Kitchen is where the heart is: Vij

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – As we head into the holidays, good food and a warm kitchen can become the focal point of your home, a place to gather with family and friends.

News1130 recently sat down with renowned Vancouver chef Vikram Vij to talk about cooking, eating and communicating.

Despite his work, Vij always brings his love of the kitchen home to his family.

“Even if you’re fighting, even if you are arguing, even if you are talking, it’s good to sit at the table sometimes and let your feelings out, say this is what happened to me today, this is how I’m feeling.”

Most importantly, don’t feel intimidated.

“Cooking should be fun, it should be a pleasure, it should be like ‘wow, this is what I want to do’. It would be no different than you wanting to play music, you know, the piano is there or the guitar is there and you want to just pick it up and play it. It’s the same thing,” says Vij.

And if you have children, let them cook with you.

“From the time they are born. I think the key is not scare them — oh my god they are going to cut themselves with a knife. Man, the life out there is pretty tough, it’s sharper than the knives you have in the kitchen, so you might as well just get them used to using knives, or tongs, or whatever they want, and fire,” says Vij.

And don’t worry about correcting their mistakes, it’s about sharing a common experience.

“Cook whimsically, cook with love, cook with passion and eat together!”