Hyderabad, Mar 16 This March, Sheraton Hyderabad is turning up the heat, quite literally. Feast, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, will host the Karaikudi Food Festival from March 18 – 22, 2026, bringing one of India’s most distinctive and least-diluted regional cuisines to the heart of the city. At the helm is Chef Athi Lakshmi, a home chef from Madurai whose cooking is as rooted in tradition as the recipes themselves.
There are few cuisines in India as unapologetically bold and layered as the food from Karaikudi. Nestled in the Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu, Karaikudi is the cultural heart of the Chettiar community, a merchant clan historically known for their trade routes, grand mansions, and, above all, their extraordinary food. Chettinad cooking is defined by a generous hand with freshly ground spices like kalpasi (black stone flower), marathi mokku (dried flower pods), star anise, pepper, and sesame oil, many of which are native to the region and rarely found in other Indian cuisines. The result is food that is deeply aromatic, layered in heat and fragrance and unlike anything that can be replicated with shortcuts.
Chef Athi Lakshmi carries that philosophy into everything she cooks. Deeply rooted in the culinary traditions of South Tamil Nadu, she has spent years mastering the bold gravies, hand-pounded masalas, and slow-cooked preparations that define this cuisine. For her, cooking is not just about feeding people.
“For me, food has never been just nourishment. Every dish I cook is a celebration of culture, of tradition, of love. I want every plate at Hyderabad to carry that same authenticity and pride,” says Chef Athi Lakshmi.
At Feast, guests can expect a spread that does full justice to the Karaikudi table: Chettinad Chicken, Karaikudi Mutton Chops, Kola Urundai, Pepper Crab, Kuzhi Paniyaram, Vazhai Poo Vadai, and a traditional Chettinad Vegetable Curry served alongside rice and dosa. The restaurant will be dressed in a Karaikudi-themed setup with think textures, colours, and details that draw from the region’s visual identity, making the experience as atmospheric as it is delicious.
For a cuisine that has quietly influenced Indian cooking for centuries without ever quite getting the spotlight it deserves, this festival is a long overdue moment. Hyderabad, a city that takes its food seriously, is perhaps the perfect stage for it.
