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Vinod Kalathil

@blinkofalens

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Chicago Explorer | World Wanderer | Image Engineer
Co-Owner of @thattuchicago with @marzlet
Check out my website for prints
#blinkofalens #vinogret

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Onashamsakal (Happy Onam)!

We have been overjoyed to celebrate Onam this year with our community 🥹 Thank you to everyone who has joined us for a Sadya these past few days.

Tonight, we’re celebrating Thiru Onam, the tenth and main day of Onam. According to legend, Thiru Onam the occasion to welcome back an ancient king of Kerala, Maveli, who comes to visit his subjects. The king was banished to the underworld by jealous gods because of his popularity and is allowed to return once a year.

Tonight, we’re joined by @southasiainstitute, with a portion of the proceeds from our Thiru Onam Sadya benefitting their organization.

We’ll be closed tonight for our Thiru Onam celebrations, but will open again tomorrow for our usual dinner hours. by @blinkofalens

Congratulations to @samikhanfilm and @rupakginn on the premiere of Season 2 of @spiceroadshow 🥳
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Thank you for sharing your passion for South Asian food and championing immigrant chefs sharing their stories.
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We are honored to share that @thattuchicago will be featured on Episode 2 with @rupakginn and @mamajotes airing next week (Tuesday, 6/30, at 6pm ET). Tune in on @PBSFood to watch the episodes!
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Swipe through for a little behind the scenes peek at our filming day last year 👀 by @blinkofalens

And just like that we're celebrating 3 years on Fletcher 🥹
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We can't help but take a moment to look back on these photos from 2023 when we first opened in this space (photo of Chef @marzlet + @blinkofalens by Monica Kass Rogers)🥰
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Thank you to everyone who's joined us for dinner, popped by for a Monday Night Foodball, celebrated with us, and been here with us in any way on this journey.
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From a pop-up to a food hall stall and now celebrating 3 years in our restaurant space, we couldn't feel more overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement.
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We'll be celebrating this week with a free Vishu Katta amuse bouche for everyone who joins us for dinner between 4/23 and 4/26. Vishu Katta is a celebratory special rice cake typically served for the new year, Vishu. As we head into this new year, we're delighted to share a Vishu Katta with you 🧡
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Head to the link in our bio to make a reservation. by @blinkofalens

Thank you to everyone who joined us this weekend for our Vishu Sadya 🥹

Sadyas are so special to us (in fact, the first Sadya Chef @marzlet ever experienced was on her wedding day to Vinod 🥰), and getting to share these moments with you are so joyful for us.

An extra-special thank you to our team who helped us make the weekend so incredible and to our talented friend Taz who made our jackfruit ghee cake to celebrate Vishu and our 3-year anniversary in Avondale 🙏

We can’t wait for more celebrations with you in the future! Stay tuned for future Sadya events at Thattu, and, in the meantime, we hope you can join us for dinner soon! by @blinkofalens

We can't believe that in less than a week we'll be celebrating 3 years of @thattuchicago in Avondale 🥹
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Join us from Thursday, April 23, (our actual anniversary) thru Sunday, April 26, for a celebratory Vishu Katta amuse bouche with your dinner 🥳
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Vishu Katta is a celebratory special rice cake typically served for the new year, Vishu. As we head into our new year, we're excited to share a Vishu Katta with you 🧡
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Head to the link in our bio to make a reservation for our anniversary week! by @blinkofalens

A love letter to southwest Indian coastal cuisine 💌

Join us for dinner to try Chef @marzlet’s playful homage to the cuisine that her husband, @blinkofalens, grew up with 🧡

#thattuchicago #chicagorestaurants by @blinkofalens

Transformation

Vellattu - the first stage of a Thira or Theyyam (ancestral worship of Northern Kerala) is where man transitions into a God like form. Such intricate work all held together so well for the coming intense and fiery performance. by @blinkofalens

Getting ready

Been a while since I picked up my camera. Luckily I was able to go check out the Northern Kerala folk art/ ancestral worship of Thira. These folks were so welcoming and let us observe the body painting. So much care goes into every step. by @blinkofalens

When you are out on the dunes, get there really early and keep walking as far as possible. And you will find those spots that are so perfectly windblown and undisturbed by footprints. by @blinkofalens

Riding in the rain... I love how that poncho puffs up with the wind. I remember how I used to go riding in the rain on my motorcycle, but I can't even imagine negotiating those streets now by @blinkofalens

I think I am turning into an armchair traveler, revisiting my favorite places through unprocessed photos. And I have enough to keep me going for a while... until I hit the road again by @blinkofalens

I miss the desert and canyons out west. Being out in the vastness brings makes you humble and gives you a sense of peace at the same time. We are all but a blip in time... by @blinkofalens