Finding inspiration in the city
Two words made Josh Zilberberg into a hit after joining TikTok at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s known for his sarcastic rants, signing off with an abrupt “Thank you!” He now has 2.5 million followers and counting on the social media platform.
Before becoming a TikTok creator, Zilberberg (who now calls Toronto’s suburbs home) was working for an upscale furniture store in Toronto, with hopes of pursuing an interior design career. When he shifted to working from home around March 2020, he had more time on his hands.
“That was around the time that TikTok started to gain popularity,” he says. “It started transitioning from something that was really just for kids to something that was more universally accepted.”
He started making videos for fun after a friend told him to check out the app. “By some stroke of luck or one person or another just found me funny, I started gaining popularity,” he says.
What is a hidden gem in Toronto?
There’s this Italian place at Avenue Road and Eglinton (Avenue) called Ferraro 502. I know about it and my friends know about it, but I feel like when I talk to random people I meet throughout the city, (they don’t). I feel like it’s bigger in the Jewish community, but I’m obsessed with it. They make the best dish. It’s called Jonathan’s and Jessie’s Pasta. It’s half gnocchi in cream sauce and half penne in (tomato cream) sauce. And I highly recommend everyone in the city get it.
What do you miss the most about the city?
The Ex. It hasn’t happened in so long and I used to love going as a kid. I still love going every year with my friends. I’m dying for it to come back.
What is your favourite patio in the city?
There was a patio on Dupont (Street) and Avenue (Road) called Playa Cabana Hacienda (now closed). The other locations are open. They would give you ponchos and blankets if it got chilly at night. And they would serve margaritas. It was always my favourite to go with my friends for my birthday.
Where do you find inspiration in Toronto?
I’m influenced by my everyday life and things I see around the city. The whole city is my source of inspiration. I’m not just saying that to be cliché. Truly, I have so much love for Toronto. I’ve lived here my whole life and I feel like there’s a reason there’s so many successful artists in all facets of the entertainment industry — whether it’s actors, singers — that come from here.
If you could introduce us to a Torontonian, who would it be?
It would be a TikToker and it would be my friend Boman (MartinezRied). (His TikTok handle is) Bowmanizer. He does impressions of reality TV shows in a TikTok format. The amount of detail and editing and work that he puts into his videos is so astronomical.
Where is your favourite place to get a cocktail?
BarChef. Honestly, they have that menu with their crazy drinks and it’s always changing. They have one that was in a coconut in the sand. It’s so extra and ridiculous obviously, but I love it.
What is your most Toronto memory?
One time when I was 19 or 20, my friend and I decided to go on a walk. We were in his neighbourhood, like the Mount Pleasant and Davisville area. I remember it being a really nice spring day. I was wearing flip flops because I wasn’t planning on going far, and somehow we ended up all the way downtown at the Toronto sign.
From there, we decided to walk the entire lake front. And then we ended up at the CN Tower. (I said), “Let’s just go up. Why not?” I hadn’t been up in years. We had the most Toronto day. It was out of nowhere. I wasn’t planning on leaving the house, but it was the first time in so long that I had been a tourist in my own city.
Where do you go to feel like you’re escaping the city?
The Beltline. It’s a nature trail that runs through the middle of the city. But there are definitely parts of it, especially when you get to Moore Park Ravine, where you totally don’t even know you’re in the city.
I have so much love for Toronto. I’ve lived here my whole life and I feel like there’s a reason there’s so many successful artists in all facets of the entertainment industry … that come from here.
JOSH ZILBERBERG