At a time when food is increasingly reduced to trend and transaction, Sushmita Sarmah is building something slower, more intentional. Through The Gathering, she is reimagining how India comes together – not just to eat, but to share, listen, and connect. What she’s creating sits somewhere between a table, a stage, and a cultural shift.

FL: When did you realise your idea of bringing people together through food didn’t fit into what already existed?

SS: I can trace it back to two moments; (a) a teacher in Paris turning apples into a lesson in curiosity and joy, and (b) a dinner where every guest brought a dish and a story. Both showed me that food isn’t just consumed – it’s shared, understood, and felt.

FL: What do you instinctively reject in the way food and culture are usually presented or consumed today?

SS: The reduction of food into something quick and transactional. I push back against that loss of depth – some of the most meaningful moments come from sitting across a table, discovering people, cultures, and stories.

FL: How has your idea of a ‘good gathering’ evolved over time?
SS: A good gathering is about presence. People taking the time to engage – with the food, the performance, and each other. No distractions, just attention and connection.

FL: What does success look like to you now?

SS: Success is building connections – creating space for people to discover new flavours, ideas, and perspectives, and bringing India’s diversity to one table.

FL: What are you currently unlearning?

SS: I’m learning to listen – and not be limited by my own experience. There’s a creative India out there that constantly surprises me. 

FL: When someone experiences The Gathering, what do you want them to feel?

SS: A sense of connection. That they’ve stepped into a space where food, art, and culture come together, and leave with something shared, not just consumed.

FL: What do you think we’ve diluted or misunderstood about food as culture in India today?

SS: The hierarchy between “fine dining” and everything else. And the idea that creativity compromises tradition, when it can actually deepen it.

FL: What’s next for you and for The Gathering?

SS: To take it to more cities, spotlight diverse voices, and continue building a space that reflects the India we live in – layered, evolving, and deeply connected.

The Tastemaker Code

An ingredient you’re obsessed with right now

Cold, salted ricotta tablets. 

Tradition you keep returning to

Meeting everyone I love. every year. no matter where in the world they live.

A rule you’re happy to break

That you’re most productive in the morning.

Currently watching/ reading/ listening to 

Watching – Rooster, Reading – Orbital by Samantha Harvey, Listening to – Japanese Breakfast

What you never compromise on

Integrity. That, and comfortable but sexy shoes.