32 » OpenRoad Driver
CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT
Namaste
MY TIME WITH VIKRAM VIJ
Interview by Christian Chia
Photos by Todd Duncan
Watch a video of the interview at:
https://goo.gl/Z9Qcv7
»
The passion of Vikram Vij is on full display. Today his hands do double duty: covered in spices to
create a series of beautiful Indian curries and, in between, gesturing like a conductor as he shares his
feelings on being called Dr. Vij, answers the critics who question the purity of his food, and explains
how he became homeless - by choice - on the streets of India. The legendary restaurateur continues
to build a food empire that is poised to enter the US market. Passionate, candid and one-of-a-kind,
Vikram Vij opens up during his recent chat with OpenRoad’s president, Christian Chia, to provide
a fascinating look into his world.
To start off, I can’t call you Vikram
any more. I have to call you Dr. Vij.
You can call me Vikram. Getting a
doctorate was a great compliment. Did
you know in 2016 I am getting a second
doctorate from UBC? I am not even a
graduate and I am getting two PhDs, in
two years, from SFU and UBC.
Is there a theoretical field of study?
Which schools within UBC and SFU
have bestowed the doctorates?
It’s called degrees of law, which means
people who have brought something to
society. In my case it was bringing Indian
food to the forefront and making it
accessible and popular through the styles
of cooking I’ve done at Vij’s, Rangoli, My
Shanti and all the other endeavours I have.
Just talking about that, there are
some purists who say Vij’s is Indianlike food, but it’s not pure Indian.
Then there are your fans who say
Vij’s is the best Indian food ever. So
how would you address the purist
argument? Where do you lie on the
spectrum?
As an immigrant to this country from
India, via Austria, I feel that what I did
was bring the best of what I have, which
is India, take my best culinary experiences
from Austria, and add where I live, which is
in Canada. So I’m combining those. I’m an
alloy of India, Austria and Canada. That’s
what hardens me and makes me who I am.
To the purist I say I am as pure as I get. I
have just imparted some of the strengths
I have to this mixture, to this metal, this
alloy. That’s what cuisines are meant to be.
You cannot have the purist form of food,
because the water is different, the eggplant
is different, the cauliflower is different, the
chicken is different. How are you going
to expect the food to taste how it tastes
in India, to taste like that in Canada? I
tell the purist to come talk to me. I am
wearing a nose ring and I’m wearing Indian
jewelry. I’m an Indian, and I’ll always be
an Indian. I am a pure Indian. But I have
to change myself slightly based on where
I live. So why not be the most adaptable
person? And cuisines are like rivers. They
need to flow. If you keep doing the same
thing, then you’ll never have this beautiful
blending of cultures in cuisines. So, screw
the purist.
So as you were being bestowed
your honorary doctorate, next to
you was your spouse, Meeru. Now,
what’s it like working with your
spouse, especially with her having
such a strong forceful power in
your business? And who’s really the
boss?