One of Chicago’s most anticipated spring restaurant openings, according to Eater Chicago, will be happening in downtown Highland Park in May.
Sukhu and Ajit Kalra have lived in the north Chicago suburb for over a decade and are eager to bring Indus Progressive Indian Dining, their second establishment but first full-service restaurant, to their home community.
Inspired by one of the earliest civilizations in ancient history, the Indus Valley, the Indian fine dining concept will honor creating food for pleasure rather than simply sustenance, as the Indus people pioneered by being one of the first to blend and combine spices for flavoring.
“Indus Progressive Indian Dining will not only offer an immersive experience of Indian food and drink, but an environment of purpose-driven, meaningful and positive impact on the community,” Sukhu said.
The menu will pay tribute to classic Indian favorites like biryani and curries, while also taking American classics like Wagyu steaks and smoked meats with blends of fresh Indian spices. Indus will also offer a curated selection of wines and creative cocktails.
“There’s an expression of Indian food and American favorites that are being introduced to the world for the first time,” Ajit said. “I think that’s why it was important to create Indus because it really allowed us to express our heritage, our tastes and we think we will bring something truly valuable to the world of cuisine in Chicago.”
Ingredient-focused, driven by quality
In September 2021, the Kalras opened their first eatery, Bhoomi Modern Indian Grill, an ingredient-driven quick service spot offering the “humble kebab,” in the Urbanspace food hall in downtown Chicago.
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Four months later, a surge in the Omicron variant of COVID-19 shook up restaurants again. Orders at Bhoomi, Ajit said, dropped from 200 a day during Christmas week to 20 meals a day in January and February 2022.
During those months, Ajit said the two had a conversation about whether they should shut down or keep going. The couple had corporate jobs, but Bhoomi was their passion, so they decided to kept their spot open.
When asked how their restaurant survived through the pandemic and challenges in the restaurant industry, Ajit said it really just came down to integrity.
“We just kept moving forward,” Ajit said. “So we said ‘Let’s keep over delivering on food quality and service.’”
Born in New Delhi, India, Ajit was raised in professional kitchens and influenced by his father, Jiggs Kalra, a world-renowned chef, author and TV personality often referred to as “the Czar of Indian cuisine,” according to a news release from Indus.
Sukhu grew up in Chandigarh, India and her first foray into the food industry was a food truck business she launched in Chicago in 2012.
Growing up in a home that preferred farm to table, organic and pasture-raised food, Sukhu became passionate about social justice and ecological responsibility. Her parents would partner with local farmers, and even owned their own farm shares, to ensure their family had access to the freshest dairy, meats and in-season produce.
This ingredient-driven philosophy drove Bhoomi and now takes hold in food sourcing and seasonal menu creation for Indus.
Coming home to Highland Park
Ajit and Sukhu had been dreaming of their second restaurant in Chicago for a while, after realizing they had artistically outgrown Bhoomi and desired to open an establishment with a deeper expression of Indian food, but in a contemporary way.
But after the tragic events at the 2022 Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, where seven people were killed by a gunman, the couple felt the restaurant need to be in their home community.
“When the events of July 4 happened, that’s when we did the pivot,” Ajit said. “We said no, we wanted to bring our intellectual property, we wanted to bring our investment, we wanted to bring our efforts, our energy, all of that, to our home.”
While leading the build-out and styling for the restaurant, Sukhu wants the space to be accessible, yet exciting, infusing the modern with ancient art. The restaurant will have sprawling murals, hand-crafted vases and table lamps reflective of ancient Indus Valley pottery and custom tableware for guests to experience chai in a sensorial way.
Sukhu said there is often a stereotype around Indian restaurants – that it’s just a curry house or only a place for take out – not a place to sit and enjoy a meal with a cocktail. The business owner hopes Indus can showcase Indian cuisine in a new light, one that is a dining experience, one that is comfortable and luxurious.
Located at 617 Central Avenue in downtown Highland Park, Indus Progressive Indian Dining will open in early May for dinner service and will launch a lunch/brunch service later in the summer, according to the release.
This week to celebrate the Hindu holiday Holi, the couple is partnering with Ravinia Brewing Company in Highland Park to serve their chicken tikka and beef kebabs on the local pub’s tacos.