
CHENNAI: How do you differentiate the experience of slurping a heady filter coffee in a brass davara tumbler from that of a regular coffee mug? Or, compare the texture of dosa prepared on a pre-seasoned cast iron tawa from that made on a non-stick tawa? With Essential Traditions by Kayal, founder Kayal Vizhi Sriram promises to offer a return to the roots, at the traditional cookware brand’s latest integrated experience center-cum-outlet in Injambakkam.
Launched shortly before the second wave, the store includes an organic store and a kitchenware section, live kitchen, sampling counter and milling station for fresh flour, on the ground floor. On the first floor is their in-house restaurant, Hibiscus Cafe, which serves pan-Asian food.
It’s easy to get carried away by the many attractive home accoutrements set in a limited space, but it is the cookware section that seems to be the showstopper. Offering a visual feast, the rows in the segment are neatly stacked with a grand collection of vessels — earthenware, bronze, brass, copper, terracotta, iron, cast iron, soapstone, wooden and tin. From a soapstone mortar and pestle to an iron skillet — everything needed to plan a sustainable makeover for your kitchen can be found here. These require meticulous maintenance, and to help us do that, the store has in-house cleaning solutions, bamboo brushes, straw cleansers and scrubs on offer.
Walking the talk
Giving us a tour of the utensil section, Kayal explains, “I’ve sold a lot of kitchenware and houseware in the last five years. You can’t pick an eeya sombu and visually paint a picture of preparing and relishing piping hot rasam in it, right? You need to show them how it’s done so they can taste the difference for themselves. Here, in the kitchen, the chef will be whipping up some sumptuous meals using traditional cookware during the weekends. We finally got this space and we hope this concept will revolutionise the way traditional cookware is perceived.”
Taking the whole culinary experience a notch higher, the store will also play host to a maker’s market every week, where patrons can interact with home chefs, who have their products on display in the organic section. Elaborating on the curation process, Kayal shares, “Along with a hand-picked assortment of healthy kitchen ingredients and spices, we have collaborated with city-based home chefs for some delectable spreads, dips, ready-to-eat products and vegan delights. We would love to feature one of them every week and they will have a live demonstration on how to use their products in everyday cooking. This way, patrons will feel satisfied and home chefs will also gain visibility.”
With this store, Kayal and her team are working towards initiating beginners into sustainable living. “All our staff members are fully aware of the products and their significance. We have a loyal clientele on the ECR who would otherwise have to travel to the city to make their purchases. That’s why we believe this would be an ideal place for them to do their quick shopping. We also have a dedicated milling station for rice and wheat. While the indigenous rice varieties have been much spoken about, we’ve tried to turn the spotlight on native wheat varieties such as Bansi Paigambari, Khatiya and Sharbati. We also have cold-pressed oils and palm jaggery products,” she shares.
A wholesome offering
The sights and ambience of the store seem to possess an uncanny ability to build your appetite. Coming to our rescue was a tempting pan-Asian menu, designed by Chef Willi, at the Hibiscus Cafe on the first floor. “We wanted to have a cosy eatery for two reasons. One, because there aren’t many joints serving this cuisine, on this side of the city. Two, by the time people make their purchases, hunger gets the better of them after listening to so much about cooking. We opened the space in early July and until then we were delivering the food,” says an elated Kayal.
While food is what finds prominence in the store, a section of the ground floor houses Matriarch, a boutique with an assortment of saris curated by Kayal from various artisan clusters. “We have Kanjivaram silks, Thirubuvanam silks, cottons and some casual wear. The new collection will be stocked once in two months. We have an in-house tailor who handles blouse stitching. This is a passion project, and who does not like saris? We will be opening our event space shortly. This way, we will have gigs and performances too over the weekends,” she shares. As we await that, we’re going to pull out paati’s sambar recipe and recreate some glorious memories using these essentials.
Address: 235/1, Hibiscus, SH 49, opp. Prarthana Drive, Injambakkam
Visit Instagram @essentialtraditions bykayal
A sustainable initiation
Kayal and her team are working towards initiating beginners into sustainable living. “All our staff members are fully aware of the products and their significance. We also have a dedicated milling station for rice and wheat. We’ve tried to turn the spotlight on native wheat varieties,” she says.