Gurugram, Sept. 26 -- Gurugram is a city that eats out. Its food map stretches from cafes and cloud kitchens to restaurants, luxury hotels and food festivals. There is always something new to taste: a new restaurant opening, a new cuisine being introduced and, increasingly, a new kind of food entrepreneur finding an audience.

For 45-year-old Sushma Kumari, that appetite for food became an opportunity.

A resident of DLF Phase 2, Sushma started as a home chef, cooking from her society kitchen and taking small orders from residents. Four years later, her cooking has taken her far beyond the condominium gates. Hotels in Gurugram and New Delhi invite her to curate food festivals, particularly those showcasing Magadhi cuisine and traditional ...