Ep #13 Vijay Kumar of Semma on Being Brown & Bold Podcast with Jes Thomas

Being Brown and Bold

Chef Vijay Kumar. He grew up on his family’s farm in a small town near Madurai, located in the Southern part of India. Vijay helped his mother and grandmother in farming and cooking. It was during this childhood upbringing where his passion for fresh ingredients and cooking arose. Vijay graduated in Hotel Management and Catering Technology in India. He worked in some of the best hotel kitchens in India before working on Cruise Ships for several years where he perfected his style of food art and presentation with unique knife skills and the use of fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers. When Vijay came to the United States, he worked at Michelin restaurants in CA until 2021 when he moved to New York City. He’s been at Semma serving heritage Southern Indian cuisine inspired by his upbringing, which has been named a Top Ten New Restaurant of the Year by Bon Appetit, one of the Top 50 Restaurants of the Year by The New York Times, and a Michelin star making it the only Indian restaurant in the United States with this honor.