Pioneering F&B Entrepreneur Aditi Dugar on the World's Most Exotic Restaurants and Championing Indian Flavours

While she may call herself an accidental food entrepreneur, Aditi Dugar’s journey from a stable career in finance to becoming a key disruptor in the luxury food space is one empowering tale to take home. Driven by her mum’s cooking legacy and a gap in the vegetarian catering market, she launched Sage and Saffron – the first end-to-end boutique catering company in 2012 in Mumbai. Four years later, she set out to open Masque, a native ingredient-driven, and India's first tasting menu only restaurant.

If making a successful business of your passion for food is an ambitious challenge, Aditi Dugar knows how to do it in style. In the last few years, she has gone on to launch TwentySeven Bakehouse (2022), Circle Sixty-Nine (2023), and Paradox (2025).

We spoke to Aditi Dugar, the director & co-founder of Urban Gourmet India, about building her successful brand from the ground up, constantly reinventing at her restaurants, and her most exotic culinary experiences.

Dugar's love of travel and her enthusiasm for exploring global food have had a great influence on shaping her brand’s culinary expressions. She appreciates Japan for its cuisine, and in India, she has a soft corner for the state of Rajasthan.

She says, “I think I'm also biased. I'm Rajasthani. But I just feel the state has brought in a lot of inspiration for us as well. It is a place where you're so restrained by ingredients, but it really is a region where there is maximum flavour, the way they use the spices, the fat, and the meat. It's really bold. And I think that, at least for me, this region really inspires me. My grandmother used to make things like angur ki sabzi or anjeer ki sabzi, which were not known. And we've eaten things like, you know, palak ka halwa and lasan ka halwa, which are still unheard of, right?”

What are some of our native ingredients (but not very popular) that you would like to see on the world stage?

Our biodiversity is unparalleled and unexplored to a large extent. Beyond the spices that India is already famous for, there are so many indigenous ingredients waiting to be celebrated. Take kokum from the Konkan coast: it’s tart, refreshing, and incredibly versatile. Or black rice from the Northeast, with its nutty flavour and deep nutritional value. I’m also fascinated by millets, which have been a part of our food traditions for centuries and are finally getting the recognition they deserve. These are examples just off the top of my head.

But what makes these ingredients special is not just their flavour, but also the culture and landscapes they carry with them. If we spotlight them thoughtfully on the global stage, they can be the hook that brings culinary travellers to India — to taste authentic dishes they can’t find anywhere else.

You also love to travel for food experiences. Please share some of the core memories of honing your skill set, learning about food, one destination at a time.

I have been very fortunate enough to have travelled globally enough to understand food trends. I also got an opportunity because this love for food pushes me to experience different restaurants and kitchens. And I love to learn something from different places. I was always curious to know who the head chef was. And I kind of started making these connections with chefs just with my love for food.

My husband Aditya and I love to travel. It’s one of the things I’m most grateful for. Our fondness for exploring new places around the world takes us to some of the best food experiences ever. And he’s also my business partner, so everything we witness and experience helps us be inspired for our restaurant brands.

Having different experiences across the world really opens up my mind about the possibilities. My mind then buzzes with ideas about different facets. Some places can have a fantastic menu design, while some can have fun art on the walls, some might offer an innovative service experience, while another could have some crockery that I’ve loved. Food plays a huge part in this world, yes, but there are so many other things at play here. Traveling opens my mind up in ways nothing else can.

How do you personally see luxury gastronomy in today’s global context?

Creating a luxury gastronomy experience is all about craft, thoughtfulness, and details. Globally, diners are seeking authenticity, provenance, and stories that connect them to the food on their plate.

What are some of the most exotic culinary experiences that you have had around the world?

I recently had a meal at Central in Lima, where Chef Virgilio Martínez’s meal had us speechless; he had designed a plant-based journey through Peru’s ecosystems. It felt less like a meal and more like time travel.

At Maido in Lima, crowned Best Restaurant at World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025, Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura’s Nikkei cuisine brings together Peruvian ingredients with Japanese precision, and so beautifully at that, like they always belonged together.

I also went to Alchemist in Copenhagen earlier this year, where I felt like I landed in a parallel universe. If there’s one meal that pushes the boundaries of food, art, craft, storytelling, and everything that’s going on in the world right now, this would be it. There’s also Rovi in London, by Chef Yotam Ottolenghi. Think seasonal vegetables, bold spices, and inventive combinations that redefine what a wholesome, family-style meal can be. There’s Odette in Singapore, where Chef Julian Royer has set the stage for what French cuisine inspired by Asia should be. His emphasis on using seasonal produce is so relatable to me. And back home in Mumbai, I’d say a meal (on an empty stomach!) at Shree Thakker Bhojanalaya is a vibrant, satisfying experience, with its seemingly endless supply of farsan, vegetables, kadhis, dals, and sweets.