When Jason Buick's employment counsellor suggested he apply for a position at a prison-themed pop-up restaurant, he was intrigued.

"I thought, 'We'll see how this goes. Sounds like it could be a good opportunity,'" Buick said.

The 49-year-old is no stranger to being behind bars, having been in and out of prisons for 30 years, so perhaps it's fitting he landed that job at Club Fed. And the new job certainly came along at a good time.

He was released from Millhaven Institution — a maximum security penitentiary about 25 kilometres northwest of Kingston, Ont. — before the holidays and is staying at a halfway house in Toronto, serving the rest of his parole for armed robbery.

"I'm not just sitting in the halfway house, wondering what I'm going to do," said Buick, whose fiance and kids currently live in Burlington.

"I'm getting up, going to work, providing for my family," he said.

The pop-up eatery serves dine-in or take-out lunch items like soups, sandwiches and salads. (CBC News)

The theme of Club Fed is described as "prison chic" — even the trays the food is served on replicate those in a prison.

"When you walk in, you get a look at prisoners' phone set up, you see mug shots, hard edged tables. There's a mock up cell." Buick said.

He jokingly adds that the food, though, is certainly not what you would be fed in jail.

"The food is very tasty."

The location is a collaboration between chef Marc Thuet and Dave's Killer Bread.

Steel tables, trays and a cell all contribute to the prison theme at Club Fed. (CBC News)

Dave Dahl, co-founder of Dave's Killer Bread, spent 15 years in prison and found an opportunity to reinvent himself in the family bakery. The company is based in the U.S. and its organic bread is produced in Canada by Weston Foods.

Meanwhile, Thuet's role a decade ago in the Canadian reality TV show Conviction Kitchen — where he trained 12 ex-convicts to run a restaurant — made him a good fit for this new venture.

'There's a stigma behind it'

Thuet says that one of the former convicts that appeared on his show is still employed with him nine years later. When he was approached with this opportunity, he said it seemed like the perfect fit.

"I think sometimes employers see they were in jail for 10 years, and they're not really welcome. There's a stigma behind it," Thuet said.

Marc Thuet, known for his role in the show Conviction Kitchen, says this new venture combines his love of food and giving back to the community. (CBC News)

Fifty per cent of the proceeds from each sale will be split between two charities — SKETCH Toronto, which provides art programming for youth experiencing poverty, and The Bridge, a Hamilton-based organization that helps men who have been incarcerated transition into their communities.

Thuet says providing people with second chances has been a bit of a theme throughout his career.

"If I can help someone, I'm happy to."

And for people like Buick, the help doesn't go unnoticed.

"It's re-instilled for me my goals and things I want to achieve, and I feel they're coming to fruition," Buick said.

"I just feel happy."