Manze, North Melbourne

Curries will not be on the menu at the restaurant Saavni Krishnan dreams of opening. Indian flavours are intrinsic to her cooking, but she’s determined to show there’s more to the food of her birthplace.

Having trained at top restaurants including Etta, Fred’s and Riley Street Garage, Krishnan is part of the next generation of chefs to proudly weave together their heritage, European technique and Australian influences to create a fresh new cuisine.

At Saadi, the regular pop-ups she runs with her husband Sriram Aditya, Krishnan serves comte tarts with vadouvan-spiced asparagus, kingfish crudo on thattai rice crisps, and steamed rice dumplings in kombucha-tomato broth.

In her current role as sous chef at Manze, Krishnan has seen the benefits of more forgiving work rosters, something she plans to adopt.

Former Fred’s head chef Danielle Alvarez describes her as an “excellent, fearless cook”. The judges of the award saw a future leader brimming with ideas.