Meet This Diva of Indo-Italian Cuisine Ritu Dalmia maintains that everything she has done in her life has been impulsive

By Sugandh Bahl

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Entrepreneur India

When Dalmia started off, since she come from a Marwari family, many people asked her, "Will you be cooking meat and serving beer." People in her community considered being a chef was about doing some menial job. Born in Calcutta to a conservative business family, Dalmia joined their stone business when she was just 16.

Her work kept taking her to Italy, where she developed a liking for the local cuisine and learnt how to cook it proficiently. In 1993, at the age of 21, she set up MezzaLuna, a Mediterranean restaurant with an Italian accent, in Delhi's Hauz Khas village. The food was excellent, but MezzaLuna's fortunes weren't. An undeterred Dalmia moved to London, where she opened Vama, an Indian fine dining restaurant. The restaurant was a big success and even won rave reviews. Delhi beckoned, and in 2000, she came home to open Diva. The fine dining restaurant was an immediate hit.

Dalmia never looked back, going on to open one winning restaurant after another and managing a staff of 200. When they decided to open their flagship international restaurant Cittamani, the choice was crystal clear. Milan she believes is really an international city, where people are curious and willing to try new things. Cittamani's menu is the play between Indian and Italian elements; with Dalmia cooking Indian food with locally-sourced Italian ingredients. "It's light and healthy, and is a reflection of something that I have been working on for a long time," says Dalmia.

Moving forward, Dalmia says "I never had a bucket list. Everything I have done in my life has been impulsive. And even with the mistakes, I have always managed to learn something new."

(This article was first published in the March issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, click here)

Sugandh Bahl

Former Feature Writer, Entrepreneur India Magazine

Journalism has been in my roots since my school days. Beginning with a content specialist at CRY organisation to landing up being a Feature writer/correspondent at The Entrepreneur Magazine, life has experienced ups and downs fairly well. A foodie by nature and pet over at heart, currently I am thoroughly enjoying my tenure at The Entrepreneur!

Business News

JPMorgan Shuts Down Internal Message Board Comments After Employees React to Return-to-Office Mandate

Employees were given the option to leave comments about the RTO mandate with their first and last names on display — and they did not hold back.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

News and Trends

Recur Club Announces Credit Offerings for Startups Beyond Series A and SMEs

In FY 24–25, the platform also plans to deploy an additional INR 2000 crores through its Recur Swift program for startups.

News and Trends

NeoSapien Secures INR 80 Lakhs on Shark Tank India 4 for AI Wearable

Founded in 2024 by Dhananjay Yadav and Aryan Yadav, NeoSapien aims to integrate AI into daily life through its wearable technology

News and Trends

PAG Acquires Majority Stake in Pharma Packaging Player Pravesha Industries

This move underscores PAG's continued focus on India's burgeoning packaging industry, following its recent investment in Manjushree Technopack.

News and Trends

Cornerstone Ventures Secures First Close of USD 200 Mn Fund-II at USD 40 Mn, Welcomes Suresh Pareek as General Partner

The second fund will target a range of sectors, including financial services, retail, e-commerce, healthcare, and supply chain, while also focusing on sector-agnostic core technology innovations.