“Hello, I’m Gerry.
I live in Centertown and I lived in this house for 30 years and this house belonged originally to the second mayor of Bytown, the first mayor of Ottawa.
I’ve restored the house completely from the original that it was as I bought it.
I’ve been very fortunate over my career to meet important people as the former pope, the new pope, my friend the cardinal who I traveled around the world with doing work.
This is a portrait here of Mr. Lewis who owned this house originally.
I was at 8 years old, I was selling flowers when I was only 8 years old and at 17 I went to Holland and studied for 4 years, came back and opened my business in 1979, Silver Rose.
I opened in the Chateau and in 1984 I became world champion.
I’m also a chef, I do a lot of fundraisers.
This is my first book which was published in 2002 and I’m just writing another book, a hard cover like this, with my artwork and work that I’ve accomplished and did since 2002 and it’ll be out at the end of this year of 2025.”
Gerald R. J. Arial
Artist, Philanthropist, Florist
