The history of Essence of India begins with the arrival of our Chef Don from Indian state of Punjab in the mid-1970’s. Upon his arrival in Vancouver, Chef Don completed culinary apprenticeships in the areas of Greek, Italian, French, and of course Indian cuisine.

During this time, he worked throughout the lower mainland as a chef de partie, sous chef and chef building a strong command of the multiple areas of cuisine listed earlier. Prior to opening Essence of India, Chef Don made multiple trips to India to increase his repertoire to both include and reflect a mastery of Indian cuisine.