Chef Ritu Dalmia: The down-to-earth diva

The chef-restaurateur of the Italian restaurant chain DIVA tells us about how her career was a happy accident

If you meet Chef Ritu Dalmia for the first time, it is difficult to tell how famous she is. The Kolkata-born restaurateur dons simple fabrics and avoids luxury brands or flashy timepieces. Sans make-up or standout accessories, humility is her chosen attire. While you might immediately notice her colourful sneakers, what you cannot ignore is her infectious smile, one that immediately disarms the person she is interacting with, despite her ‘no-bullshit’ attitude. Those who have dined with her will be enthralled by her incredible talent as well as her quick wit and clever quips. Most people who meet her will agree that a single interaction is not enough. This is probably why Dalmia has a trail of fans, hoping to click a quick selfie with her or wondering why all her eateries are received with a full house.

Pushing the boundaries

All of 20 years old when she started her first restaurant MezzaLuna in New Delhi’s Hauz Khas Village, Dalmia did not let age or the lack of formal training or a hospitality background deter her from realising her dreams. When she dons her apron, she transforms from down-to-earth to dynamic, unafraid to sharpen her knives and take on the fire. “I’m just like my signature gnocchi, with mushroom and gorgonzola, I have the earthiness of my Virgo star sign packed with the punch of blue cheese–a perfect balance of simplicity and strength,” she says.

“My life is an open book,” says the affable Dalmia. “Making food into a career has been a happy accident, based on the arrogance of my youth,”she says, recalling visiting a restaurant in East Kailash in the capital city, where, after an unappetising meal, she defiantly proclaimed to her then partner that she could have done a far better job. Her partner then immediately challenged her to put her words into action and that’s exactly what she did. Today, Dalmia is the creator of several acclaimed restaurants across Milan, New Delhi and Mumbai. She is the founder of Diva Restaurants, Cittamani Milani, Spica, The Tasting Room by Diva and most recently, the trendy pizzeria Motodo, created in partnership with Jio World Drive in Mumbai.

Influences aplenty

Raised in a traditional Marwari household, Dalmia grew up a vegetarian. Her success story had always resonated with fellow Marwari vegetarian restaurateur Aditi Dugar. “I have been a fan and admirer of Chef Dalmia. In a male-dominated hospitality industry, she has paved the way for so many women to know that their success is only limited by their own imagination. Whenever we meet, she has a story to tell, and these tales translate into her dishes too as each signature delicacy has been influenced by her travels, her childhood or her past. Yet each dish retains its authenticity. Her tiramisu, of course, is possibly the best I have ever eaten”

Despite crafting countless dishes, Dalmia still remembers her first ever guest, down to the colour of his shorts and the missing button on his shirt. A famous lawyer, he walked in uninvited on the day of food trials at her then-yet-to-open first restaurant. “Looking at his clumsy attire, I was confident he wouldn’t understand, let alone appreciate my cooking. But not only did he love it, 30 years later he is still one of my most frequent guests,” reminisces Dalmia. “Those were the days when guests brought their own cassettes [to the restaurant] to create an ambience of their liking, and it was only good food that could make them return!”

“It was a Eureka moment for me several decades ago when I dined at and wrote about MezzaLuna. Dalmia’s brilliance shone through even then,” says Rashmi Uday Singh, author and television anchor.

So what’s next for the chef who has already conquered the world as well as our hearts, I ask? “Next!?,” Dalmia exclaims. “I have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow, so I am just content living life to its fullest today!”

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