Erko was an experienced chef known in London, Montreal, and Toronto. He was reviewed in newspapers, and critics came to dine at his restaurant. However, when he reached the peak of his career, he did not open a restaurant in the center of the world capital, but went to a picturesque town with an ancient forest on the outskirts. There he bought an old hut, set up four tables, and began to receive only rare, exceptional guests.

He cooked outdoors — on a stone table, on a lawn cleared of fallen branches. He had no expensive furniture or luxurious tableware. He found almost a third of the ingredients right there in the forest. Dressed like a forester or even a gamekeeper, in thick, sturdy clothes smelling of tobacco, rough suede boots, and a leather apron, he gathered pine nuts, saffron, and even licorice root. His dishes — like the entire establishment — were unlike anything else.