A dash of flavour, a pinch of creativity and ounces of passion for food! This is the
recipe that created DIVA – a chain of restaurants, offering flavours from
around the world. And now, Goa gets a taste of it!
There’s nothing in her lineage to explain why Ritu Dalmia is the
brilliant chef and restaurateur that she is. And yet, there she stands, in her
mid-40s, as one of India’s most celebrated chefs, co-owner of six restaurants,
a catering division in Delhi and a restaurant in Italy.
The story might well have gone some other way. Born in
then-Calcutta to a Marwari business family, Ritu joined the family 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 age 21, she set up Mezza Luna, a Mediterranean
restaurant with an Italian accent, in Delhi’s Hauz Khas Village. The food was
excellent, however, Mezza Luna’s fortunes weren’t. An undeterred Ritu moved to
London, where she opened Vama, an Indian fine dining restaurant. The restaurant
was a big success and won rave reviews.
But Delhi beckoned, and in 2000, she came home to open her first
DIVA. The fine dining restaurant was an immediate hit with food that Delhi had
never encountered and a wine cellar that had no parallel. Ritu never looked
back, going on to open one winning restaurant after another and managing a
staff of 200. With Cittamani, her new eatery in Milan, Ritu has come full
circle. She started her restaurateur life trying to introduce India to genuine
Italian food; now she’s getting Italians to taste and enjoy the flavours of the
Indian sub-continent. Cittamani’s menu is a fusion of Indian and Italian
elements; with Ritu cooking locally-sourced Italian ingredients with Indian
techniques.
Ritu’s entrepreneurial spirit and contribution to the
hospitality industry has been recognised by many institutions, including Forbes,
which put her on its W Power Trailblazers List in March 2017 and the Indian
Federation for Culinary Association, which in 2016 recognised her as one of
India’s 25 biggest chefs. Last September, she was awarded the Ordine della
Stella d’Italia, the highest civilian honour of Italy. Ritu has hosted
‘Italian Khana’ and ‘Travelling DIVA’ on NDTV Good Times and authored three
cookbooks – ‘Italian Khaana’, ‘Travelling DIVA’ and ‘DIVA Green: A Vegetarian
Cookbook’.
Speaking on the Goa launch of DIVA at Andores Resort & Spa,
Calangute, an excited and enthusiastic Chef Ritu Dalmia says, “I’m delighted to
launch DIVA in Goa and very excited with the very good response it has
received. Goa has always been my favourite destination, and now I have a legit
reason to come to Goa and experience its business with DIVA. The support of the
team is very encouraging and I would say so far so good. Our best is yet to
come.”
The Goa signature flagship of DIVA boasts a 64 cover fine dining
address centrally located inside the property of Andores Resort & Spa. Open
throughout the season, it will offer lunch, apertivo and dinner
experiences for guests with an authentic Italian menu curated for Goa, keeping
in mind the State’s vibrant local flavours and ingredients.
A
plush indoor seating and a vibrant outdoor terrace overlooks the resort’s pool,
perfectly complimenting an outdoor pizzeria in full view of the guests, so
diners can enjoy a true Neapolitan slice whilst sitting besides the pool. A
fully operational bar with a special menu of cocktails and a wide selection of
wine and beer aims to enhance the most discerning tastes. DIVA promises an
experience that reinforces the award-winning brand philosophy of “respecting
and celebrating authentic food by combining clean, simple and fresh ingredients
to create rich and unique dishes that promise to give your taste-buds an
unforgettable experience.”