Growing up, celebrated chef and entrepreneur Vikram Vij wanted to be an actor, but his business-minded father had other ideas. At nineteen, Vij left India for Austria, where he studied hotel management, and landed his first restaurant job at the famed Michelin-starred Post-Stuben restaurant.

It was there that a chance encounter with the head of CP Hotels led to a job offer at the Banff Springs Hotel. And so began Vikram Vij’s life in his adopted country of Canada.

“I fell in love with Canada. I fell in love with Banff. And I always tell people I come from one of the largest democracies in the world called India, but I actually live in the best democracy in the world called Canada,” Vij says.

From Banff, it was on to Vancouver, where Vij would build a network of restaurants with his former wife and business partner Meeru Dhalwala, and satisfy the entertainer in his soul with appearances on shows like Dragons’ Den, Top Chef Canada and Recipe to Riches.

Countless Journeys is brought to you by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, located at the Halifax Seaport.