Chef Rakesh Ramola's international path to Inde Blue

DRUMS OF HEAVEN: Seasonality is second nature for chef Rakesh Ramola.
Neal Santos

“In India, there are no buffets,” explains Rakesh Ramola, chef-owner of the Inde Blue restaurants on 13th Street in Philly and in Collingswood, N.J. And quick glances at the sleek dining rooms and modern Indian menus that both restaurants boast make it immediately apparent that there’s no $8.95 all-you-can-eat steam-stable action at either location. 

When asked about the popularity of Indian buffets in the States, Ramola has a few theories: “You can be in and out in an hour or even half an hour. Or, maybe it’s a way for people who have never had Indian food before [but] want to try something different. There are a lot of answers for that question, but it’s limiting.

“In India, every hundred miles everything changes — the food, the clothing, the language,” he adds. “It’s interesting to see.” And speaking from a culinary standpoint, it’s downright fascinating. 

Born in Mumbai, Ramola graduated near  the top of his class in the culinary program at the University of Mumbai. He was ranked number two of 80, but don’t ask him about the number one guy. He says passion and his work ethic have played a huge part in the success of a career that has landed him in locales as exotic as Cypress, Kuwait and London before he came to the Philly area. 

Ramola’s view of cooking in the States might not line up with cooks born and bred here. “In the U.S.,” he says, “it’s very easy to become a chef. There isn’t a lot of competition. You work for two-three years in any restaurant and you can open your own. But in India, it’s difficult. If you’re a line cook you can be a line cook for the rest of your life. There’s lots of competition. You have to be different.”

But competition is hardly the only difference. India’s diverse range of religions and, in turn, dietary differences make for an entirely different approach to restaurant cooking.

“We have Muslims, we have Christians, we have Jews, we have Hinduism. There’s Jainism — where you can’t eat anything from the ground — and you have to please them,” he says.

Experience like that means that accommodating vegan and gluten-free diners is barely an issue, especially when you come from a background of catering Jain weddings — where kitchen staples like onions, garlic and potatoes are not allowed.

Ramola met his wife, Heather, 14 years ago while he was visiting a cousin in Virginia. Ramola was working in London for a catering operation that supplied Indian meals for the grand food halls at Selfridges and Harrods. It was a huge business that provided meals for airlines, hospitals and even refugees in the Middle East. 

After a transatlantic courtship, it came time to make the final decision. “She had a really good job, but I’m a chef and I can work anywhere,”  Ramola says with a laugh. “So we moved to Philly and I worked for Tiffin on Girard Avenue for a couple of months.”

But after running his own kitchens for many years, Ramola had his eye on something a little bigger. In 2009, he opened the first location of Inde Blue in Collingswood, just off the main drag. He was conservative, settling into a space with seating for 35, including a few outside tables. “I never worked in a kitchen that small in my life,” he says. “I swear to God it was like 10 feet across.”

Even without room for Indian kitchen basics like a tandoor oven, business was good from the get-go. He served a menu of authentic Indian dishes, plated in a modern fashion. The local clientele was smitten with his cooking. 

Exactly two years later, Inde Blue relocated across the street in a roomier place with triple the seating area and double the kitchen space. Along with traditional favorites like biryanis and chaats, Ramola introduced monthly specials featuring kangaroo, ostrich and bison. “I just do what I can get at the market,” he jokes. 

Two years later, the opportunity to open a branch of Inde Blue in Philadelphia came up and there wasn’t really a question in Ramola’s mind about the location. “I’m lucky that I’m on 13th Street, [with] all of these high-end restaurants and female chefs. …Philly itself has a lot of names that everyone knows. Everyone across the country knows about Philadelphia,” he says.

The new location gave Ramola a chance to move away from the traditional menu that had earned him so many regulars in Collingswood. 

“Philly is different,” he says. “They want something different. They want what they know, but they want to know more about the dishes. This is a concept that I really practiced for, to make this menu. With this menu, I can please all of the customers. It’s authentic and modern at the same time. People from India can sense the authenticity and younger generations want a mix of everything. They want modern as well.”

When asked how things are going on 13th Street, Ramola replies, “You see this smile on my face? I’m happy!”

And while Ramola has earned accolades for re-imagined dishes (“Drums of Heaven” chicken wings glazed with garlic, tomato and chile, and osso bucco-inspired pork vindaloo) on his midtown menu, he’s quick with praise and thanks for his loyal customers and family, both in the restaurant and at home.

“My kitchen staff is my family and I trust them more than I trust myself,” he says. “And I trust my wife, mention that, too. She is my backbone. The day she leaves me, I’m falling.”

INDE BLUE | 205 S. 13th St., 215-545-4633, indebluerestaurant.com.