Tamil Nadu's Vijay Kumar wins James Beard Award: ‘Never thought a kid like me could make it to a place like this..'

Chefs and restaurants were honoured on Monday night with James Beard Awards, one of the US culinary community's highest accolades. And for the first time ever, an Indian restaurant has taken the top spot! Vijay Kumar of Semma, the Greenwich Village hotspot that serves unapologetic South Indian food, has been named Best Chef: New York State by the James Beard Foundation, often called the Oscars of the food world.
Semma is part of the Unapologetic Foods group helmed by Chintan Pandya and Roni Mazumdar. Since opening in 2021, it has redefined what Indian food looks like on fine dining menus. In addition to its No. 1 spot on The New York Times' 100 Best Restaurants list, Semma is also the only Indian restaurant in NYC currently holding a Michelin star — a feat it has maintained for three consecutive years.
For Kumar, this win is personal. Accepting the award in a Veshti he said: 'When I started cooking, I never thought a kid like me from Tamil Nadu could make it to a room like this. But the food I grew up with — food made with care and fire, with soul — is now taking the main stage. There's no such thing as poor people's food or rich people's food. If it's true, it's powerful. The real luxury is to be able to connect with each other around a table.'
A post shared by Vijaya Kumar (@chef.vijayakumar)
That 'true' food at Semma means dishes rarely seen outside homes in Tamil Nadu — think nathai pirattal (snails cooked in fiery gravy), eral thokku (spicy prawns), and foxtail millet khichdi, served in clay pots and banana leaves. Hands are encouraged over cutlery and nothing is softened for Western palates.
Semma's soul stretches from New York City to Arasampatti near Madurai, where Vijay grew up surrounded by paddy fields, coconut trees, and his grandmother's cooking. 'Snail was a farmer's food,' he said. 'We used to hide it from classmates. Then in culinary school, I saw escargot on the menu — a delicacy in France. That's when I realised, maybe the world just hadn't tasted our food yet.'
Vijay never planned to be a chef. He once dreamed of becoming an engineer, but when his family couldn't afford the fees, he turned to catering college — a decision that turned out to be fate.
Now, with the James Beard medal in hand and his Veshti still proudly tied, Vijay isn't just making waves — he's making space. And with Semma's growing list of honours, one thing is clear: Tamil Nadu has officially arrived on NYC's most coveted plates.

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