/ Vikram Vij – Chef Extraordinaire Serves His Unique Memoir On A Plate

by Geeta Wahab

Vikram Vij – Chef Extraordinaire Serves His Unique Memoir On A Plate

Jul 19, 2017

Chef extraordinaire Vikram Vij takes us on a heartfelt journey in his latest book, a memoir called Vij: A Chef’s One-Way Ticket to Canada with Indian Spices in His Suitcase.

The famed Vancouver-based Indian chef and booming businessman details the ups and downs of finding his way from country to country, chasing a dream, taking risks and never looking back. The memoir is filled with lessons learned, heartache and successes all delicately woven with tales of faith, trust and team work. We chatted with the author to get the inside scoop about the book.

Vikram Vij Cover shot — **Vikram Vij and his latest book.** Photo Credit: Aaron Aubrey

Geeta Wahab: Can you tell us a little about the book?

Vikram Vij: It came about three years ago. They had approached me to say we are ready for you to write a book. At first I kinda resisted, obviously, because it’s gonna be a candid book and and I’m an open book in that sense. I don’t hide or hide behind anything, I don’t make myself look nicer than I am. I’m a little bit fickle sometimes, and I’m weird. And I first said no and then obviously [they] asked again and there was persistence.

We discussed it and were like “yup, we have what it takes.” I’d meet with the writer on Saturdays. I realized that writing the book was not just writing the book but quite therapeutic because I was able to communicate and it was almost like she was my shrink (laughs). So that’s how the book came about, and it’s an open book, it’s a book about my failures, about positives things, negative things, and what happens in life and that’s what it was.

GW: Did you have to overcome any emotional roadblocks to allow you to be this candid writing the memoir?

VV: There were emotional roadblocks in the sense that I didn’t want to come across as somebody who had it made. Like when people look at me sometimes they think he’s so well put together, he will forget the struggle we go through in order to get to this point. So the emotional background is at one point people think he’s got it made and everything else and on some level it’s not, and so when I gave that speech I was like I’m just a cook, I’m just a dishwasher, I’m just everything else and I’m not anything else. You just work hard and you remained focused. There were emotional roadblocks in my mind, like should I divulge this information, and should I not divulge this information.

Like when I talk about using Susan as part of my journey of learning German quickly in your emotional mind you can look at it and say in your mind he was being a little conniving but that’s true. I was conniving. I was making sure I learned the language. I needed to learn the language and that was the goal, it was just to go there and study and leave, and there were other ways to learn the language but that was the fastest.

GW: Were there any moments that you were nervous about releasing this book?

VV: I remember sitting one night with the proof, and I felt completely sweaty and I said “oh my god!” I’ve worked hard to build this reputation what happens if people just hate me for being mean at times. Then I got over it. I’m under contract and there was a lot of money spent on this, and it’s like I have to do what I have to do and practicality is very important.

GW: Did you experience a different type of excitement writing and releasing this book than with the cookbooks?

VV: Yes, because the cookbooks were more about cooks. It’s like here’s a recipe and cooking for the girls, cooking for them or this person and that’s how it came out. But writing your personal stuff out there, I mean I haven’t even given this book to my parents to read, to my sister to read because I’m just afraid for being that open. So I’m a little worried about that.

GW: What additional piece of advice would you give to an upcoming entrepreneur that didn’t make it in the eight pieces of advice?

VV: I think I biggest message of the Vijisms has been that if you are going to fail, fail loudly. Accept defeat and walk away from it and say “you know what, yup, I made a mistake or I screwed up here.” Look at history for example, Mandela, Gandhi, M.L.K., I mean how much more can you give than to give up your life for a cause. My cause was to bring awareness to a cuisine, and that’s what I engulfed myself in and I gave up everything for it — relationships, friendships. It’s just I’m addicted to that element, and part of it and bringing awareness and so I don’t think I would tell entrepreneurs anything else other than those Vijisms.

There’s a word in Hindi — drishti — to have focus. We say focus so easily, but it’s understanding that focus, that drishti, and staying true to your journey. There’s a reason why South Asian women, wear the bindi. It’s the third eye, because in Indian mythology it is believed women are so smart they had a third eye and the bindi became the symbol of the third eye.

GW: Throughout your journey how important was faith and remaining grounded to your success?

VV: Faith is very important because without faith in life how are you going to go anywhere. You have to have faith in yourself, faith in the direction. I mean you don’t have to be religious but you have to have faith — having faith in believing you can do it. Faith and hope are the two things that matter the most in life.

GW: What were some of the frustrations you met along the way that weren’t captured in the memoir?

VV: There were no additional roadblocks. It was very genuine. It’s honest. It’s pretty much the way we wrote it. And we just cleaned up the chapters and moved things around a little bit and made it flow. Overall it’s just the way it was.

GW: It’s just a genuinely you book.

VV: It’s me on a plate. You can devour it, or push it away, or eat it. Whatever you want to do, but that’s me on a plate (laughs).

GW: Television shows, Dragon, TEDx speaker, restauranteur, cookbooks, line of sauces, and a memoir, what’s next for Vikram Vij?

VV: So in my book, there is a chapter, Five By Fifty, where I said by 50 I was going to build five businesses and I managed to meet that goal. Then from 50 to 60, I was just going to fine tune all those things I am working on. All the restaurants have been built and now it’s the fruit bearing time.

I’ve always taken inspiration from nature. It’s like a tree has grown and now they are fully grown, the infrastructure is there, the trunk, and now it’s time for the tree to give its fruit and trim off anything in the way (the extra branches, the dead leaves) so it can produce the best fruit, the tastiest fruits — for the rest of its life, my life, restaurant life. My goal is from 50 to 60 is to just fine tune all the small little projects I have been working so hard to build.

Main image Photo Credit: Aaron Aubrey

Geeta Wahab

Author

Cultivating a life she loves, Geeta (@geets.suites) is chasing all her passions, including her love for home décor. As a brand new home owner, her current journey has launched her further into that world - check out her Instagram @geets.suites for tidbits of her story and other decorating pieces. A...