November ’25 Panampilly Nagar

Spice-slick fingers, monsoon gossip, and fish that tastes like home. LFC Kochi is a flavour ferry through old markets and coastal kitchens. Bring an appetite— and maybe a napkin.

Photos by Host, Fiona, and Members, Jimmy and Nithin.

HOST

Fiona Arkal

CO-HOST

Nithin Samuel

WHERE WE MET

French Toast in Kochi is a cozy bakery known for its artisanal French toasts and indulgent baked goods. It offers a warm, inviting space that is perfect for sweet cravings and relaxed meetups.

What Members Said

The conversations and food were enriching, though honestly, I was starving by the second half of the event. The food was equivalent to Manna.

Maria

Thank you to everyone who came and participated yesterday. And thank you for helping set up at the start, and helping with the tidy up before we left.

Fiona

Wow! What a big turn out. Hope to make it to the next edition!

Pragati

What We Loved

Idli Upma—leftover idlis crumbled and sautéed in coconut oil with onions, mustard seeds, peanuts, curry leaves, and chillies.

Bread and Beef Mince Upma—leftover bread crumbs tossed with spiced beef mince, onions, chillies, and curry leaves, cooked into a savoury upma-style dish.

A comforting upma where overcooked or mushy green peas are folded into roasted semolina with onions, chillies, and curry leaves. Soft, mildly sweet, and deeply satisfying, it’s a gentle way to rescue peas past their prime.

MEET YOUR HOST

Fiona Arakal is the Executive Director of Ishka Farms, where she leads India’s first caper farm and champions climate-smart, regenerative agriculture. She is committed to building transparent, ethical food systems and creating rural livelihoods, transforming barren land in Tamil Nadu into a model for sustainable, values-driven farming

What does local mean to you?

Anything that grows or is produced in a given geographical location by the people of that geography.

What is your most enduring food memory?

My mother baking and carrying chocolate vanilla marble cake for our two-day train journeys to and from Ernakulam to Delhi. Hard boiled eggs, deep fried cutlets and a cake were the standard treats for our three trips a year.

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

On a solo trip to Meghalaya I had Tungrymbai–a fermented soybean chutney, cooked with pork fat, ginger, chilies, and onion.

What is one unusual food pairing you swear by?

Can’t think of any but I am a fan of the local unlikely pairing of sweet banana fritters with a spicy beef curry.

How do you see your Local Food Club flourishing?

Since we are a small town I think the sign ups will grow slowly but there will be a lot of bonding and hopefully we will be able to undertake more activities than just the monthly meetup.