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{{Short description|Indian celebrity chef and restaurateur|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ritu Dalmia
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1973}}
| birth_place = Calcutta (now [[Kolkata]]), [[West Bengal]], India
| known_for = [[Italian cuisine]]
| occupation = [[Celebrity chef]], restaurateur, LGBT activist
}}

'''Ritu Dalmia''' (born 1973) is an Indian [[celebrity chef]] and restaurateur. She is the chef and co-owner of the popular [[Italian cuisine|Italian]] restaurant Diva in [[Delhi]], which she established in 2000, with co-founder Gita Bhalla under partnership firm "Riga Food".<ref name=hindu2004/> Other restaurants of company are "Latitude 28" and "Cafe Diva".<ref name=conde/><ref>{{cite news |title=Chef's Delight – Taking on the stars|url=http://www.livemint.com/2008/03/17004301/Chef8217s-Delight---Taking.html |publisher=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]|date=17 March 2008 }}</ref> She started hosting TV cookery show, "Italian Khana" for [[NDTV Good Times]] for three seasons, and published her first cookbook by the same name in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title= Italian Khana|url=http://goodtimes.ndtv.com/Ndtv-Show-Special.aspx?ID=488 |publisher=[[NDTV Good Times]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Something's Cooking: For 17 years now, Ritu Dalmia has been serving Italian Khana. And she is a purist.|url=http://business.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?270242 |publisher=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] Business }}</ref>

Her new show ''Travelling Diva'' is being broadcast since 2 February 2012. These shows are being aired on NDTV Good Times channel.<ref>{{cite web |title= Traveling Diva|url=http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/promo-new-show-on-ndtv-good-times-travelling-diva/222468 |publisher=[[NDTV Good Times]] }}</ref>

Dalmia is a [[lesbian]] and is a prominent [[LGBT]] rights activist. In June 2016, Dalmia and five others, all members of the [[LGBT community]] themselves, filed a writ petition in the [[Supreme Court of India]] challenging [[Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/many-ups-and-downs-in-battle-against-ipc-section-377-homosexuality-lgbtq-5019604/|title=Many ups and downs in battle against 377|date=2018-01-11|work=The Indian Express|access-date=2018-01-28|language=en-US}}</ref> This resulted in the 2018 landmark judgment in ''[[Navtej Singh Johar and others v. Union of India]]'' in which the Supreme Court unanimously declared the law unconstitutional "in so far as it criminalises consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/06/indian-supreme-court-decriminalises-homosexuality|title=Campaigners celebrate as India decriminalises homosexuality|last=Safi|first=Michael|date=2018-09-06|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-09-09}}</ref>

==Career==
Born in [[Kolkata]] to a [[Marwaris|Marwari]] business family,<ref name=sanghvi>{{cite news |title=Rude Food: Portrait of a Diva|url=http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/rude-food/2008/07/21/portrait-of-a-diva/#more-69 |author= Vir Sanghvi |author-link= Vir Sanghvi |publisher=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=21 August 2008 }}</ref><ref name=tel2012/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dalmia |first1=Ritu |title=My freedom to love: 'I was 23 when I realised I was gay. I told my parents. The next day they sent a box of mangoes for my partner at the time' |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/independence-day-special/story/20160822-ritu-dalmia-my-freedom-to-love-article-377-lgbt-gay-rights-829406-2016-08-12 |access-date=12 November 2019 |work=India Today |date=12 August 2016 |language=en}}</ref> she joined her family business of marble stone at the age of 16. Her work led her to Italy for sourcing where over a period of time develop a liking for Italian cuisine and started learning it as well. Then in 1993, at the age of 22 she started her first restaurant 'MezzaLuna', specialising in [[Mediterranean cuisine]] with an "Italian accent", in the [[Hauz Khas]] Village, Delhi, but the restaurant wasn't a success and so after three years, she sold it off. Then in 1996, Dalmia moved to London, where she opened the first Indian [[fine dining]] restaurant on [[King's Road]], with partner Andy Verma.<ref name=today2011/> The restaurant was a big success and received good reviews, however unable to settle in London, in 2000 Dalmia sold off her shares of restaurant to Verma and returned to Delhi. Here in the same year, she opened "Diva" Italian restaurant along with a partner, Gita Bhalla in posh [[Greater Kailash]] II, in 2000.<ref name=hindu2004>{{cite news |title=The food DIVA |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/12/11/stories/2004121101500301.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210195401/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/12/11/stories/2004121101500301.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 February 2012 |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=11 December 2004 }}</ref><ref name=tri>{{cite news |title=New-age entrepreneur: young, dynamic and successful|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20031116/spectrum/main1.htm |work= [[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|date=16 November 2003 }}</ref> Today Diva continues to be a popular restaurant in Delhi.<ref>{{cite book |title=Frommer's India|author=Pippa De Bruyn |author2=Keith Bain |author3=David Allardice |author4=Shonar Joshi |chapter=Delhi |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2010|isbn=978-0470602645 |page=442 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HlqM2CR4vfUC&q=Ritu+Dalmia&pg=PA442 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Lonely Planet India|author= Sarina Singh|author2= Lindsay Brown, Mark Elliott, Paul Harding.. |publisher=Lonely Planet|year=2009|isbn=978-1741791518|page=151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vK88ktao7pIC&q=Ritu+Dalmia&pg=PA151}}</ref>

She also runs a café at the [[Italian diplomatic missions|Italian Embassy]]'s Italian Cultural Centre in the diplomatic enclave, [[Chanakyapuri]], Delhi,<ref name=tri/> "Diva Café in Greater Kailash I, N-Block Market, "Latitude 28" at [[Khan Market]], at the [[Alliance Francaise]], Delhi and "DIVA Piccola" at Hauz Khas village, besides she has also established a catering business.<ref name=conde>{{cite web |title=Ritu Dalmia talks travel |url=http://www.cntraveller.in/content/ritu-dalmia-talks-travel |publisher=[[Conde Nast Traveller]] }}</ref><ref name=sanghvi/> In 2007, she started hosting a TV-series, "Italian Khana" on [[NDTV Good Times]], shot in Italy and subsequently the book was also released. The show ran for three seasons and won numerous television awards.<ref name=tel2012>{{cite news |title=Ritu Dalmia, author of cookbook travelling diva, whips it up |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120130/jsp/entertainment/story_15067291.jsp |publisher=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)]] |date=30 January 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Italian Khana: Best Cookery Show At The Indian Telly Awards, 2009|url=http://goodtimes.ndtv.com/Ndtv-Show-Special.aspx?ID=488 |publisher=NDTV Good Times }}</ref> She has also been a consulting chef with ''Divattra'', the spa restaurant at '[[Ashok Hotel]]', Delhi.<ref>{{cite news |title=VOTERS SPEAK: Ritu Dalmia |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/VOTERS-SPEAK--Ritu-Dalmia/391198 |publisher=Indian Express |date=27 November 2008 }}</ref>

She has been awarded the [[Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity]] by [[Government of Italy]] in December 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=About the Anchor |url=http://goodtimes.ndtv.com/GoodTimesAnchorPopUp.aspx?ShowID=63 |publisher=NDTV Good Times }}</ref>

She published her food travel, cookbook, ''Travelling Diva: Recipes from around the World'' in 2012, and features her favourite recipes from European, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines and her stories behind them.<ref name=today2011>{{cite web |title=There's a story behind every dish in this book|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ritu-dalmia-cookbook-travelling-diva-stefano-merlo/1/165802.html |date=25 December 2011|publisher=[[India Today]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=All Things Food |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/all-things-food/887884/0 |publisher=[[Indian Express]] |date= 15 December 2011 }}</ref>

==Works==
* ''Italian Khana''. Random House, India, 2009. {{ISBN|8184000219}}.
* ''Italian Khana: Dinner Party''. Random House, India. {{ISBN|8184001029}}.
* ''Italian Khana: Desserts''. Random House, India. {{ISBN|978-81-8400-103-7}}.
* ''Italian Khana: Vegetarian''. Random House, India. {{ISBN|978-81-8400-101-3}}.
* ''Travelling Diva: Recipes from around the World'', Hachette India 2012. {{ISBN|9789350092811}}.
* ''DIVA Green'', Hachette India 2014. {{ISBN|9789350092811}}.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://divarestaurants.com/, Official website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalmia, Ritu}}
[[Category:Indian chefs]]
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Delhi]]
[[Category:Marwari people]]
[[Category:Indian television chefs]]
[[Category:Indian restaurateurs]]
[[Category:Women cookbook writers]]
[[Category:Indian food writers]]
[[Category:Chefs of Italian cuisine]]
[[Category:Women chefs]]
[[Category:LGBT businesspeople]]
[[Category:Lesbians]]

Ritu Dalmia - Revision history

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