Aditi Dugar

Born in Mumbai, Aditi Dugar grew up surrounded by the delicious foods and aromas of her mother’s and grandmother’s kitchens. She started to cook at the age of 16 and discovered a passion for baking. After the birth of her first child, Aditi left a four-year career in finance to launch a niche catering company called Urban Gourmet with her mother, a move which came naturally given the family’s enthusiasm for food.

A self-taught cook, Aditi refined her baking talents in London at two-Michelin starred Le Gavroche and La Petite Maison. Working with one of the city’s best flower companies, Aditi was inspired by the level of creativity and finesse in event décor – something she felt was lacking in India’s culinary scene.

Aditi soon ventured out of London to study with other chefs around the world. In Thailand, she trained extensively with a vegetarian street food vendor and took a stage at fine-dine restaurant Bo Lan in Bangkok. Other stints at restaurants Zuma and Tsunami fuelled her passion for southeast Asia’s flavourful and indulgent vegetarian dishes.

She met Prateek Sadhu in 2015, who shared the same vision of using purely local ingredients to create seasonal and sustainable dishes. The two opened Masque, a wilderness-to-table restaurant in the heart of Mumbai, in September 2016. Together they have travelled the country to bring to focus India’s lost ingredients, foraging specifically from the Himalayan belt. Aditi acts as CEO of Masque and Director of Urban Gourmet India Pvt. Ltd.