Celebrity chef opening new restaurant unlike anything else in Toronto

A celebrity chef who has left his stamp on Canada's culinary world through cookbooks, restaurants, and even a short stint on Dragons' Den is gearing up to open a new restaurant in Toronto.

Chef Vikram Vij has long been a fixture of the Canadian culinary landscape for the better part of 40 years, making his mark on the West Coast with celebrated restaurants Vij's, Rangoli and My Shanti, as well as a couple of cookbooks and a swath of television appearances.

While only Vij's remains in British Columbia today, Chef Vij's impact on the local food scene still looms large.

Soon, Toronto will get a slice of the metaphorical pie for the very first time, as Vij is gearing up to open his first-ever Toronto restaurant, a concept called Sahni, at the Union Hotel in the coming months.

The restaurant, where Vij serves as Culinary Director, will specialize in Gujarati and East African cuisine. It'll be the only restaurant in the city that explicitly blends the two cuisines, but it's not as unlikely a pairing as it may seem.

Gujarati people — hailing from the Indian state of Gujarat — have a long history of migration to and from East Africa, assisted by ancient trade routes and post-colonial emigration. The two cuisines, as a result, have grown tightly enmeshed.

While a majority of the finer details are being held tightly under wraps for now, Vij's expertise in Indian cuisine has been well-documented over the decades, so Toronto diners can expect a tasty new treat on the local food scene to boot.

Sahni will be located on the lower level of Union Hotel at 60 York St., and is expected to open in the winter of 2027.