Vijay Kumar

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 Semma has received world-wide critical acclaim including being placed in the number one spot on The New York Times Top 100 Restaurants in New York list, and upon its debut named a Top Ten New Restaurant by Bon Appetit, Best New Restaurant in America by Esquire, and one of the Top 50 Restaurants of the Year by The New York Times. From 2022 Semma has been awarded a Michelin star, making it the only Indian restaurant in the New York with that honor, and in 2025 Vijay was awarded the James Beard Foundation Best Chef New York State award.

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