A Life Well-Lived

The story of food baron Vinay Varma is one of perseverance and dedication in the pursuit of his dreams

Sometimes, having no plan or idea is the best way to start a lifelong journey. The story of Vinay Varma is the classic tale of a man on a mission to find the purpose of his life. The inspirational story of Vinay Varma, who set sail to the UAE from Mumbai, 52 years ago, along with his four friends, started off in a similar way.

Born in the humble town of Meerut, India, Varma is among four brothers and one sister. After his graduation in catering and hospitality from Dadar Catering College in Mumbai, and with no job opportunities, Varma bid farewell to his family with no promising plans and landed in the UAE on October 16, 1970 with a mere Dh100 in his pocket.

Varma started his humble professional life in the UAE after securing a job with Abela Catering and then moved over to Spinneys. His work required living in locations like Jebel Dhana, Ruwais, Shah, Habshan, where he was catering for the employees at oil rigs onshore. After working for a fair amount of time in the desert, Varma soon found his way back into Abu Dhabi city when he started work with ADCO-JODCO caterings. Life was perfect until one day when Varma, along with his four colleagues, met with a horrific road accident where he was the sole survivor. With no income to support his two young children and a wife, his wife, Nira, worked two jobs to support their small family and attended to her husband’s needs at the hospital. It was the longest year ever, he reminisces.

Upon his release from the hospital, Varma was informed that his position had been offered to someone else in his work place. Blows kept coming, yet his faith in himself did not crush his spirit. Coming out stronger from the experience with ignited passion and a strong vision, Varma went ahead and launched the first ever fine dining Indian restaurant, Kwality Restaurant, in Abu Dhabi in 1985, and that was just the beginning.

Every year, Varma’s vision grew bigger and stronger. With the help of his equally visionary and ambitious wife, the duo launched a pioneer brand of pure vegetarian Indian restaurant named ‘Chhappan Bhog’. With solid concept and high quality, even after 25 years, ‘Chhappan Bhog’ has become a household name among the Indian community, and is equally loved by Arabs and western expats. Within a span of 15 years, from a single restaurant, the husband-wife duo and their son, were able to launch restaurants in Las Vegas, India and Doha, whilst expanding across the length and breadth of Abu Dhabi. With multi award-winning brands such as ‘Royal Orchid’, ‘Kababs and Kurries’, ‘AVASA’, ‘Chhappan Bhog’, ‘Soy Express’, ‘Kwality Mithai’ and the recently-launched ‘Bombay Canteen’, the entrepreneur has earned himself a well-respected name not only within the Indian community but also among the Emiratis, western expats and high dignitaries in the Government and the Royals.

There is a lot to learn from the life of a man who worked his way up and grew along with the young country like the UAE. The UAE has given a solid foundation for many dreamers such as himself, who left their countries in the hope of finding opportunities to make a life worth writing about. His experiences are a treasure, and his growth with the advancement of this country is phenomenal. Despite every challenge thrown his way, Varma’s resilience and strong sense of honour kept him going. He has become a living example to everyone around him that life is not just about making money, but about living with humility, honour and truthfulness, and giving back to the community and people alike. That is the true measure of life.

Some of the awards the food baron has received over the years include being the recipient of the ‘Guinness Book of World Record, Chhappan Bhog in 2019’, serving the Prime Minister of India at the Emirates Palace in 2019; ‘What’s on Best Indian Restaurant’ for Kababs & Kurries in 2017; ‘Time Out Highly Commended Restaurant’, for AVASA in 2017 and 2016; ‘Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence’, for AVASA in 2016; nominated and shortlisted in the Fact Magazine for ‘Best Indian Restaurant’ for AVASA in 2016; ‘What’s On Best Chinese Restaurant’ in 2015; ‘Time Out Winner, Highly Commended Best Indian Restaurant’ for AVASA in 2015; ‘What’s on Double Black Hat Guide, Indian Restaurant’, in 2014; ‘What’s On Best Indian Restaurant’ in 2013; ‘What’s On Best Chinese Restaurant’ in 2013; ‘Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence’ in 2013; ‘What’s on Double Black Hat Guide, Indian Restaurant’ in 2013; ‘Time Out Winner of Highly Commended Best Indian Restaurant’ in 2012; ‘What’s On Best Indian Restaurant’ in 2012; ‘Time Out Winner of Best South-East Asian Restaurant’ in 2011; ‘What’s On Best Far Eastern Restaurant’ in 2009; ‘Time Out Winner of highly commended Thai Restaurant’ in 2008; ‘What’s On Best Far Eastern Restaurant’ in 2008; ‘Time Out Winner of highly commended Thai restaurant’ in 2006 and being awarded the ‘What’s On Finalist General Manager’s Recommendation’ in 2006.

These awards and accolades are a testament to the name Varma has made for himself through his passionate work, humility and relationships with people, team members and community members along with being a loving and law-abiding citizen of the UAE. His life teaches us that respect is one of the most valuable virtues a man can earn. Hard work and passion only bring happiness and contentment. Humility and patience go the longest way and to be nice to people on the way up as you will be meeting them every time you find yourselves coming down.

— ali@khaleejtimes.com