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Vish Mayekar may be the most driven chef we’ve met in the history of Jewkarta.
We were introduced to him during our unforgettable first dinner at Caffè La Tana, shortly after pandemic dining restrictions had been lifted and the soon-to-be multi-award-winning restaurant was hosting a full house of jubilant patrons who were thrilled to finally be experiencing in-person dining again. Vish continues to be chef at Caffè La Tana and its adjoining neighbour, the historic and revitalized Pepino’s Spaghetti House — both of which are almost always bustling. Prior to this, he had cooked in his native Mumbai as well as in San Antonio, the Niagara region, and Toronto.
Additionally, in recent years Vish has been executive chef at the American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival, was a competitor on Top Chef Canada, and is seemingly always participating in a culinary event at home or abroad.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What’s your earliest memory of being taken to a restaurant?
It was back home in Mumbai, and it was and still is my parents’ favourite restaurant. It’s an Indo-Chinese restaurant called Gypsy. And to this day — every time they go, and every time I’m back home and I go with them — they get this one crab dish, which is prepared in an Indo-Chinese way where the crab is filled back into its shell. I remember being super young — I think I would’ve been eight — and seeing it for the first time and just being blown away by how it was done. That memory of me eating a stuffed-crab dish with my parents is the first restaurant I recall. The last time I was in India — unfortunately, a very long time ago — we went and had the same dish. My parents were there a couple of weeks ago and they had it.
When did you know you wanted to work in the restaurant industry?
Grade nine. I looked up to my dad and I said, “Dad, I want to be a chef.” And he said, “All right.” I’m blessed to have the parents I do, who are super supportive and they never questioned me. They were like, “Great — you’re gonna be a chef!” I’ve never had a different job in my life.
I went to culinary school back home and wanted to go to Europe or wherever. And while doing school, I had the opportunity to do a co-op in Texas. So, I lived in San Antonio for half a year, finished that and went back home. And that’s when I knew I had a travel bug in me. I’m not a tree; I’m not going to spend the rest of my life in one spot. I wanted to go to Switzerland or Italy, but the timing wasn’t right. And Niagara College in Ontario — its name came up and I thought, “I’m gonna give it a shot. I’m not going to live in Canada forever. I’ll do a couple years of school, maybe a couple years of working, and then move on.” Ten years later, here I am: a citizen of Canada and I absolutely love it. I always knew that if I went to Canada, I’d move to the west coast. I moved to Vancouver seven and a half years ago and I haven’t left.
What drew you to the profession in the first place?
I think coming from an Indian background and being surrounded by food and desserts and anything to do with cooking. In Indian culture, we have so many ceremonies and festivals and cultural things that we do throughout the year, and I always joke that those are just reasons for us to cook and eat. I remember deciding, before grade nine, that I was going to be doing this forever. I remember being in the kitchen with my mom and my grandmother, always hanging out in there, and it just felt natural. I was always intrigued by the cooking that was happening in the kitchen. As long as I can remember, the kitchen felt like where I belonged.
Is being a chef or a cook viewed as an honourable profession in India?
Yes. It’s not degraded. Indian food has come such a long way. It’s not like a lot of other cultures, where you see cooking being a low-grade job. That’s absolutely not what it is in India. Indian cuisine is one of the best and most renowned in the world, and there are 1.5 billion people in India, so we love our food.
When did you start learning about cuisines from other parts of the world — in particular, Italian?
Throughout my travels and going to school in Niagara. And then just a lot of R and D [research and development]: a lot of cookbooks, a lot of TV shows, and a lot of studies and being able to replicate dishes. It’s continuous growth. I wouldn’t call myself a master chef in Italian cuisine by any means, but there’s constant growth that goes with it, and that’s what keeps me excited about being a chef.
Did you start travelling more after arriving in Canada?
Definitely. More than ever. I absolutely love it. The things that matter the most to me in my life, other than my parents, are food, wine and travel.
In those travels, what have been some of the most revelatory experiences, in terms of discovering a type of cuisine or a specific dish?
Going to the south of France and being a part of the Cannes Film Festival for the first three years, and then being offered to run the program and be the chef at the festival. For the last three years, I’ve been the head chef at the American pavilion. It was an incredible opportunity. It’s one of the toughest jobs that I do and it’s only a two-week gig. It takes a certain type of person to go there and work 18 to 20 hours a day for two weeks straight, and then come back to the reality of your regular cooking. I’m so proud of being able to do that but, yeah, it’s tough!
Every cook and every chef that comes from my generation, we all look up to French cuisine like it’s the be-all and end-all — and, in a certain way, it still is in terms of the basis of cooking. But being in France and actually being able to experience the southern French cuisine and being able to not only cook French cuisine in France but then, from France, going to Barcelona and really, really taking in the Spanish street food — it was absolutely incredible. I’ll never forget that food journey that I took there, having five meals a day.
Earlier this year, I spent five days in Mexico and that was probably the best food trip I’ve ever taken in my life. I had seven meals a day, from 10 a.m. tacos on the street to 4 a.m. tacos on the street. It’s absolutely incredible, the food and culture in Mexico City.
What was your first restaurant job when you arrived in Vancouver?
I started at Cactus Club.
That’s not the answer I was expecting!
Nobody does. Everyone is expecting fine dining, and I did that a lot in Ontario. But when I moved here, the opportunity at Cactus Club came up, I took it and I was there for quite a time, until I was offered to run a winery up in the Okanagan. I was the chef for the Fitzpatrick [Family Vineyards]. I was supposed to go back and do that again for the next season and then, “Thank you, COVID.” But then I got the opportunity to be a chef for a nutritional meal-prep company, which I never thought I’d do, but it was a cool opportunity to be working with nutritionists and dietitians.
After that, I got a scholarship to do my WSET [Wine & Spirit Education Trust], then I got a phone call from Paul [Grunberg, owner/operator of Caffè La Tana, Pepino’s Spaghetti House and Savio Volpe], and two and a half years ago I took over Pepino’s and Caffè La Tana.
What are some of the most significant things you’ve learned during your time here?
I think, overall, just being a better person, a good chef and being able to run a tight team. I’ve come from restaurants and hotels where I had cooks over cooks over cooks, but over here it’s more like a family — a very small and tight team. I’ve learned to manage two operations at the same time and run them both successfully. I’m super proud of that. It’s not been easy, but I’d do it again.
How do you think the Vancouver restaurant scene has changed or evolved since you moved here?
I’ve seen growth in Vancouver where a lot of amazing restaurants have popped up, and a lot that have already existed have found their stride and are doing incredibly, and a lot of small restaurants have found their spotlight. There was good food in Vancouver before, but in the time I’ve been here, chefs that deserved recognition have started to get it throughout different accolades, including Michelin. We’re one of only seven cities in all of North America to be included in the Michelin Guide. That’s huge.
What’s one restaurant in Metro Vancouver that you think is unfairly underexposed?
L’Abattoir. For who they are and what they’re doing, that’s one restaurant that needs to have a higher level of recognition. It’s an institution that’s been around for a long time; the consistency of the food and the creativity involved in it… That was the first fine-dining restaurant that I went to when I moved here. They do an incredible job. I think everyone should go there.
Do you sleep?
What is that? (laughs)
This is nothing to brag about, and every chef and everybody in the hospitality industry should take care of themselves. It takes a toll on you before you realize. I’m the worst person to be telling people to rest more, because I’m very bad at it. I sleep very little, but I’m still grinding it because I’m happy and I want to. No one’s forcing me.
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