Lawyer. Accountant. Restaurateur. Podcaster. Author. Mother.
Gauri Devidayal’s journey into India’s hospitality scene is anything but conventional, and that’s precisely what makes her story extraordinary.
Featured in The Restaurant Times’ inaugural Global Powerlist: Leading Women in Food and Hospitality 2025, an editorial recognition of the most influential women reshaping culinary landscapes across India, the US, and the UAE, her accolades reflect her profound impact on India’s dining scene.
In conversation with The Restaurant Times, Gauri opens up about her unlikely journey from tax attorney to hospitality mogul, the audacious risks that shaped her restaurant empire, and how inspiration strikes in the most ordinary moments to drive her mission of creating lasting, community-centered businesses.
The Pivot
A law graduate from University College London and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, Gauri began her career in the corridors of PricewaterhouseCoopers in London and Mumbai. But destiny had other plans. In 2008, back in Mumbai, she met her husband and her future business partner, Jay Yousuf. His idea to open a restaurant changed the course of her life. Trading tax returns for tasting menus, Gauri took the leap into entrepreneurship, without prior experience in food or business, and co-founded what would become one of India’s most celebrated restaurant groups: Food Matters.
Their flagship venture, The Table, opened in 2011 in Colaba, South Mumbai. Fourteen years on, it remains a benchmark in India’s culinary landscape, recently securing a position on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 and #2 in India by Condé Nast Traveller Top Restaurant Awards 2024. Inspired by global dining experiences and driven by purpose, The Table’s ethos was clear: elevated food in a fuss-free, welcoming environment. Gauri’s own deep dive into wine curation led her to ace the WSET Level III exam and serve on the India Wine Awards jury for two years.
But The Table was only the beginning.
The Evolution
In 2016, Gauri and Jay launched Magazine St. Kitchen, a creative culinary studio in Byculla housed in a charming heritage building. It soon evolved into a dynamic space for chef collaborations, workshops, and community events. This space birthed Mag St. Bread Co., a bakery that kept the team going through the pandemic, supplying essentials and joining NRAI’s mission to feed the underprivileged.
Post-pandemic, the group expanded its footprint with Mag St., a reimagined café concept with outlets in Colaba, Lower Parel, and Bandra, offering comfort-driven, community-focused dining experiences. Other innovations followed: the now-archived Mag St. Toppings, a pizza delivery concept with over 100 topping options, and Iktara, a delivery kitchen spotlighting soulful Indian cuisine.
Gauri also turned to storytelling, leveraging her experiences into multiple hit podcasts. Her current show, ‘Speak Greasy with Gauri Devidayal’, is in its fourth season, spotlighting a diverse mix of chefs, restaurateurs, and legacy brands like Parsi Dairy Farm. Her podcast journey began with ‘The Colaba Cartel’, a behind-the-scenes audio diary of building a restaurant—an unconventional experiment that became a resounding success. Her earlier shows, ‘This Round is On Me’ and ‘Women on Top in India’, featured bold voices across media, business, and leadership.
Gauri’s influence goes beyond the kitchen. She’s part of the Managing Committee of the National Restaurant Association of India, has been named among Forbes India’s 120 Leaders of Change, GQ’s 50 Most Influential Young Indians, and BlackBook’s Top 50 Women in Indian Luxury. In 2023, she authored her debut book, ‘Diamonds for Breakfast’, with co-writer Vishwas Kulkarni—a candid account of the thrills and trials of building one of Mumbai’s hottest restaurants.
The Perspective
For Gauri, success isn’t just about accolades. It’s about building businesses that last, rooted in vision and fueled by community. Whether she’s walking through the family-run Table Farm in Alibaug, brainstorming a new menu, or recording her next podcast episode, Gauri leads with a rare blend of resilience, curiosity, and purpose.
While Gauri Devidayal’s résumé may begin with law school and international accounting, her real education came after she walked into the world of food entrepreneurship. “My husband had the idea of starting The Table in 2009,” she recalls, “and I joined the adventure a little later.” That simple adventure turned into The Table, one of India’s most enduring fine-dining destinations.
The early days weren’t easy. Devidayal recalls that anything that went wrong “really used to get to me in the beginning” as she took everything personally. She soon realized this approach was unsustainable: “I realised I would probably develop ulcers if I continued this way, so I learnt to grow a thicker skin and take things in my stride.” That hard-won wisdom became her mantra in handling the industry’s challenges: “In this business, the first thing you have to do is accept that things can and will go wrong, and then train yourself to be solution-driven rather than angst-ridden.”
The IT Woman
She’s candid about the challenges that still persist for women in the business, but she’s equally clear about how she navigates them. “I’ve never believed that I am at a disadvantage because of my gender,” she states. “In fact, I have used the perceived disparity to my full advantage to take opportunities that come my way because of my gender.” She wishes more women in the industry would do the same, particularly those who work alongside their husbands but remain in the background.
Her advice for women entering the field is: “Your gender doesn’t matter. It will only come in the way if you let it. If you have a platform, use it to share your lessons and make an impact.”
Devidayal speaks with equal pride about professional accolades—The Table’s placement in Asia’s 50 Best extended list, or about quieter wins: her team’s resilience, her daughter’s curiosity, the time spent tending to their farm in Alibaug. Some of her best ideas, she says, have emerged not from boardrooms or strategy decks, but from everyday moments—like the inspiration for a community table at The Table, sparked during a trip to Borough Market in London, or a bake sale idea that came while standing in line for jalebis with her daughter.
One of her boldest experiments—launching her first podcast, The Colaba Cartel, while building a new restaurant—was a marketing risk that defied conventional wisdom. “Everyone said no one listens to podcasts. It was a huge success. And it kicked off from there, and there was no looking back.”
The Future
As for what’s next, she remains grounded. “Success for me is creating lasting businesses that bring something new or better to the city,” she says. “I hope our brands are able to grow beyond Mumbai and reach people across the country one day.”
When asked what more women in hospitality would mean for the industry, she doesn’t hesitate. “Better business,” she says. “More inclusive and balanced industry with diverse perspectives, and an inspiration to the next generation.”
“Inspiration can come from unexpected places.” A casual stroll through a market, the aroma of something nostalgic, or the quiet conviction that something different can work. Gauri’s journey proves that magic happens when intuition meets intention. And sometimes, all it takes is a croissant to start a movement.
