Chef Rahul Akerkar

Career : A broke biochemical student he got a job as a dishwasher in a New York restaurant. Chef Akerkar bounced through various departments in umpteen sculleries through the 1980s. He dropped out of his PhD programme to become a chef. When he was tired of being an employee, he eventually returned to Mumbai and began setting up restaurants as his own boss at The Under Over The inspiration and the idea behind India's acclaimed stand-alone restaurant, Indigo, is none other than 49 year old Rahul Akerkar who is also the Executive Chef there. Indigo, after making it to the Conde Nast hotlist, has also won the elite Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. He masterminds a gastronomical revolution, deftly combining European standards with pan-Asian influences and Indian spices. Restaurant- Indigo Deli, Tote on the Turf, Mumbai Food and Nightlife says he's one of the country's best loved chefs. He's versatile, creative and has blazed the trend of Indigo.