From Tamil Nadu To NYC: How Chef Vijay Kumar’s ‘Semma’ Won A James Beard And A Michelin Star By Staying Unapologetically South Indian

There’s something unmistakably electric about watching someone succeed by simply being themselves. No compromise, no dilution—just sheer talent backed by authenticity. That’s exactly what makes Chef Vijay Kumar’s meteoric rise so fascinating. The 41-year-old chef from Natham, Tamil Nadu didn’t grow up with dreams of culinary stardom or Michelin stars. In fact, engineering was his original goal. But destiny, armed with the spices of southern India and a quiet fire in his belly, had other plans. Today, Kumar is not just the Executive Chef of Semma—New York City’s only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant—but also the proud recipient of the 2025 James Beard Award for ‘Best Chef: New York State’.

The journey from his village to the Big Apple’s buzzing West Village has been anything but conventional. And fittingly, neither is the food he serves. At Semma, there’s no butter chicken or naan to cushion foreign palates. Instead, there’s snails in spicy tamarind gravy, prawns that bite back, and khichdi that carries the wisdom of grandmothers. It’s not Indian food dressed up for a white tablecloth—it’s India in its loudest, boldest, most flavour-forward avatar. And that, perhaps, is Kumar’s true triumph.

Born in the small town of Natham in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul district, Vijay Kumar was never gunning for a chef’s coat. Like many small-town kids with big dreams, he wanted to be an engineer. But when tuition fees proved too steep, he enrolled in a catering course instead. That single pivot set off a chain reaction.

Graduating from the State Institute of Hotel Management in Trichy, Kumar began his career at the Taj Coromandel in Chennai. A stint on a cruise liner followed—one that quite literally shipped him to new shores. Eventually, he landed in California, cooking at Dosa in San Francisco, and then at Rasa in Burlingame, which clinched a Michelin star during his tenure. But the turning point came when Unapologetic Foods, the boundary-pushing restaurant group helmed by Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya, brought him to New York to lead Semma.

Opened in 2021, Semma (which cheekily means “super” in Tamil slang) isn’t just another addition to the Indian food scene—it’s a rebellion. One dish at a time, it breaks stereotypes of what Indian food in America “should” be. No generic curry platters or tikka masala here.

Instead, expect Nathai Pirattal—snails stir-fried in onions, tomatoes, and tamarind, served in a folded banana leaf. Or Eral Thokku—tiger prawns with green chilli, fenugreek and curry leaves. There’s also Thinai Khichdi, a comforting millet-based dish inspired by what Kumar’s grandmother would grow in her backyard.

And yes, diners are encouraged to eat with their hands. Because that’s how the food was meant to be enjoyed.

Even the cocktails get a South Indian spin. The Yajaman Sour combines mezcal, coriander, curry leaf and bird chilli. The Thanga Magan Colada is a bold mix of Indian single malt, saffron, cardamom and pineapple—basically your grandmother’s spice box in a glass.

In October 2022, Semma earned its first Michelin star—the only Indian restaurant in the U.S. to do so that year. It held onto that star in 2023, 2024 and now, 2025. Critics called it daring. Diners called it divine. And the New York Times crowned it the No. 1 restaurant in the city on their prestigious 100 Best list.

But even with that feather in his chef’s cap, Kumar didn’t expect the James Beard Award nomination. Let alone the win.

“When I started cooking, I never thought a dark-skinned boy from Tamil Nadu would make it to a room like this,” he said in his tearful, viral acceptance speech. “The food I grew up on—food made with fire, with care, with soul—is now taking the main stage.”

What makes Kumar’s story even more special is how tightly he holds onto his past. He often credits his grandmother and mother as his greatest influences. Their cooking wasn’t fancy, but it was soulful and deliberate.

“No refrigerators meant everything had to be fresh,” he said in an interview with Salty Magazine. “We raised our own poultry and goats, went fishing, even hunted deer with my grandparents. Those were the flavours that shaped me—and those are the flavours I bring to Semma.”

There’s also a refreshing honesty to his work ethic. No shortcuts. No dilution. “My food will never compromise. I cook for my people first—if others love it too, that’s a bonus.”

Vijay Kumar’s childhood wasn’t just spent around kitchens. He grew up foraging—looking for edible snails, millets, wild greens and even trapping game with his grandfather. The nathai (snail) dish that’s now a fan favourite at Semma? That came from childhood memories of catching snails during the monsoon and cooking them over a wood fire. Now they’re served in New York’s swankiest zip code, but the soul remains unchanged.

One of the most striking things Kumar said during his James Beard acceptance was this:

“There’s no such thing as a rich man’s food or a poor man’s food. It’s food. It’s powerful.”

That philosophy is stitched into every bite at Semma. By choosing not to tone down spice or simplify texture, Kumar is forcing his audience—often Western, often unfamiliar with South Indian flavours—to meet the cuisine where it stands. Not the other way around.

Chef Vijay Kumar isn’t just cooking food—he’s rewriting narratives. He’s showing the world that a boy from a Tamil village doesn’t need to imitate the West to impress it. He can bring his world to their table—and if they have any taste at all, they’ll thank him for it.

In a culinary scene obsessed with reinvention, fusion and trend-chasing, Kumar is doing something braver: staying rooted. And by doing that, he’s not just cooking Michelin-starred meals—he’s cooking up pride, representation, and a whole lot of inspiration.