Aditi Dugar quit a career in Finance and started a one-of-a-kind catering company called Sage & Saffron with her mother to satiate her passion and love for everything food. A self-taught cook, Dugar decided to travel extensively and get in-depth knowledge of ingredients and learn various skills and techniques. She even worked a short stint in London at the two Michelin-starred Le Gavroche and La Petite Maison. Driven by her creative curiosity she worked with one of London’s best flower companies, to perfect the art of catered event décor – something she felt was lacking in India’s culinary scene. In Thailand, she trained under a vegetarian street food vendor and took the stage at the fine-dine restaurant Bo.Lan. Other stints at restaurants Zuma and Tsunami powered her passion for Southeast Asia’s flavourful and indulgent dishes which she now takes inspiration from while designing her menus.
In 2016, Dugar opened the doors to Masque – an ingredient-first approach Restaurant. With a focused approach to sustainability and plating up a distinctive variety of local ingredients sourced from diverse geographies of India, the ingredient-forward fine dining in Mumbai is now the first Indian restaurant to become a part of the Relais & Châteaux family. Ranked among Asia’s 50 best restaurants, its menu combines tradition and innovation – local flavours meet the contemporary to reimagine a new type of modern Indian cuisine. Along with Masque and Sage & Saffron, she also operates the kitchens at Seesaw in Mumbai, and has launched a brand-new bakery - TwentySeven Bakehouse, with an idea to democratise luxury. Dugar is also chief brand advisor, retail & lifestyle of ARAKU Coffee in India.
Through these diverse talking points and varied experiences, Dugar shares her mantra to make it big as an “accidental entrepreneur” in the male-dominated food industry.