i. Biography
Rahul Akerkar’s kitchen rule is plain: "Serve good food cooked well." The line reads as discipline, not slogan. In practice, it puts technique before display, and keeps the work anchored in restraint, clarity, and flavor that does not need decoration to land. As head chef of Indigo in Mumbai from 1999 to 2018, Akerkar used that standard over a long run that helped define both the restaurant’s voice and his own reputation for lucid, exacting cooking.
The Path
A broad education at The Doon School, Franklin & Marshall College, and Columbia University shaped the early frame of Akerkar’s work before the kitchen became the central one. In the United States, he moved through American kitchens in roles that included dishwasher, server, and chef, learning the daily dependence between front and back of house from the ground up. Those jobs gave him a practical read on service and timing, and they set the terms for a cooking style that would later favor coherence over ornament. In Mumbai, the work shifted from apprenticeship to building. In 1989, Akerkar was co-founder at Just Desserts in Mumbai, a first step into restaurant-making that established a broader entrepreneurial range. He later became founder / restaurateur at Under The Over in Mumbai, then founder of deGustibus Hospitality in Mumbai, a role he held from 1996–2015. Taken together, those ventures show a career built by adding formats and responsibilities without losing contact with the basic demands of a working kitchen. The same continuity runs through Indigo in Colaba, Mumbai, where Akerkar served as founder & Director de Cuisine from 1999–2015 and was head chef of Indigo in Mumbai from 1999 to 2018. The restaurant became closely tied to his style: polished, controlled, and unwilling to lean on excess. Today, Akerkar is founder / restaurateur of Qualia (since 2019), carrying the same practical clarity into a new room.
The Work Today
Akerkar’s current work reads as refinement rather than reinvention. Across roles as chef, founder, and Director de Cuisine, the throughline is the same: respect for craft, precision in execution, and a preference for making something elegant by keeping it properly made. From Just Desserts in Mumbai to Under The Over in Mumbai, deGustibus Hospitality in Mumbai, Indigo in Colaba, Mumbai, and Qualia, the standard stays consistent—food that is composed, measured, and finished with intent.
Signature
Rahul's signature dishes include Tadke Wale Pomfret. The dish suits Akerkar’s approach by doing its work directly: recognizable, rooted, and carried by a confidence that does not require embellishment.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Rahul
What is Rahul Akerkar's current role?
Where did Rahul Akerkar train or study?
