Toronto's favourite sandwich success story the subject of a new docuseries

Every self-respecting sandwich aficionado in Toronto already knows about BEAR Steak Sandwiches, but they're about to get an unprecedented look into the inner workings of the business in the shop's new docuseries, The Backyard Boys.

Founders (and actual, real-life friends) Ricardo Barrientos and Aki Erenberg didn't necessarily intend on creating what has become, in just four short years, one of Toronto's most iconic sandwiches, but that's how it happened anyway.

When Barrientos, in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, made a simple steak sandwich — just medium-rare steak and chimichurri on a Portuguese roll — for his friends, Erenberg knew right off the bat that it was something special.

"I was just like, I was floored at how good it was and how simple the sandwich itself was," Erenberg tells blogTO.

"Over the second lockdown, I really craving that sandwich, and I just couldn't find anywhere. So I messaged Ricardo, and I was like, 'We gotta sell that sandwich."

The rest of the story plays out like a movie. The men began selling the sandwiches to family and friends out of Barrientos' mother's backyard. As word got out, the crowds grew, and finally, in 2023, BEAR Steak Sandwiches opened the doors of its first, still-always-busy, brick-and-mortar in Little Italy.

It's the sort of stuff any self-respecting entrepreneur dreams of, and for Erenberg and Barrientos, the past few years have been something of a dream: albeit one that requires endless work, pivoting, scaling and striving to stay true to what made BEAR so special in the first place.

From the outside, such immediate and withstanding success looks like a stroke of sheer dumb luck (aided, admittedly, by a damn good product), Erenberg and Barrientos concede that no small amount of blood, sweat and tears have gone into it, too.

It's exactly that gritty underbelly that they hope to show in their new docuseries The Backyard Boys, which officially premieres on YouTube Friday, Jan. 9.

Funnily enough, the pair didn't initially set out to do a full docuseries about the business, not unlike how they didn't necessarily plan to build an entire business in the first place.

Originally starting off by filming reels for the sandwich shop's social media accounts, they quickly realized they had the potential to create something on a far greater scale.

"I've always been a lover of film. I've had that passion. So when Adnan, who was our videographer, came down and gave us the pitch, he says, 'I can make you this many reels,' I said, 'Hey, how about a docuseries on our staff? How about a more in-depth look into what we're doing? How about some narrative? How about some real storytelling?' And I think being given that opportunity to tell our story, it kind of evolved," Barrientos tells blogTO.

The final product is part raw look into the day-to-day operation of the business (which culminates in the opening of their second location at The Well), part chef's table in collaboration with other notable restaurants, chefs, businesses and personalities around the city, and part unapologetic love letter to Toronto.

"This story came from a place of passion. We're not food guys. We don't have any culinary background. We're not necessarily anybody who has been in this game for a very long time. We're just two guys who love Toronto first and foremost, but also are very familiar with the things that kind of make Toronto tick. And I think we're doing everything at BEAR from that perspective," Erenberg tells blogTO.

On that same token, the docuseries is as much about Toronto as it is about the sandwich shop itself.

Across eight episodes, which are set to air weekly, Erenberg and Barrientos will be joined by the likes of The Heartbreak Chef, Fat Rabbit and Faves Thai BBQ, to name only a small few, to explore how Toronto's food scene has shaped BEAR, and vice versa, all over some seriously droolworthy food.

"I think when people see BEAR steak sandwiches, they see this very cultivated brand image. You know, whatever we decide to put out there, that's what they see, and that's what they perceive," Barrientos tells blogTO.

"I want to pull that curtain back. I want them to see the two guys behind this. I want them to see Aki and Ricardo and the struggles that it takes to build the business from scratch, and the trials and the tribulations and the uncertainty and the fun that we have."

The main takeaway of the series, Erenberg tells blogTO, is that it's a story "about two guys building a brand." They didn't have all the answers when they started out, and they still don't, despite everything they've learned in a relatively short time.

Day to day, the true project of running BEAR, the pair tells blogTO, is figuring out how to manage the success of the brand, how to allow as many people as possible to engage with it, while still remaining true to themselves and the original concept.

What's important for Erenberg and Barrientos, among all the chaos that comes with running a (particularly noteworthy) business, is to remember that, whatever happens, they've achieved something incredible.

"I'm sure there are 1000s out there with a similar vision or dream, that I think watching this narrative, they're going to be inspired by that, or at least take away that you could do it too, right?"

You can watch The Backyard Boys on YouTube.

While you wait, you can try BEAR Steak Sandwiches for yourself at 550A College St. or Wellington Market Food Hall.