It’s not each day {that a} South Indian restaurant tops The New York Occasions annual checklist of New York Metropolis’s 100 finest eating places, beating the likes of Atomix and Le Bernardin. However Semma, a comfortable Tamil restaurant in NYC’s Greenwich Village, has achieved that. The brainchild of Madurai-born chef Vijay Kumar, Semma – a Tamil slang time period which means “unbelievable” – clinched the No. 1 spot in 2025, simply 4 years after its debut in 2021. Semma was on No. 7 on the identical checklist final yr.
In a world the place Indian delicacies is lastly receiving its long-overdue world recognition, Semma’s rise feels private and symbolic. “It’s an unimaginable honour, particularly for a restaurant honouring meals from the villages of South India,” mentioned Vijay, 44, in an unique interview with indianexpress.com. “However it’s additionally validation that our delicacies, in its truest type, belongs on the world stage.”
Rising up on a farm close to Madurai, Vijay discovered to cook dinner by watching and serving to his mom and grandmother within the kitchen. After culinary college and stints at Indian lodges and cruise ships, he moved to the USA, the place he led kitchens at Dosa and Rasa in California. In 2021, he relocated to New York to open Semma. His mission was clear: to serve regional, heritage dishes not often seen on restaurant menus. A few of these are eral thokku, nathai pirattal, and thinai khichdi. “The nathai pirattal is one thing you received’t discover wherever else. It’s a real village dish, one I grew up consuming,” he mentioned.
Story continues under this advert
Chef Vijay Kumar with Roni Mazumdar and Chef Chintan Pandya of Unapologetic Meals (Picture: Erin Lettera)
His New York transfer got here with a partnership with restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef Chintan Pandya of Unapologetic Meals. “They requested me one easy factor: to cook dinner the meals that lives in your bones. That grew to become Semma, a spot to rejoice the daring, soulful dishes I grew up consuming, with out watering something down,” mentioned Vijay.
That philosophy paid off. Along with Semma’s latest high rating, he received the celebrated 2025 James Beard Award for Finest Chef: New York State, usually dubbed the “Oscars of the meals world”.
A champion of hyper-local and seasonal elements, Vijay mentioned he’s pushed by what’s deeply tied to the land and the individuals. “I wish to discover extra native elements that haven’t had their second but, and discover methods to deliver them to the worldwide desk,” he mentioned.
What’s making Indian cooks and restaurateurs succeed and take dangers on the world stage? In accordance with Chef Vijay, it’s the refusal to dilute or compromise: “Nothing is adjusted to ‘play it secure’. It’s daring, rooted, and deeply private.”
Story continues under this advert
Semma is positioned in NYC’s Greenwich Village (Picture: Will Ellis)
“For a very long time, Indian cooks felt stress to melt or simplify our meals to suit expectations,” he mentioned. “Now, we’re cooking loudly and with pleasure. The innovation comes from wanting inward, at our personal traditions, and presenting them unapologetically.”
What’s subsequent for Semma? Vijay is evident: “To maintain digging deeper into regional recipes, forgotten strategies, and the tales behind them. And to maintain evolving with out shedding what makes Semma particular—trustworthy South Indian meals, cooked with coronary heart.”
