“At 22, I was questioning my sexuality, but was technically single,” says chef Ritu Dalmia

The award-winning chef gets nostalgic about her first attempt at making cheese soufflé, wanting to teach Delhi how to eat Italian food, and living on a bank balance of less than ₹10,000

At 22, where were you career-wise?

Ritu Dalmia at 22 (inset) and now (above), at 48

I had just started my first Italian restaurant, Mezza Luna in Hauz Khas Village, Delhi.

And your bank balance?

Less than ₹10,000.

Any romance in the air?

I was questioning my sexuality, but was technically single.

Ritu Dalmia at a dinner that she had hosted for a client at home

What was your focus in life?

To teach Delhi how to eat Italian food.

What was your mindset like then?

Idealistic, positive and full of enthusiasm.

And, was your family supportive?

I ended up fighting a lot with my dad, but had a lot of support from mum.

With her closest friends from school, Suparna, Shivani and Gitanjali, during Suparna’s mehendi ceremony

Tell us about your fashion sense?

Did not have any. I wore jeans and kurtas.

An anecdote from that time…

Karen Anand and Rohit Khattar came for dinner and asked for a cheese soufflé, which I did not have on my menu. But the word “no” didn’t exist in my dictionary. I consulted cookbooks and 45 minutes later produced a soufflé which exploded on the table. I hid in the kitchen that evening.

If you could rewind and change one thing about yourself?

I had a sense of arrogance and I was very rigid. I thought the world owed me something. But I realised soon after how stupid that was in the hospitality sector.

At her restaurant Vama in London, with her favourite waiter Craig Smith (left)

What did you do for fitness?

Walk up and down the steps of the restaurant.

Your most prized possession?

First edition of Mad comics.

What was your biggest dream then?

To be the best Italian chef in India.

Ritu holding her niece, Anahita, and also one of the rare occasions when she wore a sari

The biggest life lesson you’ve learnt?

This restaurant I opened was a failure and the biggest bruise to my ego. What I learnt was: what I thought was correct is not always correct; and running a restaurant is just not about loving to cook.

From HT Brunch, March 28, 2021

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