In 2021 Vijay Kumar packed up from San Francisco, where he was working as a chef, to travel  cross country to New York City and work with restaurateurs Roni Mazumdar and Chef Chintan  Pandya whose Unapologetic Foods group is known for presenting Indian food honestly and authentically. In October of that year the trio opened Semma, serving heritage Southern Indian  cuisine inspired by Chef Vijay’s upbringing. To date Chef Vijay and Semma have received world wide critical acclaim including Vijay being the winner of the prestigious James Beard Foundation  award Best Chef New York State 2025 and placed as the #1 restaurant of the year on The New  York Times Top 100 Restaurants in New York list. Upon its debut Semma was named a Top Ten  Best New Restaurant in America by Bon Appetit; Esquire; and as one of the Top 50 Restaurants of the Year by The New York Times. In 2022 Semma was awarded a Michelin star, an honor it has held every year since, making it the only Indian restaurant in New York City with  that recognition. 

Vijay grew up in the humblest of settings on a family farm in a small town near Madurai, located in the Southern part of India. The eldest of three children, Vijay helped his mother and  grandmother in farming and cooking. It was this childhood upbringing where his passion for  fresh ingredients and cooking arose.  

Upon graduation from a culinary and hospitality school he trained at Oberoi Hotels and later  worked in Taj Hotels in India as a kitchen supervisor. His quest for travel led him to work 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 was a member of the chef’s staff that opened the  very popular Dosa on Fillmore. Dosa was one of the highest volume fine dining South Indian  restaurants in Northern California and recognized as a Michelin Bib Gourmand Restaurant in San Francisco. After two of years working his way up, he was named the lead chef of Dosa on  Fillmore kitchen until his departure in 2014 to join Rasa. There he led an award-winning staff of  exemplary young chefs. With Vijay’s leadership and creativity, Rasa received many accolades  and recognition, including a Michelin star for four consecutive years (2016- 2019). 

His passion and dedication continue to fuel him daily as he works with his partners in their quest to change the conversation around Indian cuisine in America.