“To be honest with you, I’ve always been in more of the hospitality, service industry.”
Jo Anne Torrance has always felt her calling was feeding people. Despite her work in restaurants across southern Ontario and The Dominican Republic, she knew she wanted to have a restaurant of her own.
Her first food-related venture lasted eight years, but it wasn’t the right fit. And after losing her mom during COVID-19, she decided it was now or never.
“That was the moment where I thought about that saying from Shawshank Redemption, ‘get busy living or get busy dying.’”
Today, Torrance is the owner of The Eighth Note Local Eatery and Live Music Bar. Located in Milton, Ont., the restaurant operates on a belief system of “creating a vibrant community space,” where “music, community, charity, culture and good food brings people together,” according to its mission statement.
The Eighth Note is home to an inclusive menu of bar fare, tacos, tapas, power bowls and much more. Alongside the food and drink, the restaurant has events almost every night of the week.
But, most importantly, Torrance believes in creating a space for people to come and enjoy local music, youth music and community events in the spirit of belonging.
During live music events, which happen usually every Thursday to Saturday, The Eighth Note has highlighted local Milton favourites like Jojo and the Chintos, the Dadbodz and Merritt Driven.
“It’s the music meshed with the community, meshed with the events that really makes our place a destination,” she said.
A major cornerstone of the business is supporting Milton’s younger generation. Alongside events like a youth open mic, a Taylor Swift karaoke and dance party and the upcoming youth battle of the bands on January 25th, young musicians have the opportunity to perform in front of an audience.
“I've got these bands, these kids, it's ridiculous how adorable it is. These kids have formed these bands. Some of them are 11 all the way up to 18,” Torrance said. “And you know, these kids are going to be friends for a lifetime.”
With this focus on youth support, Torrance believes that the confidence boost and community element will help kids in the long run.
“The actual benefit, and magic, that happens from kids making music is unprecedented,” Torrance said. “It’s part of their growth, hand eye coordination, all of those small motor skills, large motor skills, memory.”
In 2025, Torrance hopes to start an initiative to support children in music. Similar to Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart for Kids, the hope is to create a program that supports low-income or at-risk youth to rent instruments or take music lessons.
While the end goal is for this program to become its own foundation, Torrance hopes to start building this initiative with her network of community members and small business owners in Milton, particularly through the Facebook group ‘#MiltonStrong.’
The Eighth Note supports charities like Pack a Bag for a Friend Foundation, which receives strong support through the legion and other members of Milton’s community, and Food for Kids Halton.
“At the heart of everything, we’ve got a really small community that started long, long ago in this area, that has grown into a very supportive entity,” Torrance said.” And if they believe in you and support what you’re talking about, they will come out.”
If you’re interested in visiting The Eighth Note, you can check out its website here.