Birth Day | December, 1964 |
Birth Place | India |
Net Worth: | $50 Million |
He was born in India and grew up in India in Amritsar, Delhi and Mumbai. He left home at the age of 20 to start his culinary journey abroad and began working in Austria and studying Hotel Management. During this time, a Canadian hotelier tasted his creations and immediately invited him to savor Canada's culinary possibilities. Vikram immigrated to Alberta in 1989 and started work at the Banff Springs Hotel. He opened his first restaurant, Vij's, in Vancouver in 1994 to great success. A strict no reservations policy that was inspired by Mahatma Ghandi's philosophy that we are all equal has led to a nightly never-ending lineup outside Vij's doors. Celebrities who've lined up for a seat in his uber popular eatery include Martha Stewart, Pierre Trudeau and Harrison Ford. New York Times food writer Mark Bittman said Vij's was "easily among the finest Indian restaurants in the world."
In 2004, Vikram and his wife, Meeru, opened a second restaurant called Rangoli, serving a more casual dining experience. His third concept, My Shanti by Vikram Vij opened in March 2014 in White Rock, BC and also released a line of his dishes that are available in a gourmet food truck that services the Greater Vancouver Area. In addition to his success in the restaurant arena, Vikram also launched his own line of gourmet prepackaged curries, which are based on his restaurants' most popular dishes. In order to keep up with the growing demand for the packaged meals in Canada and the US, Vikram constructed a 28 thousand square foot food processing plant in Surrey, BC and his ready-to-eat meals are now available across Canada in national grocery chains. He and his wife have also published two best-selling cookbooks entitled Vij's: Elegant & Inspired Indian Cuisine and Vij's at Home: Relax, Honey.