This week's Patch Portraits series also features a rocker who builds a home for budding musicians in Wilmette and a women honoring Polish culture in Des Plaines.

"I lived in Morton Grove for a long period of time and I couldn't find any nicer restaurants in the neighborhood," said Mahesh Sharma as he sat at a table in his new restaurant, Tava.

The Indian restaurant, at 7172 Dempster St., opened in September. He said that a lack of finer dining options in Morton Grove was a major reason Sharma chose to open the type of restaurant he did.

Earlier: Check out the entire Patch Portraits archive.

According to Sharma, the Indian cuisine is inspired by Sharma's home country. He also drew inspiration from the years he spent as a kid working in his family's restaurant in New Delhi. This was where Sharma developed his love of cooking.

"I don't know why. It's just something I enjoy," said Sharma. Since he developed the menu himself, the restauranteur will often jump in the kitchen, throw on his apron and start cooking something good to eat.