Hyderabad Cloud Kitchen Offers Autistic Adults a Place to Bake and Belong
A cloud kitchen in Hyderabad is providing young adults with autism and other intellectual disabilities the opportunity to learn baking skills and find meaningful employment. Named “A Seat at the Table,” the kitchen is housed within FlipSide Workspace, an inclusive vocational centre in Banjara Hills that also has a second location in Gachibowli.
On a typical weekday, five students—Amit, Neeraj, Sri Chandan, Karishma, and Aanchal—follow picture-based recipe cards to prepare items like vada bombs and avakaya cheese buns. They work under the guidance of a baking teacher and an assistant coordinator, with music playing in the background to create a comfortable environment.
The cloud kitchen marked its first anniversary in July 2026. It was born out of lessons learned from earlier job placements, which founder Urmila Hemmadi felt amounted to tokenism. “Our students were sitting in a corner opening the door for people who didn’t even acknowledge them,” she said. That experience prompted her to create employment opportunities on the students’ own terms.
FlipSide Workspace began in 2022 with two students and one teacher. It now serves 20 adults and employs four teachers. The centre does not admit individuals with behavioural issues, referring them to therapists or psychologists instead.
In addition to culinary training, the centre offers modules in hydroponics, microgreens, quilling jewellery, bracelet making, and 2D/3D printing. Life-skills training covers household management, digital literacy, social skills, and money management.
Since its launch, the cloud kitchen has fulfilled around 300 orders, including a wedding catering request. It produces cookies, brownies, buns, and glazing platters popular for small parties. The centre operates three systems: a curry point model for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to learn traditional dishes, a no-bake seed snack line, and assisted cooking of dishes like kadai paneer.
The institute’s first graduate, Shiv Bajaj, completed the programme in 2025 after three years. He now runs his own organic business and speaks at corporate events. “It took him three years to get there, but he made it,” Hemmadi said.
Future plans include a café within the FlipSide premises that will serve buns, coffee, and curated cool drinks. Hemmadi also hopes to host collaborative baking workshops where visitors can bake alongside students. “Those interactions will help people understand how they navigate their challenges and realise they don’t need our sympathy,” she added. The centre charges a monthly fee of ₹20,000 and can be contacted through its Instagram handle @FlipSide.
