Deepavali 2025: Chennai’s famous caterers bring back classic sweets and savories

Kamalambal Catering Services, Ponniammanmedu

K. Sivasubramanian is simply a acquainted dependable to Kamalambal Catering Services’ 222K Instagram followers, and his descriptions successful his mellifluous dependable of the items connected the paper are arsenic engaging arsenic they are mouth-watering. “My begetter ran a tiny edifice successful Uraiyur, adjacent Trichy, and it was from him that I learned the nuances of cooking. I launched Kamalambal successful 1998, successful Chennai,” helium says. With a unit of astir 140, helium is moving connected making astir 140 tonnes of sweets and savouries this season.

For the archetypal time, Sivasubramanian is mounting up a unrecorded room and organising a Deepavali sale. “For the past 15 years, we hired a wedding hallway and preparef the bakshanams based connected pre-orders,” helium says.

Alongside accepted favourites specified arsenic athirasam, Mysore pak, and badam halwa, helium is known for specialty treats specified arsenic blueberry kaju katli, biscoff kaju katli, Oreo burfi, karuppu ulundhu laddoo, and kavuni arisi halwa. Popular savouries see karuvepela karasev, ragi ribbon pakoda, and Madras mixture. Assorted boxes are disposable successful 1/4-kilogram portions for ₹160, with bulk orders besides accepted. While you shop, effort the java counter, which besides stocks snacks done the day.

@Vidhya Bharathi Kalyana Mantapam, Mylapore. Till October 19, 9am to 9pm. For details, telephone 9444017858.

Pattappas Catering Services, Triplicane

L.V. Pattappa, the legendary caterer, is 77, yet thing escapes his eye. He is inactive a maestro of multitasking — from preparing jangri to checking the texture of the Mysore pak. And erstwhile acquainted customers arrive, helium personally serves them piping blistery filter coffee.

“We usually organise our Deepavali bazaar astatine SVR Kalyana Mandapam connected Lloyds Road, but that gathering has been demolished this year. We had nary prime but to determination to different location” says Balaji, Pattappa’s son.

With a ample and loyal clientele, the caterer draws some idiosyncratic and firm buyers successful immense numbers. To marque buying easier, Balaji has acceptable up a DHL table to vessel caller sweets, savouries, podis, and Deepavali legiyam overseas, catering to families surviving abroad. “This year, we person reduced our accumulation by 30%,” says Balaji. “Customers who usually nonstop bakshanams to their families successful the US are hesitant this year, and since courier orders to that state formed a large portion of our sales, we’ve been peculiarly affected.”

Pattapa is astatine the kitchen, personally overseeing his signature preparation, the badam halwa. “I made 1,000 kilograms of badam halwa yesterday, and contiguous I americium making 600 kilograms. Based connected the sales, I volition hole batches of 200 kilograms again,” says Pattapa, adding that the Deepavali Bazaar runs acknowledgment to the hard enactment of implicit 300 unit members.

The squad offers thirattipaal, nukkal, maaladu, badam halwa, jangri, and accepted Mysore pak this year. Popular savouries see mixture, boondi, kara sev, mullu murukku, and kai murukku. The Sammandhi Seer Bakshanam Box, priced astatine ₹3,000, contains 100 grams each of 25 antithetic sweets. For gifting, the Thala Deepavali Box is disposable astatine ₹1,350 for 1 kilogram of assorted sweets, portion a 1/4-kilogram container is priced astatine ₹250. Customers tin besides bargain sambar, rasam, and idli podi astatine the counters.

Pattappa popularised the conception of a unrecorded java and beverage counter, serving Ven pongal, idly, sambar sadam, curd rice, vatha kulambu sadha, kichadi, upma and more. to shoppers. “It is simply a work we connection to our customers who person been supporting america for implicit 5 decades,” says Balaji.

@Sri Rani Mahal, Kovilambakkam. Till October 19, 9am to 9pm. Call 9840127999. Orders tin beryllium doorway delivered successful Chennai. For online orders, log connected to www.pattappas.com.

Sastha Catering Services, Porur

For regular visitors to the Music Academy during the euphony season, R.K. Venkatesan is simply a acquainted presence, serving dosas, idlis and freshly made meals astatine the sabha canteen. A fashionable wedding caterer, helium has been moving a unrecorded room up of Deepavali, for the past 4 years.

“It began with requests from customers whose household weddings I cater to. For Deepavali, folks successful the US wanted to bid sweets truthful we decided to acceptable up a unrecorded antagonistic and connection freshly made bakshanams,” says Venkatesan, proprietor of the catering service. He has launched adust badam  cake, Swiss chocochip  cake and badam  custard pome barroom this season.

His jangri is simply a crowd-pleaser and often disappears disconnected the shelves soon aft it is prepared. Other favourites see food badusha, wheat halwa, accepted Mysore pak, motichur laddoo, and coconut burfi, on with a assortment of savouries. For the festival, they are offering a Thala Deepavali Hamper, priced astatine ₹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 connected cookware 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 caller festive conception this Deepavali — hiring a wedding hallway and preparing an array of sweets and savouries starring up to the festival. “I’m starting tiny this twelvemonth with 12 varieties of sweets and 7 types of savouries,” says Srinivasan. “The venue is compact, and I’m lone investigating the waters this time. Based connected the experience, we’ll organise it connected a larger standard adjacent year.”

Visitors tin look guardant to accepted favourites specified arsenic thirattipaal, maaladu, jangri, Mysore pak, adhirasam, and ladoo. Among the savoury items, kai murukku, mullu murukku, oma podi, and substance are expected to beryllium crowd-pleasers. Try his scope of rasam, sambar and idli podi astatine the venue.

@PK Mahal, Mylapore. Till October 19, 8am to 8pm. To order, telephone 9444382825.

Arusuvai Arasu Catering Services, West Mambalam

N. Sridhar, his lad Kamesh, and astir each of their household are engaged attending to customers up of Deepavali. “This year, we person introduced baklava (₹40 per piece), and arsenic was done the erstwhile years, we connection six types of halwa, on with the accepted sweets and savouries ,” says Kamesh.

“We are known for our dry-fruit sweets, of which we connection 10 antithetic varieties. Our specialty sweets see roseate petal cookies, gud ka rasagulla (jaggery rasagulla), regular rasagulla, and cashew Mysore pak,” helium adds. “At this venue, we person unrecorded counters for jangri, athirasam, and gulab jamun,” says Soumya Ramesh, Sridhar’s sister. All sweets and savouries are made astatine the venue. “For savoury lovers, our navadhanya mixture, peculiar mixture, karasev, and kai murukku are particularly popular.”

Customers are offered filter java and tea, and they tin illustration items earlier making their purchase.

@Ethiraja Kalyana Mandapam, Alwarpet. On till October 19. 9.30am to 9pm. Online orders accepted astatine www.arusuvaiarasu.in. Call 9962151204 for details.

Srisaihasini Catering, Ambattur and Nanganallur

Young and enthusiastic Uma Krishnaswamy, a third-generation entrepreneur carrying guardant her family’s affluent culinary legacy, is brimming with ideas this festive season. In the past she would organise a Deepavali Sweets Mela astatine her Ambattur room facility, mounting up a shamiana to invited customers. This twelvemonth Uma has chosen a wedding hallway arsenic the venue.

“My gramps started the catering concern successful 1960, followed by my father, and present I’ve taken implicit the reins,” says Uma, who is adding a amusive twist to the celebrations by conducting a fortunate gully for visitors connected each 3 days — with winners receiving peculiar hampers.

The mela features an array of accepted sweets specified arsenic nukkal, jaggery adhirasam, sweetener adhirasam, chandrakala, suryakala, and 3 types of halwa — kasi halwa, wheat halwa, and asoka halwa. On the savoury platter, favourites see ragi mixture, thenkuzhal, masala peanuts, and achu murukku, among others. An assorted beverage saccharine container is priced astatine ₹300, portion gulab jamun volition beryllium freshly prepared and served astatine a unrecorded antagonistic each time (₹25 per piece). Door transportation is besides available.

@Lakshmi Hall, Ashok Nagar. October 17-19, 9am to 9pm. To order, telephone 9941659423.