Meeru Dhalwala has been running the kitchen at Vij’s for 27 years with her all-female staff and has penned three Vij’s award-winning cookbooks. She showcases agriculture sustainability and multiculturalism at her annual food festival, Joy of Feeding. Dhalwala created and founded My Bambiri, a baby (and soon to be toddler) food company with income-based pricing.

NON-PROFIT CAUSE: Doctors Without Borders. My parents were refugees in the war of Partition when the British left India in 1947. Many families were killed.
SOMEONE YOU ADMIRE: Retired BC Supreme Court justice Lynn Smith. First female dean of the University of British Columbia’s law school. She put into motion government legislation on assisted dying. She balances a commitment to her family and profession.
FAVOURITE MEAL: Hearty Indian vegetable rice pilaf with kimchee on the side.