June ’25 Injambakkam

Hot days, hotter meals, the warmest welcomes. At LFC Chennai, filter coffee and first meetings flow easy. Tradition spices the table — and every story finds a seat.

Photos by Content volunteer, Harshita Vaid.

HOST

Hanish Srinivasan

CO-HOST

Tracy Jose

CONTENT VOLUNTEER

Harshita Vaid

WHERE WE MET

What Members Said

I really could not choose a favourite dish from this potluck because everything was so delicious and diverse! I also loved the drawing activity!

Deeptha

I loved the interactions, and my favourite dish was the banana cake!

Santhana

I would love it if there were a little segment that highlights local culture, there’s just so much we don’t know!

Srivarthini

What We Loved

Artwork and scribbles born from conversations and connections at the meetup.

A refreshing homemade tender coconut and jaggery summer cooler.

The hustle behind the scenes by hosts and volunteers that make any meetup unforgettable.

MEET YOUR HOST

Hanish has recently delved into the world of food—rediscovering culture and space, meeting and bonding with friendly strangers, and revisiting consumption through a tender focus on food. An avid walker, Hanish believes one can re-find the city through eating, cooking, and sharing a plate of food. He hopes present and future conversations allow him to find well-adjusted communities that are trying to keep pace with the world without losing their bite for life.

⁠What does local mean to you?

Shanmugam theru (street). I stay in a neighbourhood called Tambaram, and groceries and produce (even coffee powder) have been synonymous with the local market in my family for several generations. Despite grocery apps, I prefer to shop for all my greens at the market, which, fortunately, is always fresh, walkable, and accessible. The market starts early, and at its peak is always bustling with people and activity. One needs to be there to make sense of the sheer abundance of the space. The Tambaram market is currently selling jamuns, mangoes of all sorts, and ice apples—all of which are in season. This is what local feels like to me—generationally present and perennially fresh.

What is your most enduring food memory?

I often have trouble recollecting memories, but one worth mentioning is the food I discovered and shared with a friend who is an environmental educator and urban forager. We were in North Madras, looking at the foodways of the Tamil Burmese community, when a visit to Vyasarpadi took us to the home of a lady who sells prawn vadais, where we also got to taste Burmese fish kozhumbu. My friend and I exchanged reflections on life—our ambitions and hopes—with the lady and her grandmother, who was frying vadais as we spoke. It filled and grounded me at the same time.

What is the most adventurous food you've tried and loved?

Elli Poochi, or sand/mole crab, which is found on the beach here. One Sunday, at around 8 pm, after a few games at the beach, we arrived at an unremarkable, narrow street, lined with tables serving fried seafood. Poochi literally means insect, and though I was apprehensive at first, the crab (which was tiny), was packed with flavour, crunch and, interestingly, chenna masala. What made this special was not just the unfamiliarity of the dish but the events that led me to that moment.

⁠What comfort do you reach for when you are unwell?

Rasam, especially galangal or chithrathai rasam when I have a cold or fever. Or dal with angaaya podi—a mixture of powdered ginger and garlic—served with mushy rice and ghee. Alternatively, a guaranteed fix (for the most part) is horsegram rasam mixed with rice and sesame oil.

How do you see your Local Food Club flourishing?

My hope is that it produces community and expands to spaces that have long been ignored and avoided in Chennai. Currently, we see a focus on South Chennai, the East Coast Road, or the Old Mahabalipuram Road. Ideally, we would go beyond that and build thriving communities with individuals across the city, making our collective urban experience less lonely and more flavourful.