Ed Ho pulls out of plans to open an Earth 2 restaurant in Mississauga

Ed Ho pulls out of plans to open an Earth 2 restaurant in Mississauga

The 'Sauga continues: Mississauga will have to live without a Ho-McKenna restaurant—for now (Image: Seekdes, from the torontolife.com Flickr pool)

After many months of demolition and construction, and many dollars spent, restaurateur Ed Ho (of Globe Bistro and Earth) is walking away from his ambitious Earth 2 project in Mississauga. For now, Ho isn’t saying much, lest the lawyers become involved, but it seems he and his financiers could not see eye to eye, disagreeing on the direction of the project, and other deal-breaking details. “I can’t compromise to make a new partner happy,” Ho explained. “And I am not in this for the money. I left Bay Street for the love of this.”

“This,” of course, is the restaurant business—particularly the farm-to-fork ethos that Ho and chef Kevin McKenna were poised to bring to the ’burbs in a big way. The space, a former Lone Star Grill near Square One, would have seated 250 inside, with about half as many more on the patio.

While Ho laments the end of his involvement, he remains mum on whether the project will continue without him and McKenna. “It’s a shame because I was very optimistic, and I grew to love Mississauga, the city and the people. People in the area were very excited about the project, too. Everyone who poured a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the project is disappointed, but I learned a lot.” And as for the future? “I always have something up my sleeve. But I’m smarting a bit right now.”