Diva of Italian Cuisine

In an exclusive tête-à-tête with Charu Lamba for FoodService India, Ritu Dalmia opens up on the major learnings she has had in her journey from chef to restropreneur.

Super chef, leading restaurateur and TV show host, Ritu Dalmia has managed to master it all and yet she still strives to satisfy her insatiable appetite for endless gastronomic innovations.

The chef, who has received laurels for cooking scrumptious Italian meals, has never undergone any professional training. Her passion and love for food was obvious even at the tender age of nine and since then there has been no looking back.

She fell in love with Italian cuisine during her frequent visits to Italy, while supporting her family’s marble business. While her heart drew her to Italy, her mind understood that the endgame was all about being a successful restaurateur.

To give her dreams shape, she opened her first restaurant – Mezzaluna – in Delhi, which was, in her words, ‘a wonderful disaster’. She had to shut it down within three years of setting up shop. She then picked up the pieces and went to London where she opened a second restaurant, but her heart never left India.

In 2000, she came back and opened Diva, which became an instant hit. The rest, as they say, is history. Since then, there has been no looking back. Dalmia set about setting up one successful restaurant after another, under the banner Riga Foods, in India’s capital. She is the creative flame behind some of the most successful eateries in Delhi – Diva, Latitude28, Cafe Diva, Diva Piccola and Diva Spiced – which are a rage among Indians and Expats alike.

Over the years, she has added many more feathers in her cap – a thriving catering business, a cookery show host and a cookbook author, she does it all with equal ease.

How did you come to Italian cuisine and what was the catalyst for it?