From the precision of flying high with aviation to the artistry of haute gastronomy, the dynamic Anisha Anand has carved a path that defies convention. As the visionary founder of Aurum Foods, she has transformed the Indian culinary landscape by blending luxury, sustainability, and empowerment into every plate she serves.

Known for curating bespoke dining experiences for celebrity weddings, high-profile events, and immersive social dining, Anisha believes that food is more than mere sustenance… to her, it’s storytelling, memory, and emotion on a plate. With a collective team of over 600 members, many of them women, Aurum Foods is not just about extraordinary cuisine… it’s about creating dignity, opportunity, and joy at every level of operation.

In an exclusive interview with Sumita Chakraborty, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, TheGlitz, Anisha Anand, Aurum Foods, shares the journey, philosophy, and vision that continue to elevate Aurum Foods into a beacon of culinary innovation and meaningful impact.

Over to Anisha Anand, Founder, Aurum Foods

From aviation to avant-garde gastronomy, your journey is anything but conventional. What defining moment sparked the creation of Aurum Foods, and how did your past experiences shape its philosophy?

My years in aviation taught me that hospitality is not about serving it’s about anticipating needs before they’re spoken. The defining moment for Aurum Foods came when I realised that the same discipline, detail, and empathy that make a flight memorable could transform dining too. Aurum was born out of this vision to create food experiences that go beyond menus, where every plate tells a story and every detail feels intentional.

You’ve curated bespoke dining for celebrity weddings and high-profile events. How do you balance the pressure of perfection with the intimacy of personalisation in such grand settings?

At that scale, perfection is expected, it’s the baseline. What elevates an experience is intimacy. For us, it’s about listening deeply to families, understanding traditions, and weaving in personal touches that reflect their identity. Whether it’s reimagining a grandmother’s recipe or curating a menu that mirrors a couple’s journey, those little details anchor the grandeur in meaning.

Aurum’s ethos blends sustainability, luxury, and empowerment. How do you maintain this delicate balance without compromising creativity or commercial success?

Luxury today isn’t just about excess it’s about consciousness. For us, luxury is residue-free farming in Maharashtra, empowering women through our food cart CSR, and still presenting cuisine that feels indulgent and refined. By embedding sustainability and empowerment into the DNA of our operations, they don’t compete with creativity or success they fuel it.

Social Dining is a powerful concept. In an increasingly transactional food world, how do you craft emotional, story-driven experiences that guests actually remember?

Food is memory. Guests may forget the centrepieces, but they’ll remember how the soup reminded them of childhood or how a dish sparked conversation at their table. We craft menus as narratives, every course has a theme, every presentation an emotion. It transforms dining into storytelling, where guests don’t just eat, they feel.

Building a collective of 600 members many of them women in just 14 years is no small feat. What does empowerment look like at the grassroots level, beyond just employment?

For us, empowerment means dignity, ownership, and growth. It’s not just about giving jobs but it’s about giving voices. We’ve created career pathways where women move from entry-level roles to leadership, and through our food cart initiative, we’ve enabled many to become entrepreneurs themselves. Empowerment, to me, is when the ripple effect touches families and communities.

The Indian catering industry can often be resistant to innovation. What resistance have you faced while pushing the boundaries of traditional catering, and how have you responded?

Initially, there was scepticis, both clients and even industry peers wondered if innovation would dilute tradition. But we approached it as evolution, not replacement. By respecting cultural roots while reimagining presentation and technique, we showed that modernity and tradition can coexist beautifully. Today, innovation has become our signature, not our challenge.

With accolades pouring in this year, from ET’s Visionary Leadership Award to Best Caterer of the Year, how do you stay grounded, and what fuels your ambition today?

Awards are affirmations, but my grounding comes from two places, from my team and my guests. Every thank-you note from a family or every team member who grows with us is worth more than a trophy. What fuels me today is impact of how can Aurum continue to create joy, dignity, and pride through food.

What’s next for Aurum Foods? Are there new experiences, cuisines, or impact-led ventures you’re excited to explore in the coming years?

The next chapter is about deepening impact while expanding creativity. We’re working on immersive global dining pop-ups, expanding our agro-farming footprint, and launching more packaged food innovations that bring Aurum quality to homes. Most importantly, we’re committed to scaling our women empowerment initiatives, because the future of food is as much about people as it is about flavour.