Now, reconnect with the flavours of iconic Chennai institutions Adventure Zone and Alliance Française

As businesses pivot to stay connected, loyal customers reach out as well, hankering for a comforting taste of their pre-COVID lives

For 24 years, Mohamed Yousuf Khan punctuated French classes with chocolate cake and lemon tea. From a little kitchen at Chennai’s Alliance Française, blanketed in the scent of vanilla, he whipped together light, fluffy cakes the old fashioned way: with butter, flour and muscle power. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, and business abruptly stalled, he found himself at home for the first time in decades, with nothing to do. Then, the taciturn baker, who had exchanged nothing more than nods with many students over two decades, suddenly found — to his surprise — that he was a local legend. His number circulated on Whatsapp, and the orders began again. This time, he is baking from home in Royapettah.