A SILVER FIESTA OF FLAVOURS

Commemorating 25 years of DIVA, Chef Ritu Dalmia reflects on her culinary journey so far

- WORDS SHWETA SUNNY

What started as a modest stumble that gave no hint of the success to come has now now become synonymous with popularising Italian cuisine in India. For Kolkata-born, chef Ritu Dalmia, opening DIVA in Delhi in 2000 was her way of saying, “This is how Italian really tastes.” Redefining Delhi's culinary landscape for the past 25 years and setting benchmarks in contemporary Italian dining, Dalmia’s love affair with the cuisine began on a school trip to Rome at the age of 10. “I loved tomato-basil spaghetti and minestrone so much that I even hid in the airport loo, hoping to miss my flight back home,” she recalls.

Since then, Italy has kept calling — through family business trips, television, catering, and now Cittamani in Milan. What began as simple honesty on a plate has blossomed into a lifelong, delicious obsession.