It’s 10.30 pm and there’s a long queue at Indu Ice Cream. People of all ages, standing in line for a scoop of something familiar or something they’ve never tried. Hours earlier, Saloni Kukreja had told us she’d be at the shop until it closes at 12.30. We didn’t fully understand the need then. Now we do. She and five others barely have a second to look up — scooping, offering tasters, patiently explaining to a pre-teen why toppings are pre-decided per flavour and can’t be switched, before turning to pipe salted caramel onto a filter coffee ice cream for the next person in line.

A few weeks ago, when 30-year-old Kukreja announced on Instagram that Indu would finally have a physical outlet, the response was largely: Finally.

She always knew she wanted to work in food. Home science was the only subject she excelled at in school, but a degree in it was a no from her parents.…