Avtar Singh brings traditional wood-fired cooking from rural Punjab to the Aab India kitchens. “Being a chef is a lot of responsibility,” says Singh. “I only want to feed people fresh, quality food and that’s why we use locally grown ingredients.”  

Avtar moved to Ohio in 1992 to work in his family’s Indian restaurants in Dayton and Cincinnati. He’s worked for the past 20 years to perfect the recipes he enjoyed at weddings and family feasts growing up in the village Dhilwan in Punjab’s Kapurthala district.

 

In 2010, the Singh family moved to Columbus. They opened the first Aab India Restaurant in Grandview to great success. Aab India Restaurant serves rustic Northern Indian cuisine. Most popular are our tandoori oven dishes and a variety of delicate, exotic curries. 

 

Avtar is proud to have won a following among loyal Columbus diners and praise from Columbus’ most respected restaurant critics. “We are so happy and very thankful to our wonderful and loyal customers for making us a success!”

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Sobha S. Dhillon (1987-2017) grew up in the Punjabi kitchens run by his father and uncle. After studying at the University of Cincinnati, he followed his passion and joined the Singh Family restaurant business.

 

“I grew up watching my father cooking, learning from him,” said Sobha, former operations manager for Aab India restaurants. Sobha took the lead in determining the best neighborhoods for Aab India’s expansion in Columbus. 

He was proud of the rustic Indian cooking traditions his father brought to the city. Although Aab India now has several chefs executing Avtar’s recipes, Sobha said his family could tell when his father was over the stove: “With the first bite, we can tell,” said Sobha.