CREATING A CULINARY CULTURE

CHICAGO CHARMER: She is a woman of varied interests. An economics major, a former World Bank economist, a successful management consultant and a proponent of women’s rights in workplaces – Rohini Dey, one of the best known Indian-origin achievers in America, who has been successfully striding these laurels has also lent a unique tour-de-force to the Indian dining scene in the country. With her immensely popular signature restaurant, Vermilion, in Chicago and in NYC, Dey has been consistently redefining the perception of Indian cuisine in the world epicurean circles.

There is a certain bon-vivant energy in restaurateur Rohini Dey’s voice, when she talks to us on an early Tuesday afternoon. She has a packed day ahead — that includes tastings at her upmarket eatery Vermilion, overseeing the accounting and HR details of her two establishments in Chicago and NYC, looking after some specifics at the James Beard Foundation Women in Culinary Leadership Program that she co-founded amongst many other legal and social engagements that she has to wade through the day. But Dey, not only makes it all sound like a breeze but also looks forward to accomplish it all just in time to be home to stir up a comfort dinner comprising Bengali fish curry or a Chinese stir-fry for her two teenage daughters.
Rohini Dey, who opened the now iconic eatery Vermilion back in 2003 in Chicago has in many ways been single handedly responsible for introducing the concept of luxe Indian fusion dining in America. When she started out more than a decade ago, Indian food in the West was synonymous with greasy curries and a cheap ‘tikka’ take-out alternative.
Her maiden foray into the unforgivable and highly demanding food industry paid off and quickly catapulted her eatery into the coveted gourmand terrene.
But how did a Delhi girl who was charting a remarkable corporate career in America land up in this bubbling cauldron quite literally!
In her trademark self-assured style, De shares, “When I thought about foraying into the restaurant business, I was working with McKinsey & Co. Career wise I was at a very satisfactory position and I enjoyed it immensely. I would say, more than anything else it was this passion to educate people about the wonders of Indian food and to bust the stereotypes associated with Indian cuisine that led me to take this up seriously.”

GROWING UP, GOURMET
Talking about her formative years, Rohini shares how her family instilled in her an appreciation for cuisines and cultures. She shares, “I grew up in India and by virtue of my dad’s work, we traveled a lot and lived in 14 different cities. Everywhere we went we noticed how food of a certain region had an interesting history and learnt the food stories intertwined to that place. Not only was it fun to discover these connections in small parts of India it also made me respect the food philosophy of a certain place. Perhaps subconsciously the exposure to food began from there.” She adds, “Besides, my mom is a great cook and growing up, a lot of our memories were centered around good Indian food.”
However it was not this love for food that brought Rohini to America – a melting pot of cuisines and cultures. Rohini laughs, “Yes, I came to America for my Phd program after completing my masters from the Delhi School of Economics. I enrolled for the doctorate at the University of Texas and I nursed a childhood dream of working with the World Bank and I was lucky enough to get that break.”
Before helming the food business, Rohini scaled formidable heights on the corporate ladder. She worked with the World Bank in Washington D.C. where she looked after foreign investment policy. During this time, she also co-authored a book and moved to Mc Kinsey & Co. in a management consultancy project. She worked there for five years before finally letting her passion override the practicality of her secure career and she branched out in the food industry.

MAKING FUSION FASHIONABLE
More than a decade ago when Rohini took that rather brave call of serving up fusion cuisine, experimental Indian food as we know today was not a popular concept. The idea of infusing Latin twist to her menu was a smart strategy on her part to draw in people who may be scared of Indian food. On why she chose fusion, Rohini says, “It’s a misconception that Indian food cannot work well in a fusion concept. Historically if you see, Indian food has always have had external influences. Whether it is the Mongol inspiration or the Portuguese inspiration along the Malabar region or Mughal influences in the northern part, you will always find one element from another territory so wonderfully blending into another.” Talking about picking up Latin elements, she explains, “It was my instinct and it came from my own experiences. If you walk into any Hispanic or Mexican marketplace you will see so many similarities to our own Indian ingredients from tamarind to mango to cilantro or plantains. I believe we had a lot of complementing elements. Besides studying food influences across the world is such a fascinating discovery. When I enjoy good paella in Spain I can’t help but look at the Persian influences such as saffron and the close resemblance to pulav.”
It is this close understanding of pairing and delicate balance of flavors that Rohini has brought along in her menu. At Vermilion, entrees such as blackened tamarind ribs or caldeirada de peixe, which is a Brazilian seafood stew prepared with Indian seasoning that remain popular choices amongst other equally appealing combinations.

KITCHEN CONUNDRUMS
But no matter how glamorous, serving food as art on plate may seem, the fact remains that the kitchen grind takes a heavy toll and comes with its share of sweat and blood. So how did this young lady with no previous background in business leave alone in food, take the plunge? Rohini smilingly acknowledges the challenge that she undertook back then but credits her corporate background for helping her learn the tricks. She says, “I could not have done all of this without my McKinsey training. I would say that it was there that I learnt a lot about integrating a project and the basics that help you build anything from scratch.”
On a personal front too the idea of giving up a job most would kill for to start a precarious business seemed like a daunting task. She shares, “There were apprehensions. No one in my family has been into business and moving into restaurant business that has a 90 percent risk was something that did weigh on the mind. This apart my in-laws were both shocked and surprised that given my academic background I wanted to venture into this new territory. However my husband was extremely supportive and I embarked on this journey. She shares, “I raised money through investors and debt-financing. I also took a 2-month-leave from my work to understand the food market. During this time I visited a restaurateur in LA and closely observed his life. I also spoke to more than 40 restaurant owners to get to the bottom of what lay ahead. During this time I also worked closely with my chef Ambrish to curate the entire menu however around that time Ambrish got an offer of a position as a faculty with an impending permanent residency in the US. He explained to me as to why he couldn’t be with me for long and I understood it completely and thus began my quest once more for a chef. After interviewing dozens and dozens of them I identified Maneet Chauhan who was a young graduate from Culinary Institute of America before we opened Vermilion in Chicago.
Vermilion received rave reviews from the very start and within no time the restaurant was written about as the Best New Restaurant by Chicago Magazine, USA Today, Travel & Leisure, Bon Appetit and many other prestigious publications. Rohini’s acumen was also recognized and she has been featured in New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine, BBC World and several other media outlets.

CONQUERING CHICAGO
A Lincoln Park resident, Rohini talking like a true blue Chicagoan credits the city with its wonderful understanding of cultures and culinary explorations as a perfect place to give wings to her dreams. She says, “I am glad that I was in Chicago because the city was suitable for a culinary experience such as this one.”
But not the one to sit back and relax on the laurels, Rohini had her eyes set on her next target – NYC. She says, “For any restaurateur opening an outlet in New York is the ultimate. It’s like climbing the Mt Everest,” she laughs.
And Rohini did manage to ride this culinary vertex too albeit with a few impediments. Rohini expanded her ambitious project and opened Vermilion in Manhattan, NYC. But things took a bit of a rough and tumble here. It was 2008; the peak of financial crisis and Rohini’s eatery spread across an impressive 12,000 square feet didn’t receive a glowing reception. Times were tough and luxuries such as fine dining appeared hedonistic when big financial institutions were crashing. However Rohini chose to face the battle, reworked her menu and even recounted the revamp in a reality TV series titled Consumed: The Real Restaurant Business on CNBC. The reviews grew stronger and Vermilion in NYC was able to live up to the reputation it earned in Chicago.
Today with two highly esteemed eateries in two of the biggest cities in the US, Rohini looks back at the journey with a deep satisfaction.

FAMILY LIFE
On the personal front, Rohini is married to her childhood sweetheart who heads the retail practice in the Americas with McKinsey & Co. She recalls, “We went back to India for our big wedding and life with Sajal has been an enriching experience. While we worked together in McKinsey our sectors never overlapped. He encouraged me to follow my instincts with Vermilion and put his trust in me.” The couple spends their weekends playing squash, chess and exploring the food scene in Chicago with their two daughters. The family of four understandably has a refined taste in food and have a few comfort food spots in the city. While they head to Udipi in Devon for South Indian food and love going to Phoenix in Chinatown for dimsums and enjoy Japanese at Ramen San in River North they are also always up for newer foodie adventures.
Rohini also shares that food and travel go hand in hand in her family and they make it a point to visit 3-6 destinations in a year. Having already pinned 50 countries across the globe, the family shares that their holidays are centered on food and culture. Talking about their recent holiday to South Korea, Rohini says, “It was revealing to discover a highly evolved Korean cuisine which is so much more than just khimchi and is one of the few cuisines that is intrepidly spicy.”
While works remains demanding and Rohini often flies to New York to oversee the operations, the family also takes out time to visit India and touch base with their roots when they can.
Rohini admits that even though she is totally at home in Chicago she still considers Delhi an integral part of her life. She says,” My parents still live there, I did my college there and every time I go there it feels like home too.”

 

A Lincoln Park resident, Rohini talking like a true blue Chicagoan credits the city with its wonderful understanding of cultures and culinary explorations as a perfect place to give wings to her dreams.

In 2012, Rohini also founded the Women in Culinary Leadership Program with the James Beard Foundation to address the problem of glass ceiling in the culinary world.

Before helming the food business, Rohini scaled formidable heights on the corporate ladder. She worked with the World Bank in Washington D.C. where she looked after foreign investment policy. During this time, she also co-authored a book and moved to Mc Kinsey & Co. in a management consultancy project.

It is this close understanding of pairing and delicate balance of flavors that Rohini has brought along in her menu. At Vermilion, entrees such as blackened tamarind ribs or caldeirada de peixe, which is a Brazilian seafood stew prepared with Indian seasoning that remain popular choices amongst other equally appealing combinations.