MONTHLY MEETUPS
June 2026: Farming Labour
A snapshot into eight meetups across different cities.
This was the final month of our quarterly theme “The Labour Behind Your Food,” focused on farming labour — the strenuous work that sits furthest from everyday urban consumption. Local Food Club (LFC) members came together across nine different cities, including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, and Trivandrum. While some members visited farms, yet others explored seasonal produce at the local farmers market.
- We explored how farming and thereby food is shaped by weather, timing, physical effort, skill and uncertainty—the many realities of growing produce, pulses, dairy and meat.
- We recognized the people, skills and seasons, equipment and environments that shape food long before it reaches us—and even wrote them gratitude letters!
- For the potluck, we celebrated high-effort, labour-intensive meals—through which we grew mindful of the intensive nature of farming and fishing.
- Even after transport, when the ingredients reach our homes, meal preparation demands hours of effort, planning, skill, and care. We shared family recipes, festive dishes, and slow-cooked favourites.
City-Wise Recap
Browse past gatherings city by city, and see how the LFC came alive in different parts of the country.
Ahmedabad's Farm Visit
Where We Met | Solanki Farm is a family farm, located near Mehmedabad in the Charotar region of Gujarat. The farm follows conventional farming practices and reflects the seasonal rhythm of the region. It is a living landscape where agriculture, animal husbandry, and everyday rural life exist together.
“The farm, the conversations, and the delicious variety of food—especially the methi na gota and bataka na bhajiya—made it a truly memorable experience. The discussion on the labour behind our food was especially meaningful. Listening to everyone share the effort and care that went into preparing their dishes gave the meal a new meaning, and made us appreciate every bite.”
HENIL
Bengaluru's Jaynagar Market Walk
4th Block Jaynagar Market. A market selling fresh produce, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
“The market walk felt like a casual stroll with friends—old and new—with exchanges of knowledge and recipes. It was interesting to see how the same ingredient is adapted for use in different regions. It also opened my eyes to the store of knowledge that women who cook with local ingredients possess.”
Sangeetha Reddy
Bhubaneswar
Where We Met | Odyssa Coffee is a community café hosting events and workshops, while spotlighting local coffee grown and harvested in Koraput, Odisha.
“Sayani addressed all the individuals in her labour map with names, and we had a small discussion regarding that—how we will remember the names of our grocer, butcher, vegetable vendor and milkman.”
Rishi Roy
Kochi
Where We Met | A cosy bakery known for its French toasts and indulgent baked goods, French Toast offers a warm, inviting space that is perfect for relaxed meetups.
“A lovely evening with amazing people and brilliant food. I realised that I don’t know much about the food’s journey from farmer to store.” experiences of the delivery experience. The air [at the LFC meetup] was infectious, leaving us with a sense of wanting to come back.”
ANU
“We had an interesting evening where we discovered gaps in our knowledge of food- farm to table and also started to ask a few questions about the same, and wrote letters of gratitude to the rice farmers, chia seeds transporter, coffee bean farmer who sourced beans for blue tokai, poultry grower – for eggs, wheat farmer, kikoman soy sauce producer, mango farmer and grandfather, coffee farmers of Kil Kotagiri, tur dal farmer, fruits harvesters, paddy farmer from Dirang, to the provider, and to the unknown person—thank you all for making a dent in the lives of at-least some of our members here in Kochi.”
Nithin Samuel
Kolkata
Where We Met | Uncle Tomz offers a unique menu spotlighting the rich flavours and traditional dishes reminiscent of Kerala's Malabar region.
Thiruvananthapuram
Where We Met | Located in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, Lemon Tree Premier hosts events that bring traditional flavours and curated experiences together.
“One story that stayed with me was about the life cycle of tapioca. We grow tapioca at home, yet I had never appreciated the journey behind it. A simple conversation made me look at something familiar with fresh eyes.”
“The story about sugarcane’s journey—from nurturing farmers and hardworking labourers, to the product that reaches us—was shared by Anandi, the youngest. The exchange instilled in me deeper respect for every person whose unseen efforts make our lives easier. All it takes is listening, to make us kinder, grateful, and mindful of the world around us.”
Riya Ratnam
Lucknow
Where We Met | Serving homestyle Awadhi food, Naimat Khana is perfect for anyone looking to savour tradition in a comfortable, inviting atmosphere.
Mumbai
Where We Met | A multi-purpose cultural space that hosts a library, exhibitions, lectures, and workshops, Khaki Lab aims to conserve, archive, and create awareness about heritage in Mumbai and beyond.
“A delicious line up of regional food—the Kanda Keri Nu Gos, Semi Ripe Phanas Bhajiya and the Kozhukattai were such a revelation! Someone very rightly pointed out that we have to look at the people involved in disposing of food waste—even after the food has reached us. That is also labour that we have to be mindful about.”
Gaurav Saha
Behind every Local Food Club (LFC) gathering are people quietly making it all happen—our Super Locavores (SLs)! They are our generous stewards behind the LFC community keeping it together with care, intention, and several behind-the-scenes efforts.
We would like to thank the SLs for making the meetups meaningful and memorable for the community. From coordinating the logistics to creating a space where attendees feel at ease, SLs bring every meetup to life.
The Local Food Club (LFC) is a nation-wide, community-led initiative facilitated by The Locavore. Our attempt is to create meaningful change in our local food systems by nurturing connections, sharing learnings, and enabling collective action. Learn more about how it works, here. To be a part of more such events and conversations, sign up to join the Local Food Club!
We would love to hear from you. Share your feedback, leave a testimonial, and tell us what more we could be doing to make the Local Food Club better! Write to us at connect@localfoodclub.in
