July ’25 Kacheripady

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 Content Volunteer, Subaitha.

HOST

Lois Christy John

CO-HOST

Subaitha H R

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

Yet another wonderful get-together of the Local Food Club! I am always looking forward to the next one.

Tsarina

An evening well spent. Loved meeting so many lovely people and hearing their amazing stories.

Cynthia

Every LFC evening is a delight! Listening to the stories and meeting like-minded people is so refreshing.

Manju

What We Loved

The Monsoon Wall with doodles of roasted corn, steaming momos, vada with chai, ramen bowls, hot chocolate, and ginger-spiced tea.

A memory in the making: while the members posed together, someone cheekily caught the photographer in action.

LFC Kochi Host Lois, and Co-host Subaitha caught mid-laugh as they prep together, giving a perfect glimpse into the easy camaraderie that makes volunteering at LFC special!

MEET YOUR HOST

Lois Christy is a Cultural Strategist and Project Developer with Community 40, a collective that seeks to make cultural knowledge accessible and participatory through interdisciplinary storytelling, walks, workshops, research, and collaborative projects, Lois, along with members of Community 40 hosted the LFC in Kochi, showcasing the intersection of monsoon food memories, heritage, and community.

What does local mean to you?

‘Local’ means feeling connected and grounded. It’s about the people, places, and small things around you—like walking to the nearby shop and chatting with the shopkeeper, or smelling familiar foods from a neighbour’s kitchen. I’ve always loved exploring local history, and food always becomes a part of these conversations. Behind each dish is a story—about people, their way of life, and where they come from.

What is your most enduring food memory?

Coming back to the hostel after the holidays. Everyone brought food packed from home, and we’d sit together and share. Since we were from different parts of Kerala, we got to taste so many types of food and hear stories about how it was made. It felt like getting a taste of each other’s homes.

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

Freshly brewed rice wine from Arunachal Pradesh. It’s made by fermenting rice and has a strong, earthy taste that was very new to me. It felt like I was being welcomed into a way of life.

If you were a seasonal ingredient, what would you be?

Raw mango in the Kerala summer—sour, familiar, and something everyone looks forward to. The kind that goes into Chammanthi (chutney), adds a tang to fish curry, or is eaten just like that with salt and chilli powder. During school days, most of my friends’ lunch boxes had Manga Chammanthi—it was a small condiment, but it always felt special.

How do you see your Local Food Club flourishing?

I see it as a space where people come together not just to eat, but to share. A place where recipes come with memories, where ingredients that people don’t use much anymore are brought back, and cooking becomes a way to connect with each other.