Kamalambal Catering Services, Ponniammanmedu
K. Sivasubramanian is a familiar voice to Kamalambal Catering Services’ 222K Instagram followers, and his descriptions in his mellifluous voice of the items on the menu are as engaging as they are mouth-watering. “My father ran a small restaurant in Uraiyur, near Trichy, and it was from him that I learned the nuances of cooking. I launched Kamalambal in 1998, in Chennai,” he says. With a staff of about 140, he is working on making about 140 tonnes of sweets and savouries this season.
Proprietor of Kamalambal Catering Services, Sivasubramanian at the venue.
| Photo Credit:
Akhila Easwaran
For the first time, Sivasubramanian is setting up a live kitchen and organising a Deepavali sale. “For the past 15 years, we hired a wedding hall and preparef the bakshanams based on pre-orders,” he says.
Alongside traditional favourites such as athirasam, Mysore pak, and badam halwa, he is known for specialty treats such as blueberry kaju katli, biscoff kaju katli, Oreo burfi, karuppu ulundhu laddoo, and kavuni arisi halwa. Popular savouries include karuvepela karasev, ragi ribbon pakoda, and Madras mixture. Assorted boxes are available in 1/4-kilogram portions for ₹160, with bulk orders also accepted. While you shop, try the coffee counter, which also stocks snacks through the day.
Kamalambal Catering has launched blueberry kaju kathli, biscoff kajukathli and oreo milk burfi for Deepavali.
| Photo Credit:
Akhila Easwaran
@Vidhya Bharathi Kalyana Mantapam, Mylapore. Till October 19, 9am to 9pm. For details, call 9444017858.
Pattappas Catering Services, Triplicane
L.V. Pattappa, the legendary caterer, is 77, yet nothing escapes his eye. He is still a master of multitasking — from preparing jangri to checking the texture of the Mysore pak. And when familiar customers arrive, he personally serves them piping hot filter coffee.
“We usually organise our Deepavali bazaar at SVR Kalyana Mandapam on Lloyds Road, but that building has been demolished this year. We had no choice but to move to another location” says Balaji, Pattappa’s son.
L.V. Pattappa preparing badam halwa in the kitchen
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Special Arrangement
With a large and loyal clientele, the caterer draws both individual and corporate buyers in huge numbers. To make shopping easier, Balaji has set up a DHL desk to ship fresh sweets, savouries, podis, and Deepavali legiyam overseas, catering to families living abroad. “This year, we have reduced our production by 30%,” says Balaji. “Customers who usually send bakshanams to their families in the US are hesitant this year, and since courier orders to that country formed a major part of our sales, we’ve been particularly affected.”
Pattapa is at the kitchen, personally overseeing his signature preparation, the badam halwa. “I made 1,000 kilograms of badam halwa yesterday, and today I am making 600 kilograms. Based on the sales, I will prepare batches of 200 kilograms again,” says Pattapa, adding that the Deepavali Bazaar runs thanks to the hard work of over 300 staff members.
Sweet and savoury items are made every day and sold at the counters.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The team offers thirattipaal, nukkal, maaladu, badam halwa, jangri, and traditional Mysore pak this year. Popular savouries include mixture, boondi, kara sev, mullu murukku, and kai murukku. The Sammandhi Seer Bakshanam Box, priced at ₹3,000, contains 100 grams each of 25 different sweets. For gifting, the Thala Deepavali Box is available at ₹1,350 for one kilogram of assorted sweets, while a 1/4-kilogram box is priced at ₹250. Customers can also buy sambar, rasam, and idli podi at the counters.
Pattappa popularised the concept of a live coffee and tea counter, serving Ven pongal, idly, sambar sadam, curd rice, vatha kulambu sadha, kichadi, upma and more. to shoppers. “It is a service we offer to our customers who have been supporting us for over five decades,” says Balaji.
@Sri Rani Mahal, Kovilambakkam. Till October 19, 9am to 9pm. Call 9840127999. Orders can be door delivered in Chennai. For online orders, log on to www.pattappas.com.
Sastha Catering Services, Porur
This year Venkatesan is offering Thala Deepavali Box in 1/2 and one kilo boxes
| Photo Credit:
Akhila Easwaran
For regular visitors to the Music Academy during the music season, R.K. Venkatesan is a familiar presence, serving dosas, idlis and freshly made meals at the sabha canteen. A popular wedding caterer, he has been running a live kitchen ahead of Deepavali, for the past four years.
“It began with requests from customers whose family weddings I cater to. For Deepavali, folks in the US wanted to order sweets so we decided to set up a live counter and offer freshly made bakshanams,” says Venkatesan, proprietor of the catering service. He has launched dry badam cake, Swiss chocochip cake and badam custard apple cake this season.
His jangri is a crowd-pleaser and often disappears off the shelves shortly after it is prepared. Other favourites include butter badusha, wheat halwa, traditional Mysore pak, motichur laddoo, and coconut burfi, along with a variety of savouries. For the festival, they are offering a Thala Deepavali Hamper, priced at ₹600 for 1/2 kilogram and ₹1,200 for 1 kilogram.
@Narayani Ammal Kalyana Mandapam, Mandaveli. Till October 19, 9am to 9pm. Call 9962919460 for details on pan India and overseas orders.
L.V.N. Catering Services, Mylapore
L.N. Srinivasan, known for his muhurtha sappadu (traditional wedding feast), is venturing into a new festive concept this Deepavali — hiring a wedding hall and preparing an array of sweets and savouries leading up to the festival. “I’m starting small this year with 12 varieties of sweets and seven types of savouries,” says Srinivasan. “The venue is compact, and I’m only testing the waters this time. Based on the experience, we’ll organise it on a larger scale next year.”
Proprietor of LVN Catering, Srinivasan (right) supervising the kitchen where sweets and savouries are being made.
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath
Visitors can look forward to traditional favourites such as thirattipaal, maaladu, jangri, Mysore pak, adhirasam, and ladoo. Among the savoury items, kai murukku, mullu murukku, oma podi, and mixture are expected to be crowd-pleasers. Try his range of rasam, sambar and idli podi at the venue.
@PK Mahal, Mylapore. Till October 19, 8am to 8pm. To order, call 9444382825.
Arusuvai Arasu Catering Services, West Mambalam
N. Sridhar, his son Kamesh, and almost all of their family are busy attending to customers ahead of Deepavali. “This year, we have introduced baklava (₹40 per piece), and as was done the previous years, we offer six types of halwa, along with the traditional sweets and savouries ,” says Kamesh.
Arusuvai has launched baklava this year and offers six types of halwa
| Photo Credit:
R. Ragu
“We are known for our dry-fruit sweets, of which we offer 10 different varieties. Our specialty sweets include rose petal cookies, gud ka rasagulla (jaggery rasagulla), regular rasagulla, and cashew Mysore pak,” he adds. “At this venue, we have live counters for jangri, athirasam, and gulab jamun,” says Soumya Ramesh, Sridhar’s sister. All sweets and savouries are made at the venue. “For savoury lovers, our navadhanya mixture, special mixture, karasev, and kai murukku are especially popular.”
Customers are offered filter coffee and tea, and they can sample items before making their purchase.
@Ethiraja Kalyana Mandapam, Alwarpet. On till October 19. 9.30am to 9pm. Online orders accepted at www.arusuvaiarasu.in. Call 9962151204 for details.
Srisaihasini Catering, Ambattur and Nanganallur
Young and enthusiastic Uma Krishnaswamy, a third-generation entrepreneur carrying forward her family’s rich culinary legacy, is brimming with ideas this festive season. In the past she would organise a Deepavali Sweets Mela at her Ambattur kitchen facility, setting up a shamiana to welcome customers. This year Uma has chosen a wedding hall as the venue.
“My grandfather started the catering business in 1960, followed by my father, and now I’ve taken over the reins,” says Uma, who is adding a fun twist to the celebrations by conducting a lucky draw for visitors on all three days — with winners receiving special hampers.
Traditional sweets are high on demand during Deepavali
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath
The mela features an array of traditional sweets such as nukkal, jaggery adhirasam, sugar adhirasam, chandrakala, suryakala, and three types of halwa — kasi halwa, wheat halwa, and asoka halwa. On the savoury platter, favourites include ragi mixture, thenkuzhal, masala peanuts, and achu murukku, among others. An assorted milk sweet box is priced at ₹300, while gulab jamun will be freshly prepared and served at a live counter every day (₹25 per piece). Door delivery is also available.
@Lakshmi Hall, Ashok Nagar. October 17-19, 9am to 9pm. To order, call 9941659423.
