Global Change Begins in the Kitchen

Photo by Jamie-Lee Fuoco
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Superbaba in Mount Pleasant, which serves made-from scratch, modern Middle Eastern fare, has been busy since opening its doors in November.
Sandeep Pandher, middle right, general evening kitchen manager at Vij’s, has been working with Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij, top left, at Vij’s for nearly 26 years. The pandemic has been hard on everyone and, for the first time in 26 years, Dhalwala is starting to lose long-time loyal staff who have lost faith in the industry. “Right now, I am just working really hard to keep my core staff going,” she says.
Abdallah (known to all as Dallah) El Chami, owner of Superbaba, top, has no patience for anyone who wants to mistreat restaurant staff — and that includes their employers. Early in the pandemic, El Chami, Tacofino’s Taylor Chobotiuk and Puneet Kochar created the Vancouver Food and Beverage Community Relief Fund (vanfbc.com) to support staff and help keep employers informed.
Kym Nguyen has amassed a new following from the culinary, Asian and Queer communities since the non-binary chef’s barrier breaking appearance on Food Network’s Top Chef Canada.
Nguyen has been a standout for their culinary style and skill, winning the majority of the elimination rounds in the competition.