Aki's carried the accolades for Chef Kumar, being the only Indian restaurant to win the coveted 'Chef Hat' award for consecutive years since 2011 till present.

[4][6] Kumar Mahadevan started an economics degree at the University of Madras at the age of 16, but dropped out a month later, when his family's fortunes fell.

Kumar signed up for double and triple shifts, working for eighteen days consecutively, while commuting from his aunt's place, an hour and a half away.

Starting out in butchery, he continued to work in every department under Cyrus Todiwala, a Parsi chef who now runs London's Cafe Spice Namaste.

[4][8] In 1994, Les Luxford, the food critic at The Sydney Morning Herald stumbled upon Abhi's, on his way back from a business meeting and soon published a positive review with the headline, "The Search is Over" in April 1994.

Abhi's has since gone on to become an iconic neighbourhood eatery and culinary institution of Indian Gastronomy continuing on their 28th year still pulling large crowds.

[7] Both his restaurants highlights Kumar Mahadevan's handling of clever flavours and fresh, fragrant spices in a modern interpretation of traditional desi food.

Kumar enjoys creating dishes that combine authentic flavours of South India, with the best seafood and other local produce of Australia – an approach that has gained him a huge fan following.

[17] Kumar loves rediscovering yesteryear recipes by visiting cooks and housewives, refining their traditional style and integrating it into the food at Abhi's and Aki's.

[4] The book presents traditional and modern recipes alongside their personal story of arranged marriage, international adventures and their ultimate move to Australia.