Semma!: How James Beard-Winning Chef Vijay Kumar Is Making Tamil Cuisine International

Semma!: How James Beard-winning chef Vijay Kumar is making Tamil cuisine international

This chef from Madurai’s Natham has just won the prestigious James Beard Awards for best chef in New York State. His unapologetically rural cooking, from Dindigul biriyani to snail pirattal, is changing how the world sees Indian food

Chef Vijay Kumar from Tamil Nadu Becomes First to Win James Beard for Indian Cuisine at New York’s Semma - The Logical Indian

Chef Vijay Kumar, originally from Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, has won the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef in New York State, a first for both Indian and Tamil cuisine in the US. As executive chef at Semma New York’s only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Kumar’s win is a landmark for micro-regional South Indian food on the global stage. The achievement is also a testament to the vision of Semma’s founders, Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya of Una…

Meet Chef Vijay Kumar of Michelin-starred NYC restaurant Semma, who just won the coveted James Beard award for ‘Best Chef’

Chef Vijay Kumar of Semma was recently named 'Best Chef: New York State’ by the James Beard Foundation. Here's all you need to know about him.