Gourmets put dog in eastern dishes (8)
I believe the answer is:
epicures
'gourmets' is the definition.
('epicure' can be a synonym of 'gourmet')
'dog in eastern dishes' is the wordplay.
'dog' becomes 'cur' (a cur is an aggressive or scruffy dog).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'eastern' becomes 'e'.
'dishes' becomes 'pies' (a pie is a meal or dish).
'e'+'pies'='epies'
'cur' placed into 'epies' is 'EPICURES'.
'put' is the link.
(Other definitions for epicures that I've seen before include "those with refined tastes" , "They know about eating" .)