The Taste Of Success

Ahead of the 25-year celebration of the Italian restaurant DIVA, well-known chef and restaurateur RITU DALMIA speaks to BW Businessworld about the lessons she learnt on her path to success

- By Jyotsna Sharma

Quiet strength is what comes through when you speak to chef and restaurateur Ritu Dalmia. I ask what some of her biggest learnings have been after years of being at the top of the industry. She says she is still learning, “In the last thirty-two years, I have made thirty-two mistakes, if not more. And yes, you learn something new every time.” And, she is happy to embrace any new mistakes she makes, she says with a big smile.

Talking about some key lessons learnt during her career, she says that early on she learnt that if something is not working, one must not force it, and let it go. She says this in the context of her first restaurant, Mezza Luna, an Italian restaurant that she opened in Hauz Khas in Delhi sometime in the 90s.

At that time, Hauz Khas Village was this fancy arty place that everyone wanted to be seen at.