Announcing Vermilion’s 20th Year Metamorphosis: From Indian-Latin to Indian-Chinese

CHICAGO , ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES, February 6, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- For two decades, Vermilion has unapologetically championed non-Eurocentric dining with its Indian-Latin melding and waves of regional Indian cuisine in Chicago and for 10 years in NYC (2008-2017). In its 20th year metamorphosis, Vermilion is delighted to shift direction entirely to pay homage to Indian-Chinese fare. This hybrid cuisine begins February 10, 2023, and springs from two very different cultures that significantly represent a third of humanity. Vermilion founder Rohini Dey is thrilled to celebrate this new and exciting manifestation of Vermilion with Chicago, and to continue spreading the gospel of Indian food.

Well before Indian’s current moment, Vermilion stood its course of non-precious, real food with bold flavors. Dishes like the Tandoori Skirt Steak, Blackened Chili Tamarind Ribs and Lobster Portuguese earned Vermilion accolades as “Best New Restaurant” by Bon Appetit, Travel & Leisure, Town & Country, Wine Enthusiast, Esquire, USA Today, Chicago magazine, and 3 Stars from Chicago Tribune. Vermilion is now thrilled to introduce Chicago to traditional and iconic classics from Indian-Chinese, as well as new interpretations of a fare which continues to evolve. It’s fun, it’s satisfying, and at Vermilion, it will always be provocative. Further, the restaurant will introduce subsequent new incarnations to celebrate India’s culinary global influence, steeped in an ancient civilization and shared by the world’s largest diaspora.

Since the 1870s, Calcutta has been known to be the origin of Indian-Chinese fare. As a Bengali, Dey spent her summers there becoming deeply familiar with the flavors, smells and sights of its two Chinatowns, New Market, Indian-Chinese food from “hawkers” on the streets, and the rare thrilling “dress-up” trips to Kwality restaurant. On frequent travels back to Delhi, Dey’s rituals include visits to Aka Saka restaurant in Defence Colony and ordering takeout from Mainland China. After living in 13 different cities in India, and traveling to more than 55 countries, she considers Indian cuisine second to none.

Some of Vermilion’s new dishes will remain true to traditional Indian-Chinese, like the Hakka Masterpiece (“Chilli” Chicken or Paneer), The Manchurian Candidate (Manchurian Gobi aka Cauliflower), Chicken Corn Soup (with double the comfort), Get Out of Your Shell (Cantonese Lobster), and The Wedding Banquet (Steamed ginger, soy, chili whole fish). Others dishes will offer a deeper playful melding, including Squid Games (Black squid shrimp chili noodles dish, black shrooms, red light , green light sauces), Kolkata Streets (Crisp noodle chaat in street engines), Crazy Hot Asians (a melding of Hot & Sour and South Indian Rasam), Not Your KFC (Chongqing fried chicken meets Indian chicken 65), or the What’s Your Beef (Szechwan beef & tamarind noodles). The fully revamped menu playfully ends with “Sex”–a dessert that pays homage to India and China: two nations that together contain a third of the globe’s population.

VERMILION FOUNDER ROHINI DEY
A zealous champion of women, Vermilion owner Rohini Dey, Ph.D. co-founded and led the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program for 10 years (2012-2021). As a trustee, she was deeply active in bringing the JBA Awards to Chicago from New York City. During the pandemic in 2020, Dey founded Let's Talk Womxn to mobilize women restaurateurs to collaboratively build scale, visibility, and revenue. She has grown this action-movement to 700+ women owners across 14 cities, and it continues to expand rapidly, and globally. Rohini and LTW have been celebrated and awarded as an innovative and powerful leadership force by NRN, TimeOut, Better, CS, Chicago Innovation, NAWBO, Good Morning America, The Today Show, NewsNation, Athena and others. A former Ph.D. in Economics, World Banker, and McKinsey & Co. management consultant, Dey maintains her ties to academia, writes op-eds for leading publications, and has launched and mentored many successful entrepreneurs from Vermilion.

LOCATION + HOURS
Vermilion is located at 10 W Hubbard St in Chicago, Illinois, 60610 and is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30pm to 10:00pm, and Friday and Saturday from 5:30pm to 11:00pm. The new Indian Chinese menu will begin Friday, February 10, 2023 and the menu can be viewed by clicking here. Vermilion can be found online at thevermilionrestaurant.com, on Facebook at @vermilionchicago, on Instagram at @vermilionchicago, and on TikTok at @vermilionchicago.

IMAGERY
Click for menu.
Click for photos.

Rohini Dey
Owner, Vermilion
Founder, Let’s Talk Womxn
rohinivermilion@sbcglobal.net

Ryan Beshel
SIX4 Creative
ryan@six4creative.com