As a child growing up in Gujarat India, Viraj Chandrakant Bhammar, was more interested in playing cricket and eating junk food than working in the family restaurant. It wasn’t until the age of 18 that he joined the family business and developed a deep passion for the culinary arts. It was a journey that eventually led him to Bali where he is now the Executive Chef at Impala 60’s Restaurant.  His love of junk food was quickly forgotten as he learned to experiment, and to mix and match the immense amount of spices at his disposal in order to create unique dishes. One of his greatest joys is personalizing dishes and he would like one day to become a personal chef.

Viraj’s culinary skills were honed, and  his experience grew as  he  worked in hotels and restaurants around the globe, including  Spain, Italy, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. He spent years watching, learning and observing, before finally taking the position of Executive Chef at  Impala 60’s in 2009. “I was traveling to gain knowledge about food and to see what other people like to eat in different parts of the world. At the same time I also wanted to find an opportunity to work in Bali - an international tropical destination….. The Balinese people are Hindu, so am I, so it’s just perfect,” he explains.

Today, behind the counter of Impala 60’s, Viraj  is busy creating  fusion style food for diners from around the world.  “Fusion food is me,” he says.  \AM