Aditi Dugar

Director & Founder
Masque & Urban Gourmet India

Born in Mumbai, Aditi Dugar grew up surrounded by the foods 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 career in finance to launch a niche catering company called Sage & Saffron – 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 BoLan in Bangkok. Other stints at restaurants Zuma and Tsunami fuelled her passion for southeast Asia’s flavourful and indulgent vegetarian dishes. Her travels led her to Chef Prateek Sadhu, who shared the same vision of using purely local ingredients to create seasonal and sustainable dishes. After almost two years of R&D, setting up supply chains with farmers across India, as well as the restaurant’s own farm, Masque opened its doors in the heart of Mumbai, in September 2016. Aditi acts as founder & director of the company, simultaneously running her catering company, Sage & Saffron, newly launched bakery TwentySeven Bakehouse, as well as the kitchens at ARAKU Café in Bangalore and Seesaw in Mumbai.

Masque has blazed its own trail through India’s culinary landscape, garnering a reputation for constant innovation and numerous accolades along the way. In December 2018, Masque was ranked #5 among the country’s best restaurants at the Conde Nast Traveller Top Restaurant Awards. In August 2019, Masque was ranked on Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure’s collaborative, inaugural list of the World’s Best Restaurants, and in 2020, the restaurant won the Miele One to Watch Award at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. In March 2021, Masque was ranked #32 on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, and in 2022, ranked #21 on the same list, as India’s Best Restaurant.