| 5 Aditi Dugar Founder & Director, Urban Gourmet India Pvt. Ltd. A Mumbai girl, Aditi grew up surrounded by the foods of her mother’s and grandmother’s kitchens. This naturally led to some experiments in the kitchen—at 16, she started to cook and discovered a passion for baking. However, it was only after the birth of her first child that she gave up a career in finance to launch a niche catering company—Sage and Saffron. A self-taught cook, she went ahead and honed her baking talents in London at two-Michelin starred Le Gavroche and La Petite Maison. Thereafter, her next stop was Thailand where she trained extensively with a vegetarian street food vendor and took a stage at fine-dine restaurant Bo.Lan. Some of her stints were at restaurants Zuma and Tsunami. In 2016, she took a leap of faith and opened ingredient-driven restaurant Masque after two years of rigorous research and development across the country. In 2022, the modern Indian, tasting menu-only restaurant stood at 21 on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, the highest in India. Along with Masque and Sage & Saffron, Dugar also operates the kitchens at ARAKU Café in Bangalore and ARAKU restaurant and Seesaw in Mumbai, and her bakery - TwentySeven Bakehouse, whose kitchen is headed by Chef Rachelle Andrade. Her advice to the younger generation, “If you have a clear vision, don’t be afraid to follow it; always make an effort to listen to those around you, and invest time and energy in your support system.” “Success is in building and executing a vision and seeing it come to life, but it’s also in knowing that I explored every option to try and achieve something I’ve set out to do.” A fourth-generation hotelier and graduate from Cornell University, New York, Aashica Khanna has been instrumental in shaping the luxury wellness landscape in India. As the head of IHHR Hospitality since 2008, she has been at the helm of planning and executing all the brand’s new projects and hotel launches. In her current role, Khanna leads the operations and business development for ‘Ananda in the Himalayas’, a project that was founded by her father Ashok Khanna in 2000. Today, it is recognised as one of the top destination spas in the world. A self-confessed conscious traveller, she believes luxury is not a tangible thing. In her words, “It’s a feeling. It’s being surrounded by beauty, quality, craftsmanship and the feeling that it evokes.” This philosophy reflects in the Ananda brand footprint that boasts exceptional hospitality products and mindful wellness offerings. Her favourite holiday remains a nice hotel with a beautiful white beach, anywhere in the world. For wellness, she prefers “... slow sunny days, self-reflection, Ayurveda, great workouts and clean eating.” As someone who has tasted success, what does it really mean to her? “Success is peace and happiness,” she concludes. Aashica Khanna Director, IHHR Hospitality “LuxeBook is an insider’s perspective on Indian luxury, and everything that surrounds it.” | 4
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTcxNzM1