Chef Vipin graduated from high school in 2003 and immediately began working part-time as a waiter and kitchen assistant at McDonald’s in Noida Sec 18 for Rs. 400 per day. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly.
His family then sent him to Jodhpur for a diploma while he attended college and worked as a waiter in the evenings. He was serving others and seeing their smiles brought him joy.
He then went to Delhi for industrial training, where his struggle continued as he approached each hotel, asking for a job but receiving none. Fortunately, Taj Hotels came to his college for placement, and he breezed through the interview and started working at Taj Hotel Jai Mahal Palace in April 2004.
Seeing the hotel was awe-inspiring. He had to work 12–14 hours per day and receive a monthly stipend of Rs 400. They offered him a position as an on-the-job trainee with a salary of Rs 1200 after six months. He stayed for almost a year.
Then he learned about the interview at The Oberoi’s in New Delhi. He decided to go ahead with it and informed his head chef, ecstatic. He took a train at 2 a.m. and arrived in Delhi at 8 a.m., where his father awaited him at the railway station.
He changed and went straight to the interview centre at OBEROI’s head office, the civil lines. Because the interview is usually seven rounds long, completing nearly three rounds takes the entire day. He must, of course, be at the hotel in Jaipur the following day.
As a result, he boarded a bus to Jaipur immediately after the interview, as it was his only option. This up and down motion lasted nearly a month to complete the seven rounds.
He was eventually hired at Oberoi’s Gurugram hotel, the Trident Hilton Gurugram. He went through a period of education between 2005 and 2007. He picked up a secret mantra at Oberoi’s hotel: never give up, never say no to an opportunity, and always find a way.
Furthermore, always strive to please your customer. He used to commute almost daily between Noida and Gurgaon, a distance of 51 kilometres. Then, after years of hard work and dedication, an opportunity knocked on his door; he was offered a job working on a cruise ship in Australia at the age of 23.
So he moved to Australia and began his journey worldwide with P & O Cruise Lines. He visited nearly every country in that zone during his three years in Australia. According to him, he dislikes sleeping because he considers it a waste of time. He then went on to work for Oceania Cruises, an American company that travels almost everywhere in the world.
He worked there until 2014 when he was offered a job with a larger company called Seabourn Cruises. He had travelled to over 100 countries, mainly to the north pole, Antarctica, and the Southpole. He was previously a member of the opening teams for six cruise ships: P & O Australia, Pacific Dawn, Pacific Jewel, Oceania Cruises, Marina, Riviera, Seabourn Cruises, Encore, and Ovation.
Chef Vipin has always wanted to be an entrepreneur, so when the opportunity arose, he opened his first bakery-café, “FOODOLICIOUS,” in March 2020, with only two employees, serving only cakes. He is now in charge of a team of over a dozen people. FOODOLICIOUS has gradually evolved into a bakery, cafe, and pizzeria with a diverse clientele, including families, children, seniors, and business professionals.
FOODOLICIOUS serves a wide range of dishes made with only the freshest, egg-free ingredients. He overcame all obstacles, from living the life people dream of to risking everything to start a business. It inspires everyone that money will never stifle the entrepreneurial spirit within them. It is entirely up to your determination to succeed.
