It is a regular weekday at A Seat at the Table, a cloud kitchen housed within FlipSide Workspace, an inclusive vocational centre in Hyderabad for young adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, including Down Syndrome. As Pal Pal Pal Har Pal plays on a mobile phone in the background, five students — Amit, Neeraj, Sri Chandan, Karishma and Aanchal —follow picture-based recipe cards and move through each step of baking.
Under the watchful eyes of a baking teacher and an assistant coordinator, they prepare vada bombs, bakery-style buns filled with spiced potato. When FlipSide Workspace founder Urmila Hemmadi asks, “We’re trying something new today. What is it?”, the group replies in unison: “Avakaya cheese bun.”
First anniversary
Karishma rolls a choco-based cookie
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
July 2026 marks the first anniversary of A Seat at the Table, the vocational and culinary initiative launched by FlipSide Workspace. The cloud kitchen grew out of lessons learnt from earlier job placements involving its students. A few from previous batches, though unable to cook, had secured roles in the food industry because they could interact with customers and serve them.
The celebration, however, was short-lived. Urmila soon realised the employment amounted to little more than tokenism. “Our students were sitting in a corner opening the door for people who didn’t even acknowledge them,” recalls Urmila. “That experience changed our mindset.” It convinced her that sustainable employment for people with intellectual disabilities had to be created on their own terms, even if it meant navigating the challenges of the culinary industry.
FlipSide, which began in 2022 in Banjara Hills with two students and one teacher, now has four teachers and 20 adults and has expanded to a second centre in Gachibowli. However, it does not admit individuals with behavioural issues and instead refers them to therapists or psychologists.
New vocational skills
Growing hydroponics and microgreens
Quilling jewelry and making bracelets
2D and 3D printing
Urmila’s expertise in baking breads and buns proved invaluable when she introduced culinary training at FlipSide, which already offered life-skills modules in household management, digital literacy, social skills and money management. These modules have also been documented in a book authored by her.
Imparting life skills
Urmila Hemmadi( left) with Neeraj, Amit, Sri Chandan and Aanchal
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The cloud kitchen, which makes cookies, brownies and buns, has fulfilled around 300 orders in the past year, including a wedding catering request. More recently, its glazing platters have also begun attracting orders for small parties.
“We now have three systems in place,” says Urmila. “Our curry point model teaches students from lower socio-economic backgrounds to prepare traditional dishes like rice, sambar and pappu so they can eventually run a kiosk of their own. Students also make no-bake seed snacks and, with assistance, cook dishes such as kadai paneer and vada pav masala on a gas stove. The visual cards simplify the process so they can see and make.”
Amit applies a thin layer of milk with a brush on the buns
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The institute’s first graduate, Shiv Bajaj, completed the programme in 2025 after three years. “Shiv was like a child who couldn’t clearly express his thoughts,” recalls Urmila. Communication difficulties had led to anger issues and anxiety-induced stammering. “But now he runs his own organic business and speaks at corporate and pop-up events. It took him three years to get there, but he made it.”
New plans
Ansh enjoys chocolate desserts
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Urmila’s dream is to run a café serving buns, coffee and curated cool drinks. “I want to organise collaborative baking workshops where visitors can bake alongside our students,” she says. “Those interactions will help people understand how they navigate their challenges and realise they don’t need our sympathy.” That dream has already taken its first step with the launch of a small café within the FlipSide premises, catering to patients visiting her husband, a homeopath.
FlipSide charges 20k + for a student per month; Contact: @FlipSide on Instagram
Published – July 11, 2026 02:27 pm IST
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