'Unapologetically Indian' In New York

'I always cook from my heart,' says New York Chef Vijaya Kumar who won his third Michelin Star recently.

When Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence came into the South Indian restaurant Semma (awesome in Tamil) in New York, Chef Vijaya Kumar's eyes widened. This was the second time she was coming for a meal. Jennifer's husband, Cooke Maroney, an art gallery director, accompanied her.

They ordered a wide variety of dishes. At the end of the dinner, Jennifer told Vijaya, 'This is one of the best meals I have had.'

On another night, he saw a woman in her late thirties shedding tears. Vijaya thought the food was too hot for her. So he walked up to her and said, 'Can I offer you sweet yoghurt?'

She shook her head and said, 'These are happy tears. I have not had my mother's food for a long time. The food I ate took me back to my childhood and the memory of my mother. It seemed to me she made this food. I miss home'

She told Vijaya she grew up in Tamil Nadu.

Another native of Tamil Nadu did not shed happy tears. Instead, he smiled. On Instagram, former world chess champion Viswanathan Anand wrote: 'Chef Vijaya Kumar put out a spread that was summa dhool! Thanks for the generous hospitality. I had a lovely meal.

'Wow,' thought Vijaya. 'Food can create emotions and connections with people.'

Vijaya was in the news recently after having won a Michelin Star for the third year.

Asked whether he felt stressed about winning the hallowed culinary accolade, Vijaya says, "It is a responsibility to uphold our culture. So, it is not pressure."

The Michelin Web site states that the criteria for the awards are five: 'The quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavors, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine and, just as importantly, consistency both across the entire menu and over time.'

Throughout the year, Michelin inspectors have a meal at a restaurant many times, but they are anonymous. So, the chef does not know who the inspectors are. Vijaya says he ensures that every dish that comes out of the Semma kitchen is as perfect as it can be.

"I always cook from my heart," he says. "You have to pay attention to the smallest details." He has a 10-member team of Asians and non-Asians, but his backbone is his college mate Suresh.

Semma started serving customers in October 2021. At the entrance, there is an upside-down kettuvallam, a traditional boat. "This was inspired by the houseboats in Alleppey," says Vijaya.

A local architect, Wid Chapman, imported the materials and designed it. There are coir mats on the ceilings and hanging bamboo lamps and chairs.

People make reservations online. You can book two weeks in advance.

On the day Chef Vijaya spoke to this correspondent, he mentions that there are 1,450 people on the notification list.

That means, if anybody cancels, the restaurant would notify those on the list.

On weekdays, it is about 1,000 people. That highlights the popularity of the 75-seater restaurant.

The restaurant works from 5 pm. to 10 pm from Monday to Saturday. Every day, they do over 200 covers.

The food is from Tamil Nadu. Vijaya is trying to replicate the food that he enjoyed in his childhood in the village of Natham, near Madurai.

Semma imports all the spices, including black pepper, cardamom and cinnamon from India.

"We make everything from scratch," says Vijaya. "Just like the way our mothers did at home. We provide home-cooked food in an elevated way." The staff begin their preparations in the morning.

Asked whether he tempers the masala if the patron is non-Asian, Vijaya smiles and says, "Our company motto is 'Unapologetically Indian'. So we don't turn down the spices. Most of the patrons have travelled all over the world. They have eaten even spicier food on their travels. And in New York, there are cuisines from all over the world."

The most popular on the menu is the Gunpowder Dosa. The menu lists it as a rice and lentil crepe served with potato masala and sambar.

It costs $21. "It is Podi Dosa," explains Vijaya and Semma sells about 150 dosas a day.

Another popular dish is the Valiya Chemmeen Moilee, which comprises lobster tail, mustard, turmeric and coconut milk, priced at $55.

A favourite is the Dindigul Biriyani, which consists of goat, seeraga samba rice (aromatic rice from South India), garam masala, and mint. That costs $42.

The New York Times food critic Pete Wells called the Kudal Varuval, 'the most eyebrow-raising dish at Semma'. It is a dry curry of goat intestines.

Vijaya was asked to replicate this food at the Gold Gala dinner on May 11, 2024, for 600 people in Los Angeles. It is a show that honours Asian American excellence. Vijaya collaborated with Padma Lakshmi at the event.

"Padma had respect for the type of food we make," says Vijaya. "She has been a friend and mentor."

Farming ran in the family. His grandfather was a farmer. Since his father was in government service, Vijaya's mother looked after their farm.

During school vacations, Vijaya spent time at his grandparents' farm.

In his grandparents' village, the residents had no electricity and neither were there roads.

There were no grocery stores. So the people had to make everything on their farms, including rice and vegetables. They also grew millet and ragi.

Years later, at Semma, he has a dish called Thinai Khichdi, which comprises foxtail millet, taro root, pickled onion and appalam. "This dish is a tribute to my grandparents," the chef says.

For lunch, his grandparents would forage for snails. His grandmother would set up a wood fire in the middle of the paddy field, placed a mud pot on it, and put in spices and snails.

"The taste was delicious," remembers Vijaya. His classmates mocked him when he said he had snails.

But when Vijaya went to culinary school, his teachers told him there was a French culinary delicacy called escargot.

"It is the French word for snails," says Vijaya. "I chuckled. Back to my childhood, I thought."

"My grandparents lived to 90 years with no health issues," he says. "They did sustainable cooking. Now it is called natural organic cooking. They used natural fertilisers like leaves, the waste of the cows and goats. None of the farmers used chemicals."

The animals did not have processed food. They ate whatever they found in the fields. The cattle remained uncaged. They could move around freely. The animals enjoyed the sunlight and the open fields.

When the people ate those animals, it was healthy and had no side effects. "Now there are so many chemicals in the food," says Vijaya.

"People give many medicines to the animals. And when we eat this food, we get many diseases."

Right from a young age, Vijaya would help his mother and grandmother in the kitchen. His original dream was to become an engineer.

He got admission to an engineering college, but his parents did not have the money to fund his education.

So Vijaya focused on being a chef. He joined the State Institute of Hotel Management and Culinary Technology in Trichy. After completion of the three-year diploma course, he joined the coffee shop at the Taj Connemara in Chennai. He worked there from 2001 to 2003

A friend Muthu invited him to join the Dosa restaurant in San Francisco. So Vijaya took the plunge. He worked there for six years. Dosa closed after a run of 15 years, in September 2019, during the Covid pandemic.

In 2014, Vijay opened Rasa in Burlingame in San Mateo, California. For five years in a row, he won a Michelin Star for contemporary South Indian food.

But he dreamt of wanting to cook authentic South Indian food. He met Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya, the owners of Unapologetic Foods.

They had a few conversations and realised they had the same vision. And finally, they took the plunge with Semma.

Asked whether he feels his life is like a dream, Vijaya says, My life is a huge blessing. I have put in a lot of hard work. Since my childhood, I have done nothing half-heartedly. That is why I have always been a class topper. But in the end, I have to admit it is destiny."

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com