Cast on location — Lights, Camera… Kitchen!

9 Light Entertainment's new unscripted/reality series Lights, Camera… Kitchen! offers an intimate and humorous look at Fazenda Film Craft & Catering, a family-run business serving the film sets of North Bay, Northern Ontario. The series centers on best friends Nataliya and Leeza — a Russian-Ukrainian duo who turned a shared love of cooking and community into a multi-generational catering operation.

Joined by Nataliya's mother Irina, Leeza's vivacious mother Sasha, and Nataliya's daughter Kristina, the team feeds professional film crews through brutal Northern Ontario winters, remote locations, and the beautiful chaos of running a family business.

Lights, Camera… Kitchen! is exactly the kind of bold, character-driven storytelling that sits at the heart of everything we do at 9 Light. These women are the unsung heroes of the film industry — funny, resilient, and completely real. We can't wait for audiences to meet them.

A behind-the-scenes energy of film production fused with fast-paced kitchen comedy and drama. This show follows two entrepreneurs — business partners Nataliya and Leeza — an emerging film craft and catering team — as they whip up mouthwatering meals on real movie sets.

Each episode captures the action on both sides of the camera, spotlighting everything from creative menu planning, family drama, entrepreneurial spirit and culinary mishaps to behind-the-scenes film production challenges.

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Series Description

Lights, Camera… Kitchen! is a comedy-drama unscripted series about ordinary women running a real Film Craft and Catering company. No actors pretending, no famous faces posing, no rich wives bickering over something un-relatable. These aren't celebrities — they're just women living their lives, dealing with real problems, and serving real food.

Nataliya and Leeza are best friends who built this business together, even when everyone told them not to. Their moms Irina and Sasha jumped in too — battling language barriers, fighting over towel usage, and arguing about garlic. They clash over everything from the "right" way to cut onions to whose phone can blast the loudest in the kitchen.

Nataliya's daughter Kristina crosses enormous fields and climbs snow-covered mountains just to deliver hot meals to film crews while producers chase the perfect shot. These three generations of Russian-Ukrainian women are the reason the whole production doesn't collapse.

Nataliya — The Mastermind

Before she ever plated a meal on a film set, Nataliya had already lived multiple lives: Russian-language teacher, radio advertising specialist, skincare clinic owner, and design professional. Now she is the beating heart of the operation — designing inventive menus, cracking impossible logistical puzzles, and drawing on global travels to bring unexpected flavours to the most demanding crews in the industry. A mother of three, she turns controlled chaos into a joyful experience.

Leeza — The Heart

A finance professional by training and the creative force behind Fazenda Craft and Catering. She brings a rustic, film-inspired aesthetic and genuine warmth to everything she touches. A proud mom and co-owner, she turns food into something people actually remember: an experience, a moment, a reason to gather. Nataliya's best friend and the team's eternal optimist, she holds everyone together with infectious energy and quiet precision.

Sasha — The Engine

A gymnast, seamstress, knitter, and baker of legendary poppy seed cake — creativity and determination have followed Sasha everywhere since childhood. A Kyiv, Ukraine native, she arrived with a fiery spirit and an unshakeable belief that presentation is everything. She's Leeza's mother, and she operates like one: talking non-stop, working tirelessly, and taking every challenge head-on. On set, her energy is less a personality trait.

Irina — The Traditionalist

Irina started her career in chemistry, pivoted to accounting, and somehow ended up as one of the most irreplaceable members of the team. She followed her daughter Nataliya from Moscow to Canada — and into the kitchen. Her scientific precision and bookkeeper's eye for order mean nothing goes to waste and nothing goes wrong on her watch. Don't mistake her calm for complacency — Irina is the foundation everything else is built on.

Kristina — The Closer

Kristina is what happens when you grow up between a chef's kitchen and a drum kit. Nataliya's daughter has been attending culinary and baking masterclasses since she was old enough to hold a whisk. A Human Resources student at the University of Toronto and an active drummer, she memorizes every dietary restriction on a 50-person crew like it's second nature. She's the last link in the chain, and nothing gets dropped.

Concept & Format

What makes Lights, Camera… Kitchen! unlike anything else on television — a collision of two worlds rarely seen together on screen.

Set Access

Through real behind the scenes footage and interviews with film producers and celebrities, witness how a Canadian film production operates, highlighting the most unsung heroes — the craft and catering team. Real sets, real pressure, real stakes.

Local Film Scene

Showcase Canada and specifically Northern Ontario as a filming destination, featuring location scouting, production logistics, and local talent bringing stories to life in the wild north.

Chefs & Crew

Get to know the passionate individuals behind Lights, Camera… Kitchen! — their camaraderie, challenges, and triumphs. Like a real-life Top Chef meets Project Runway, but with more garlic.

Cast & Crew Cameos

Interviews and cameos from film directors, actors, and on-set staff reveal how pivotal the catering team is to maintaining morale and productivity on a hectic film set.

Episode Guide — Season 1

Six episodes. Six crises. One unstoppable team. Each 27-minute episode drops viewers into a new set, a new challenge, and a new reason to never take the catering table for granted.

Ep 1 · "The Hungry Crew Protocol"

If the crew doesn't eat, the filming stops. Three generations juggle allergies, logistics, and conflict to keep production alive. The season opener throws viewers straight into the deep end of a full-crew breakfast service with zero margin for error.

Ep 2 · "Think Outside the Kitchen"

No kitchen, just a barn and a storm rolling in. Tensions explode, but will Nataliya pull off the impossible anyway? When the location throws every obstacle imaginable at the team, improvisation becomes the only recipe that matters.

Ep 3 · "Butter Kitchen Bliss"

Blown breakers, bathroom battles, and a kitchen about to catch fire. Somehow, Sasha steps in and the meals still go out. A testament to the engine that never stops — even when everything around her is falling apart.

Ep 4 · "Boss Mode: Unlocked"

Stranded, freezing, and out of gas — with Nataliya gone, Leeza has no choice but to step up and hold everything together. The heart of the operation discovers she has more steel in her than anyone — including herself — ever knew.

Why This Show Matters

This isn't a cooking show. It's not just another behind-the-scenes docu-series. It's both — and so much more.

Film Production Access

Go beyond the director's chair into the controlled chaos of Canadian film sets. Watch location scouts hunt for perfect backdrops, production coordinators juggle impossible logistics, and local talent bring stories to life. One cold meal can kill morale for an entire shoot day.

Culinary Drama

Follow the heart-racing daily grind of Fazenda Catering: menu design at midnight, 4 AM prep sessions, last-second dietary bombshells, and the relentless pressure of feeding massive crews on schedules that make no sense. Character-driven stories with entrepreneurial partners navigating business and friendship.

Unity In Diversity

Lights, Camera… Kitchen! showcases something rare and beautiful: Russians and Ukrainians working side-by-side, proving that even in a world torn by conflict, people can unite over good food, hard work, and shared dreams. In an industry where every meal matters, this show stands as a testament to cooperation and resilience.

Immigrant Success Story

A celebration of first-generation entrepreneurs building thriving businesses from scratch. Nataliya and Leeza's journey proves that Canada remains a place where big dreams can be cooked up and served hot. It's the American Dream — but make it Canadian, with better healthcare and poutine.

Toronto-Based. Internationally Acclaimed.

Founded in 2015 by award-winning Cinematographer and Producer Pasha Patriki (CSC, CMPA), 9 Light Entertainment is a Toronto-based production, financing, and distribution company specializing in international co-productions, television content, and non-genre original programming. Built on over 25 years of hands-on industry experience, the company operates across the full arc of a project's life — from development and financing through production, post, and distribution.

In 2017, 9 Light Entertainment joined forces with Raven Banner Entertainment to launch Hangar 18 Media, the genre film production company that has since produced over a dozen feature films with titles appearing on Shudder, Netflix, and in theatres internationally. Hangar 18 Media's most recent venture, Berserkergang — a new genre label launched in partnership with legendary guitarist Slash — made its debut with Deathstalker, which had its World Premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in 2025. Other recent highlights include Frankie Freako (Fantasia 2024), You Gotta Believe (#2 on Netflix, March 2025), and OWEN, a Canada/UK documentary co-production currently in post-production.

Beyond genre, 9 Light Entertainment continues to develop and produce original non-genre film and television content, with titles currently available on Bell Crave, Fibe TV1, and Tubi. With the recent launch of its Canadian distribution arm and expansion into international TV sales, 9 Light Entertainment is now a full-service partner for independent filmmakers and content creators — from first pitch to global market.

Previous Productions Include:

You Gotta Believe — Netflix #2 in US & Canada, March 2025
V/H/S/94 — Most watched movie in Shudder's history at time of release
Brooklyn 45 — Shudder Original
Frankie Freako — Shudder Exclusive
Deathstalker — Shudder Exclusive

Contact for Inquiries

Pasha Patriki

9 Light Entertainment

pasha@9le.ca

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