By Johanna Wilson Jones

Children open doors of curiosity to their future pursuits, and Aquib Ahmed cracked his open by tossing poori into hot oil as a kid.

He was 3. This native of Wayne, N.J., who grew up in Andhra Pradesh, a state along the southern coastal region of India, has always fancied cooking because he fancies eating.

“My first memory of food is not necessarily a positive one,’’ Ahmed said as he sat inside Bombay at The Beach, an Indian restaurant owned and operated by his family. “My grandma and aunt gave me a little ball of dough to play with, like Play-Doh. The grownups would give it to the kids while they cooked. Me, wanting to be helpful, I pulled up a chair while nobody was looking and tossed it into the oil.”

The result of his volunteerism and spontaneity manifests as a small burn on his face, still visible to this day. Since then, however, Ahmed has been more cautious about his cooking exploits. He shies away from being a chef and humbly prefers to give that title to more experienced cooks in his family and at their restaurant. Nevertheless, Ahmed is knowledgeable about food and finds ways to create tasty Indian food enjoyed by palates of different culinary persuasions.

His story stands on the heart and soul of meals made by caring, skilled hands within his family. He is the first to say his hands aren’t the most gifted and credits others inside his Indian food circle. Yet, Ahmed knows how to corral flavors.

Lamb prepared by him is tender, moist, and a lesson in presenting delicate, finessed seasonings that complement the meat and give it a succulent kiss. His vegetable samosas are playful and pleasing bites of tangy potatoes and the familiar sweetness of peas.

“Aquib wants to make certain you are getting everything you can out of the elements of the meal,’’ said Justin Humphrey, a friend who has known him for about 20 years. “My experience of Aquib as a chef is a fostering of community around eating good meals.”

Inspiration From Without and Within

Ahmed’s dad taught him to make the chai at six or seven. He’s been making tea ever since, although he drinks more coffee than tea.

“I’ve been cooking for a long time, but I’ve never cooked for my family,’’ Ahmed said. “I’ve cooked for my brother, and I’ve cooked for a family – but not my family. Nobody wants to eat my food. Man, they don’t respect in my house.”

In his family, the women do all the cooking.

“When I am at home, nobody lets me touch the stove,’’ Ahmed said. “I’m lucky because my mom doesn’t like to cook. So, when I’m at my mom’s place, When I’m at my mom’s place, which is where my brother is, I get full reign of the kitchen. Other than that, I am forbidden from using the stove upstairs.”

Bombay at The Beach, 702 N. Kings Hwy in Myrtle Beach, is part restaurant and home to his family. They live above the dining room. On this particular day, the last of the lunch customers have left. His grandmother, wearing a traditional Indian sari, sits across from him as his uncle bounces from one task to the next, including clearing food from the buffet.

The former data analyst tends to tug on his well-groomed beard while speaking on topics related to family and food.

Friends and family said Ahmed builds bridges of fellowship that introduce them to other tastes and new people.

“Part of our shared experience has always included sharing food,’’ Humphrey said. “Friends with different cultural backgrounds have always been conduits (to) food. Otherwise, I would know what to look for. Aquib has been a big part of exposing me to the various combinations of strong herbal spices (that have) a significant presence of smoky and spicy qualities."

Ahmed has watched women weld the power of food preparation expertise from the onset.

“Why would they let me cook? It’s just their mentality,’’ Ahmed said. “All the women in my family are amazing cooks,’’ Ahmed said. “My grandmas, both of them are amazing cooks. My aunt is an amazing cook. My mom is an amazing cook. She doesn’t like to cook. Everybody is a great cook, and my brother hardly knows how to boil water.”

Ahmed was inspired to cook because he wanted to eat different things.

“I don’t get the opportunity to cook too much in my own house unless it’s for my brother or myself – which inspired me to start cooking because I wanted to eat different things,’’ said Ahmed, who began cooking Indian cuisine over ten years ago.

Undoubtedly, Ahmed is unique in this regard. Unlike scores of chefs inspired by their grandparents and parents, he was his inspiration to cook.

“If I want to eat good Indian food, I have no reason to cook,’’ Ahmed said. “Indian food is the most recent thing I learned how to cook with my own hands. I know it because I practically grew up my entire life seeing everybody cook it. So, I know the principles and theories and everything.”

To begin his trailblaze, he took culinary arts in high school to learn about American cuisines – whatever foods his family didn't cook.

Cheesecake, bread, pies, and numerous breakfast staples. Home fries, hash browns, and omelets are among his repertoire.

“I love breakfast food because it is breakfast in name only,’’ Ahmed said. “You can eat it whenever you want, and it is so quick. It takes me about two minutes to make an omelet. Crack four or five eggs. Boom. Boom. You’ve got a meal anytime you want. If you are in a rush, you can do it. If you take your time with it, it gets even better. Breakfast food is amazing.”

Flavor Bombs at Bombay

From the outside, Bombay at The Beach looks more like a house than a restaurant. The building looks like an old-timey home that escaped the country roads and landed in a bustling Southern city. It is pale pink with reddish-maroon steps and striping. An air conditioning unit is visible on the second floor, where Ahmed and his family live.

Against the backdrop of a peachy orange, there are brown high-back chairs at mosaic tables in shades of golden yellow, burnt orange, autumn brown, and shell black. The pleasant, piquant aromas of Indian food sail from the kitchen to the dining room, where noses detect they are on the cusp of deliciousness.

“I’ve always been serious about cooking because I’ve always been serious about eating,’’ Ahmed said as he sat at a table nearest a window and snacked on a vegetable samosa served with mint and sweet tamarind chutneys. The former is bright, vibrant green, while the latter is a raisin brown. Both are spectacular and pair well with the samosas.

He is fond of different cuisines, including Italian, and claims he makes standout spaghetti, lasagna, and meatballs. Nevertheless, his favorite cuisine is Indian – he likes it spicy hot.

Customers have high praise for the butter chicken, garlic naan, chicken curry, tandoori chicken, and other menu items.

“The mixtures in my brother’s food remind me of a blend of Indian and Spanish cuisine, with a heavy focus on spices and rice,’’ said Saahil Ahmed, his brother who lives in East Windsor, N.J.

He believes Ahmed is distinctive in his cooking because of his approach to food.

“What makes my brother unique is that he makes sure that each meal he prepares is cared for and not rushed,’’ Saahil Ahmed said. “He is methodical. When things go his way or as he’s conducted, the outcomes are always wonderful.”