Don’t get freaked by the Old Testament name. Jamie Kennedy hasn’t suddenly found religion (unless you count his quest to convert Cheetos addicts to the joys of fresh and local food). Instead, his new midday spot—the third in the omnipresent chef’s resto empire—takes its handle from the small Corktown alley where it’s hidden away. Unlike the suited-up Wine Bar and Gardiner restaurant, Gilead has an unbuttoned, casual feel. The decor is chic yet industrial, with jewel-toned preserves lining the walls like a locavore version of stained glass. The ordering and serving is reminiscent of a cafeteria: lunch seekers choose from either the chalkboard menu or an array of prepared foods (including Ontario cheese and salads), and servers cart the chosen dishes to the tables.

While Gilead had a soft opening in mid-May, a slew of recent write-ups means it’s only now drawing hungry noontime crowds (lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.): an atypical mix of French-cuffed businessmen dropping by for takeout, retirees drawing out their coffee into the afternoon, food tourists and the creative classes on lunch. The menu is vintage Jamie, as channelled by his staff, including rotating varieties of his trademark poutine (lovage-braised ham hock with smoked sheep’s milk cheddar topped one recent version, $8) and an emphasis on (all together, now) local producers (battered Ontario yellow perch with wild leek tartar sauce, $9). The bread—used for daily sandwiches, $9—and pastries are baked in house (Gilead doubles as the production kitchen for all the JK restaurants). And, in a first for a Kennedy resto, Gilead’s an early riser, opening at 8 a.m. to court bleary-eyed morning commuters with coffee and pain au chocolat ($1.95) or strawberry Danishes ($1.95). A liquor licence is pending, but for now the thirsty will have to content themselves with fruit fizzes and lemonade.

Gilead Café, 4 Gilead Pl. (at Eastern Ave.), 647-288-0680, www.gileadcafe.ca.