Adjey on his quest to assist rookies in opening and running their restaurants.

“We applied for it a while ago,” said Macleod. “I guess we just had the personality for the show.”

Under Adjey’s watchful eye and with cameras rolling, the brothers refurbished the restaurant, collaborated on a new menu and successfully opened their business, Macleod said.

As the kitchen manager, Macleod said their restaurant’s current outlook is nothing like what it was before.

The previous owners of the space failed to keep it “up to code,” and obtaining permits was trickier than expected, he said. In fact, renovations at The Giggling Jerks were halted for an entire winter until the permits were received in March 2010, he said.

“Before, the place was just shabby, so we gutted it,” said Macleod, who now works in a brand new kitchen.

Nevertheless, with the year of hard work and a reality TV episode behind them, the brothers said they are grateful for the attention the show has brought.

The Giggling Jerks is located in Sandy Hill and caters to students, who Macleod deemed the “number one customers.”

As a student, Macleod said he understands the demands of student life, and customized the morning breakfast menu to accommodate it. The restaurant boasts an 8 a.m. $4 breakfast deal geared towards students of the area. The night menu features dishes with a “jerk Caribbean feel,” he said.

However, Macleod said he isn’t too concerned about balancing his work at The Giggling Jerks with his school life.

“I definitely feel pretty well off now, and I like to be under the gun,” he said.

With new staff just finishing their training, Dylan said he believes he just needs some time to acclimatize to the new school year.

In the future, Macleod said he plans to follow through with his studies and enter medical school. But for now, adding kitchen manager to his resume “at such a young age is a great idea.”

The episode of The Opener featuring the Macleod brothers will air on Nov. 19.