FlipSide Workspace Marks First Anniversary of Gachibowli Culinary Initiative

In July 2026, the vocational and culinary initiative "A Seat at the Table" marked its first anniversary of training young adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Operating out of a cloud kitchen within the FlipSide Workspace centre in Gachibowli, the program focuses on fostering genuine vocational skills and sustainable employment opportunities to move away from tokenistic hiring practices.

During a regular weekday, students Amit, Neeraj, Sri Chandan, Karishma, and Aanchal prepare baked goods such as vada bombs and avakaya cheese buns. Under the supervision of a baking teacher and an assistant coordinator, the students follow picture-based recipe cards to navigate each step of the baking process.

FlipSide Workspace was founded in 2022 by Urmila Hemmadi in Banjara Hills with just two students and one teacher. Since then, the organisation has expanded to a second centre in Gachibowli, now employing four teachers and serving 20 adults.

Hemmadi launched the culinary initiative after realizing that previous external job placements for her students often amounted to tokenism, with individuals placed in roles where they merely opened doors without genuine engagement. This realization prompted her to create a sustainable employment model within the culinary industry where students could work on their own terms.

Over the past year, the cloud kitchen has fulfilled approximately 300 orders, including cookies, brownies, buns, and a wedding catering request. The initiative uses three training systems, including a "curry point model" designed to help students from lower socio-economic backgrounds learn to prepare traditional dishes like rice, sambar, and pappu so they can eventually run their own kiosks. Students also prepare no-bake seed snacks and cook dishes such as kadai paneer using visual aids.

The institute's first graduate, Shiv Bajaj, completed the three-year program in 2025. Despite initial communication difficulties and anxiety, Bajaj now runs his own organic business and speaks at corporate and pop-up events.