"I Didn't Want to Sit at a Desk"

Photo by Amy Zambonin
After completing a master's degree in computer science and starting to work in the field, Sarath Teegavarapu, at right, switched gears to become a chef. Like his first restaurant, NH44, he wants his newest venture, Vivaan in Little Italy, to be unique. He serves street food and dishes from regions across India, including his take on a galouti kebab, bottom left.
"The kebabs are made with yucca and kidney beans, garam masala, rose water, fried onions and then we shallow-fry them," Teegavarapu says. "Traditionally, they should be made with lamb or goat, which has that extra [appeal] of almost melting in your mouth when you make it right. We're hoping for the same effect here."
One Indo-Chinese, or Hakka, dish on the menu is Chilli Chicken, bottom left. It's an appetizer of chicken marinated in yogurt and ground spices and then it's dredged in flour before frying it. It's then tossed in a spicy red sambal.
Before coming to study at Carleton University, Teegavarapu lived in Hyderabad, which he says is one of India's most revered dining regions. Its cuisine is influenced by Persia, Northern India and China.