At 24, this entrepreneur is trying to bring a sustainable change in the fine dining industry in India
A culinary graduate and F&B entrepreneur, Tanuvee Agarwal is serving a fine dining experience using sustainable practices through her startup Atticus.
Ever since she was first introduced to cooking by her grandmother, five-year-old Tanuvee Agarwal knew her passion lay in the culinary arts.
Cut to 2021, the now 24-year-old Tanuvee is a chef and a Food & Beverages (F&B) entrepreneur in India’s predominantly male-dominated fine dining space.
She founded , a bespoke luxury catering brand specialising in gourmet fine dining and in-kitchen dining experiences that provides avant-garde catering services in South Delhi, Central Delhi, Noida, and Gurgaon.
Tanuvee Agarwal
“We specialise in catering to high-end parties, soirées, and corporate events. Our aim is to introduce often overlooked global food trends to the Indian economy by building on the unique French tradition of ‘Cocktail Dinatoire,’ which comprises multiple small bite-sized courses. It is a new beginning enriched with history and sustained through change. It is a mindset; a trend in development,” says Tanuvee.
Tanuvee discovered her love for fine dining during the second year of her education at the prestigious Culinary Arts Academy in Switzerland, “when we were exposed to the world of fine food and service,” she says.
In a society where influential female chefs are still a rarity; this young woman entrepreneur is not shying away from leaving her mark in the industry. After graduating in 2017 from one of the finest institutes of Swiss Education Group (SEG), a private company that operates four of the world’s top-ranked hospitality schools including the Culinary Arts Academy in Switzerland, Tanuvee joined Atelier Crenn (3 Michelin, San Francisco) - where she worked with Chef Dominique Crenn, who Tanuvee describes as one of the best female chefs in the world; as well as in Le Cirque (The Leela Palace, New Delhi).
Starting the entrepreneurial journey
Inspired by her time spent in Switzerland, and the USA, where she learned about food, cuisine, and the Michelin culture, she started Atticus in 2019, a bespoke fine dining catering brand in Delhi NCR.
Being a risk-taker by nature, the need to follow an entrepreneurial course was always there in Tanuvee, prompting her to launch Attticus at the age of 23.
“I understood that, for any new idea to succeed, I would need to persevere through the rainy days, be patient about it being accepted by the masses, and be pragmatic in my approach to introduce it. And, to this day, I am working on fulfilling these three verticals,” she says.
According to her, like any other industry, the culinary industry too has its share of challenges -read long hours and constant high pressure.
However, over and above the usual challenges, she admits having had to deal with preconceived notions as well. For example, in the initial days of setting up her venture, Tanuvee cites instances of clients asking her to bring her parents along to discuss business! “I am now used to dealing with that, I have learnt my way around objections and know how to get clients,” she remarks.
The business
The name ‘Atticus’ originates in an ancient Roman word that directly translates to ‘man from Attica’. According to Tanuvee, Atticus combines various cuisines to create a unique, sophisticated, and story-like menu, rich in complexities and flavors.
She aspires to build Atticus into a legacy, which can be sustained beyond cooking.
“The operational model is rather simple. We offer three main categories of catering: ‘The Classic Cocktail Dinatoire’; ‘In Kitchen Dining’; and ‘Bespoke Sit Dow Meals’- thereby, allowing clarity and easy communication with clients,” says Tanushree.
Growing a sustainable venture
Over the past two years, Atticus claims to have seen growth in multiple areas like customer base and revenue. Tanuvee is also proud that her company has managed to cut down food wastage to less than 18 percent per month, and are adopting more sustainable practices like composting, permaculture, water recycling etc.
To implement sustainable practices in running the company, Tanuvee has collaborated with producers and suppliers of biodegradable packaging to cut down on plastic consumption.
Additionally, Tanuvee mentions most of the produce used by the company comes from their own farm, setting the entire ‘farm to table’ concept in motion. The farm also boasts a built-in water treatment system.
“Everything is composted and used as manure for our farm to grow vegetables. Our vegetables are all organically and naturally grown. No chemicals,” claims Tanuvee.
Going forward, apart from building the brand value of Atticus, she also plans to introduce the idea and concept behind a culinary degree in India. “The culinary field has so much to offer for job opportunities and soft skill learning, and I am hoping we as alumni can help promote that in a big way.”
Edited by Anju Narayanan