Here’s the
To lemon and cheese popsicles, Chennai’s frozen dessert makers are at their most creative in summer
Not too far away, Snehithi Jambulingam who is the chef and owner of Strictly Desserts waits for her mango trees to be ready for harvest. “We started the business because of these two trees. One is of the Banganapalle variant and the other is senthura,” Snehithi shares.
She believes that nostalgia sells. “Our mango sticky rice pudding ice cream with coconut is based on my travels to Thailand. The kamarkattu ice cream is a tribute to my mother who made sure
Shraddha Lulla developed her product and business during the pandemic. But from the rst ice cream cake she made for her mother-in-law’s birthday back in 2019 to now, she has not had the chance to taste her creations. As her sta layer the mango ice cream cakes in 500ml tubs, Shradhha inspects her personal churner where a sugar-free dessert is in the making. “As a diabetic, I gave up sugar eight years back. I like desserts though. So for me and others like me, I am working on this sugar-free range,” she shares.
Although she started the business with her double chocolate, her biggest hits have been lotus bisco and ecstasy ice cream cake made with chocolate, caramel and nuts. “Ice cream cakes were popular dine-in desserts but selling them in boxes was unheard of. This novelty helped us along with the quality of ingredients we use and the consistency of our product,” says Shraddha. We try her saron and khawa ice cream, which is a tribute to her recent trips to Kashmir. It is subtly sweet with bold notes of refreshing khawa.
She currently makes ice cream cakes in 11 avours. Her frozen desserts can currently be ordered online or from the cart stationed at Phoenix MarketCity where scoops of ice cream are served on buttery brown cones. “Cones are a fun way to enjoy the ice cream but they have to be eaten at once. The ice creams can be ordered on Swiggy or Zomato or as a takeaway in these baubles. They are reminiscent of the ball-shaped ice cream containers we used to have back in the day,” she says.
For Shraddha, transportation of her ice cream has been a key problem. A Fine Arts graduate, Shradhha has used her design thinking abilities to perfect temperaturecontrolled boxes that can keep the ice cream cake cold for up to 12 hours.
With ecient packing methods, Shraddha hopes her desserts can soon be enjoyed throughout the country. “The next ice cream cart will be at Express Avenue. I can’t wait to place these carts in every city,” she says. Shradhha Lulla’s ice cream cart is at Phoenix MarketCity. Orders are taken on 9884087089. The 500ml
tubs cost ₹715 each.
we enjoyed the things she loved to eat as a child. She was thrilled when I decided to add it to the menu,” she shares.
Sneha picks popular local avours to appeal to a wide range of customers of all ages. Her bun butter jam ice cream made with caramelised brioche buns, browned butter and mixed fruit jam has remained the reigning champion. Strictly Desserts is at D16, 8th Street, 2nd Avenue Extension, Annanagar East. Between ₹130 and ₹150 for a single serve.
However, it is rare to see a team entirely of girls.
“Adding a cultural programme to their education has increased their condence signicantly. You should see the number of cups they have won over the years,” he says.
Sangeetha Shivakumar, part of the core team organising the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha, says that the parai attam programme began at Avvai Home in 2016 as part of the Vizha’s cultural outreach. An extensive selection process ensued when an announcement regarding parai training was made.
She adds that they performed at the festival in 2017. “It was envisioned as a programme for that year alone but on the day of the festival one of the girls looked terribly sad and asked me ‘Avlo dhana?’ (‘Is this it?’). That is when we decided to keep the programme going,” she says.
Charulatha, a student of Class ◣II has been playing the parai since Class VII. “I’ve learnt over time, so much so that I have blisters from playing the instrument. I wear them with pride,” she says.
Students from the group have gone on to play at a number of events organised by the Department of Arts and Culture of the Tamil Nadu Government. R Monika, a student of Class VIII says that her favourite performances has been at the Urur Kuppam Vizha, where there were hundreds of onlookers, disco lights and a gentle sea breeze.
Charulatha says that she is leaving school soon and the opportunities to play the parai will signicantly diminish. Does this mean she will have to give up playing the instrument? “I have already booked a spot with Deepan anna’s group. We create a ruckus during meal time here despite the scolding. The beat is a part of us. It isn’t going anywhere,” she says.