Meeru Dhalwala

Meeru Dhalwala
Meeru Dhalwala
Born	India
Occupation	restaurateur, chef, cookbook author
Known for	Vij's, Rangoli, Shanik, Joy of Feeding, Vancouver
Spouse(s)	Vikram Vij

Meeru Dhalwala is an author, chef and co-owner, with her ex-husband Vikram Vij, of the Indian restaurants Vij's and Rangoli in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Meeru Dhalwala was born in India. When she was still young she moved to Washington, D.C with her parents. She began her career in D.C., working with various international non-profit organizations on human rights and economic development projects. She attended University of Bath in England and there, received a master's degree in Development Studies.

In February 1995, Dhalwala joined her husband, Vikram Vij, in Vancouver, British Columbia. She began managing the kitchen and creating recipes for their newly opened restaurant, Vij’s. In the early days her husband’s parents would make the curry at their home and deliver it by bus to the restaurant. By 2003, Mark Bittman of the New York Times was praising Vij’s Restaurant as “easily among the finest Indian restaurants in the world”.

In 2004, Dhalwala and Vij opened up a second restaurant and market called Rangoli. Both restaurants are known to have an all female kitchen staff, having all come from the Punjab of India. Dhalwala and her cooks experiment together with new techniques and spice combinations. Along with the restaurant recipes, Dhalwala creates recipes for Vij’s Inspired Indian Cuisine, a line of prepackaged gourmet curries. The product line is sold in Rangoli’s market, and in grocery stores across British Columbia and other regions.

In November 2012, Dhalwala will be launching a new restaurant called Shanik, in Seattle, Washington. The project is in partnership with Oguz Istif, who is also involved in heading finance and operations for the Vij’s companies in Vancouver. Shanik will be an Indian restaurant with an original menu, different from her Vij’s and Rangoli menus.

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