Chef Devinder Oberoi of Amsterdam City Farm Tasting Room & Restaurant

Bold flavours, beautiful restraint peppered with a dash of rebellion… Chef Devinder Oberoi is not one to follow the expected recipe. With roots steeped in family memories and a palate sharpened by life across cultures, she has carved a culinary identity that feels deeply personal, refreshingly modern and deliciously unpretentious. And then there’s her ginger beer that doesn’t just arrive at the table… it struts in with attitude, raw depth and natural sharpness… a spicy little troublemaker that wakes up every taste bud in the room.

So how did it all start? Well, at the heart of her journey is Amsterdam City Farm Tasting Room & Restaurant, a concept she built with partner Tim… where progressive Indian cuisine meets handcrafted character, and a humble ginger beer sparked an entire philosophy. Inspired by her grandmother’s fermented ginger drink and perfected through years of refinement, that now-signature ginger beer became the first sip of a much larger story.

Raised in kitchens where cooking was instinctive and soulful, Chef Devinder learnt early that food is never static… it evolves with every hand that touches it. Today, her cuisine reflects exactly that: rooted in memory, shaped by seasonality, elevated by experience and plated with quiet confidence.

Her intimate tasting room is less restaurant, more revelation. Think slow dining, sharp storytelling, seasonal produce, cocktails with oomph, and dishes that whisper sophistication rather than shout for applause.

In an exclusive interview with Sumita Chakraborty, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, TheGlitz, Chef Devinder Oberoi opens up about Amsterdam City Farm Tasting Room & Restaurant, her ginger beer, flavour, fermentation, authenticity and why the most exciting food stories are often the ones simmering softly in the background.

Over To Chef Devinder Oberoi, Amsterdam City Farm Tasting Room & Restaurant

Your journey in the culinary world has been both dynamic and deeply personal… how did the journey begin? What were some defining moments that shaped your approach to food and storytelling through cuisine?

Chef Devinder – Our journey in the culinary world began with our ginger beer.

Around seven to eight years ago, we started making our own ginger beer. Both of us (Tim and I) always enjoyed ginger-based drinks, but whenever we went out, we found that most non-alcoholic options were overly sweet, quite flat, and often full of chemicals. We kept missing something that had real depth and a proper kick.

So we decided to create something of our own, starting from something we already loved. I went back to a memory of my grandmother’s (Bibi) fermented ginger drink, and we used that as our base. We work with traditional fermentation, because that’s where the real character comes from. It brings that raw depth and natural sharpness, which is why we call it a ginger beer.

When we started, we gave it the name Amsterdam City Farm. We both live in the city, but the idea behind the name was about bringing something raw and grounded into an urban space. In a way, it’s all in the name.

From the very beginning, this wasn’t just about a drink. We always had a long-standing vision of building something bigger, a tasting room where everything, from drinks to food, would follow the same philosophy. Fresh, raw, and full of character.

At the same time, my connection with cooking had been developing for years. I grew up cooking from a young age, learning from my mother and grandmother, and over time I continued to experiment and refine my understanding of flavours and balance. Living in Europe added another layer, where I became more aware of the overall dining experience, not just the food, but the pacing and the atmosphere.

When we eventually opened Amsterdam City Farm as a tasting room, it didn’t feel like a sudden step. It felt like everything had come together in a natural way.

Today, both the food and the ginger beer come from the same place. They are rooted in memory and shaped by experience. The food continues to evolve with seasonality and time, while the ginger beer has become a more defined expression, something we’ve refined and stabilised over the years.

Coming into a space that is both traditional and evolving, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced, and how did they influence your culinary voice today?

Chef Devinder – One of the biggest challenges was navigating the fixed expectations around Indian cuisine. There is a very clear idea of what it should look like, how it should taste, even how much of it should be on the plate

And now there’s a lot of talk about “elevating” Indian food or “making it modern.” But the truth is, food has never been static. It has always been evolving.

The food my grandmother cooked, my mother grew up with that. When my mother made those same dishes, she naturally added a part of herself to them, often without even realising it. And when those recipes came to me, I did the same. The foundation remains, but the expression shifts. That, to me, is evolution.

So this idea that we are only now making cuisine creative or refined doesn’t quite sit right with me. It has always been happening, just in quieter, more personal ways.

That also brings up the question of authenticity. What is truly authentic? Is it one fixed version of a dish, or is it the continuity of memory and intention across generations?

For me, the challenge was never to prove whether something is “still Indian,” but to stay honest to where it comes from, while allowing it to move forward naturally.

Another challenge was building something intentionally intimate in a market that often values scale. Our space is small by design. The experience is slow. It’s run by just the two of us, Tim and I.

We wanted it to feel like stepping into someone’s living room. I cook, we host and serve together, and there’s a certain closeness that comes with that. It’s personal, and it’s meant to be.

The food follows the same philosophy. I cook with seasonal produce, shaped by what’s available here, and I draw from memories rather than a specific region. I’m not trying to represent one part of India. I’m expressing what I’ve lived, what I’ve tasted growing up, and how that translates today.

That makes it quite different, both in terms of the food and the experience. And while that came with its own challenges in the beginning, over time it became our strength.

It allowed me to create something that is rooted, but not rigid. Personal, rather than performative. And quietly evolving, just as it always has been.

You’ve worked across diverse formats and geographies, what milestones stand out as turning points in your career, especially in shaping your identity as a chef?

Chef Devinder – For me, the milestones were never defined by traditional roles or titles, but by shifts in how I understood food and my own voice.

One of the earliest turning points was simply growing up in a kitchen where cooking was part of daily life. That foundation stayed with me, but it evolved over time as I continued to cook, experiment, and refine my understanding in my own way.

Living in Europe was another important shift. It changed how I saw food beyond just flavour. I became more aware of the structure of a meal, the pacing, the presentation, and how the overall experience comes together. That had a strong influence on how I approach dining today.

Starting our ginger beer around seven to eight years ago was also a defining moment. It was the first time we took something deeply personal and shared it in a more tangible way. It gave us clarity, not just about what we wanted to create, but also about the kind of identity we wanted to build.

Opening our tasting room was another key milestone. It brought everything together, the memories I grew up with, the years of refining my approach, and the influence of living across cultures. It allowed me to express a more personal style of cooking, one that is not tied to a specific region, but shaped by experience and evolution.

Another important shift was learning restraint. Over time, I moved away from the idea of doing more, and started focusing on doing less, but with more clarity. Letting ingredients speak, working with seasonality, and creating dishes that feel complete without being overworked.

All of these moments, taken together, shaped my identity as a chef. Not through a single breakthrough, but through a gradual process of understanding, refining, and staying true to what feels honest.

Your ginger beer feels like a very personal creation rooted in memory, can you take us back to that moment when you decided to recreate your grandmother’s recipe?

Chef Devinder – It began quite naturally.

Tim and I have always enjoyed ginger-based drinks, but we often felt that what was available lacked depth. Most options were overly sweet, quite flat, or full of artificial notes, and they didn’t really leave a lasting impression.

That’s when I went back to something very familiar, a fermented ginger drink my grandmother used to make at home. We took that as our foundation.

From there, it became a process of understanding and refining. We kept the base true to its origins, working with traditional fermentation, but gradually added our own personality to it. The focus was always on keeping it clean, structured, and layered in flavour, something that feels composed rather than mass-produced.

Over time, it evolved into what it is today. A ginger beer that carries that original memory, but is shaped through our own lens. It’s something we see as a more boutique product, crafted in small batches, where the process and the details really matter.

Many non-alcoholic beverages today lack depth, what was your vision in creating a drink that feels as complex and intentional as a crafted cocktail?

Chef Devinder – The starting point was very simple. We wanted a drink that could stand on its own.

In most places, non-alcoholic options feel like an afterthought. They are often overly sweet, quite flat, or full of artificial flavours, and they don’t really add anything to the overall experience.

For us, the idea was to create something with structure and depth, something that evolves as you drink it. A drink that has sharpness, warmth, and a natural complexity, rather than just one dominant note.

Working with traditional fermentation helped us achieve that. It brings a natural layering of flavours and a depth that you can’t replicate artificially.

At the same time, we were very conscious of how it feels to drink it. We wanted it to have a certain refinement, something that feels crafted and considered, more like a boutique product than something mass-produced.

We never set out to imitate a cocktail or replace alcohol. The goal was to create something that feels complete in its own right, something you can pair with food and that holds its place on the table.

At the same time, it also became the base of what we serve in our tasting room. Our signature cocktails and mocktails are built around our ginger beer. It adds that extra lift, that extra oomph, and brings more depth and character to the drink.

In that sense, the approach is very similar to how we think about food. It’s about balance, clarity, and making sure every element has a purpose.

Fermentation is both an art and a science, how do you balance tradition with modern technique in your process, and what makes your ginger beer unique?

Chef Devinder – Fermentation naturally sits between tradition and control.

The base of our ginger beer comes from a very traditional approach, the kind of fermentation that relies on time, patience, and allowing the ingredients to develop their own character. That’s something we’ve kept very close to the original idea.

At the same time, we’ve refined the process to make it consistent. We pay close attention to factors like timing, temperature, and balance, so that every batch develops in the way we expect it to, without losing its natural character.

We also keep the ingredients very clean and simple. We work with fresh ginger and fresh lime, without adding anything artificial. That plays an important role in how the flavour develops during fermentation.

After fermentation, we pasteurise the ginger beer to stabilise it. That allows us to hold on to the flavour profile while ensuring consistency and quality.

What makes it unique is that we haven’t tried to over-process or standardise it to the point where it loses its identity. It still has that slightly raw, lively quality that comes from fermentation, but within a controlled framework.

In the end, it’s about guiding the process rather than forcing it. Letting fermentation do what it does best, while making sure the final result stays balanced and true to what we want it to be.

While your tasting menus explore progressive Indian cuisine, your ginger beer is more accessible, how do you see it fitting into your larger culinary philosophy?

Chef Devinder – For me, they both come from exactly the same place.

The tasting menu is a more layered expression. It allows me to explore memory, seasonality, and technique in a deeper and more structured way. It’s a slower experience, where each course builds on the next.

The ginger beer, on the other hand, is more immediate. It doesn’t need as much explanation. You taste it, and you understand it straight away.

But at their core, the thinking is the same. Both are rooted in memory, both are shaped by a respect for ingredients, and both are built around balance and clarity.

In a way, the ginger beer makes that philosophy more accessible. Not everyone will experience the full tasting menu, but they can still connect with the same idea through the drink.

At the same time, within our tasting room, the two come together naturally. The ginger beer isn’t separate from the food, it sits alongside it, whether on its own or as part of our signature cocktails and mocktails, adding another layer to the overall experience.

So rather than seeing them as different, I see them as two expressions of the same thought. One more detailed, the other more direct, but both coming from the same foundation.

As conversations around authenticity and mindful consumption grow, how do you see the future of handcrafted, non-alcoholic beverages evolving and where does your ginger beer sit within that movement?

Chef Devinder – I think people are becoming more aware, not just of what they eat, but also of what they drink. There’s a growing curiosity around how things are made, where ingredients come from, and what actually goes into a product.

In that sense, non-alcoholic beverages are starting to move into their own space. They’re no longer just alternatives, they’re becoming something people choose in their own right.

I also feel there’s a shift towards drinks that have a sense of craft behind them. Whether it’s fermentation, minimal processing, or simply working with fewer, better ingredients, there’s more appreciation for drinks that feel honest and well made.

For us, that’s always been the approach. Our ginger beer sits quite naturally within that movement, not because we set out to follow a trend, but because it comes from something real. It’s rooted in a traditional process, made with fresh ingredients, and shaped in a way that still respects that foundation.

At the same time, I think what people are looking for more and more is balance. Something that feels considered, but not overworked. Something that has character, but still feels easy to enjoy.

That’s where I see the future going. And that’s also where our ginger beer fits, quietly, but confidently.

TheGlitz Take

We’ve often seen kitchens crowded with copy-paste menus and forgettable mocktails, so Chef Devinder Oberoi arrives like a plot twist… her cooking, soulful yet sharp, nostalgic yet unapologetically, while her ginger beer deserves its own fan club, management team and red -carpet entrance.

TheGlitz says… Chef Devinder proves that true culinary swagger doesn’t need to shout. It simmers, sparkles and occasionally, bites back… like her phenomenal ginger beers.