TUSHAR DESHPANDE, 32 Sous Chef, Indigo Deli. Pune

Tushar Deshpande jokes that his wife calls him halfFrench because of his love for food from France. “The intricate techniques, the absolute finesse in execution and ability to produce dishes in many different ways using the same ingredients—that’s what French cuisine is all about. And of course, there is cream and butter,” he says. Donning the chef’s hat wasn’t originally a career plan for Deshpande, who had always enjoyed watching his grandmother cook and often accompanied her to the market. “I had the passion to cook, it’s just that I never realised it,” he says. So after completing a masters degree in computer science, he finally took the plunge and joined the Le Cordon Bleu, London. His first professional stint at the then one-star Michelin restaurant Cassis Bistro gave him a peek into cooking techniques. At Indigo Deli, Deshpande’s signature dishes include a delectable salmon tortellini with crab meat, arugula puree, truffle pesto and gorgonzola drizzle and a pistachio crusted lamb rack, with pomme dauphinoise and brandy-peppercorn jus.

Spice Box Fennel and lemongrass are his favourites in the kitchen. “I love to work with ingredients which are heavy on the sense of smell and bring another influence in the final dish,” he says. On the Platter Every day, he says, is a new challenge and Deshpande is experimenting with molecular food and trying to merge that with the bistro-like setup of Indigo Deli.