Chef Vijay Kumar’s New York restaurant ‘Semma’ retains its Michelin Star

Semma is incidentally the only restaurant in New York to have a Michelin Star.

Also read: Fancy eating a gourmet meal out in space at $500,000? Check out the details

The restaurant made the announcement in a post on its Instagram page.

“We’re thrilled and honored to announce that @semmanyc has retained its Michelin Star for a second year!” the post said.

“Many thanks to @michelinguide @michelininspectors for continuing to recognize the hard work that @chef.vijayakumar and our entire team puts into every moment. We're continually indebted to our community that continues to show up for what we believe in- #unapologeticfoods. Here's to another great year!” it added.

What is a Michelin Star?

A Michelin Star, considered a coveted honour in the culinary community, is awarded to restaurants offering outstanding cooking. A restaurant is assessed for the honour based on five parameters – the quality of ingredients it uses, the harmony of flavours, the mastery over techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed in the cuisine it offers and consistency in the menu.

Also read: ‘Made to stand with hands up, clean fridges’: Bengaluru chef recalls stint with luxury hotel

Michelin inspectors, who remain anonymous and often are former restaurants and hospitality professionals, look for new restaurants to award one, two or three stars, while also reassessing the standard of star-holding eateries. A restaurant can get up to three Michelin stars depending on the assessment of the Michelin inspectors.

What’s special about Semma?

Semma, which in English means ‘awesome’ offers an array of Chettinad dishes inspired by Kumar’s childhood and lays special emphasis on serving ‘micro-regional’ food from Tamil Nadu, the chef’s home state, says a report by Hindustan Times.

The restaurant has on its menu dishes like ‘Naithai Pirattal’ (snail curry) and ‘Kudal Varuval’ (goat’s intestines), which may not find place in mainstream South Indian fare.

About the Chef

Born in Dindigul district, Kumar studied culinary science in Trichy, graduating in 2001.

Before he started Semma, Kumar had tried his hands running two other restaurants called ‘Dosa’ and ‘Rasa’ in San Francisco. Rasa had even earned a Michelin Star before Kumar decided to close it in 2015, the report says.

Also read: Indian YouTuber slams tip ‘scam’ at US restaurant; X users react

He later opened Semma along with Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya of Unapologetic Foods, assuring “authentic” South Indian food and not a toned down version to suit the American palate.

“My grandmother lived in a remote area near Natham. People used to cook and eat nathai (snail) there, which many in the urban landscape find absurd. During my vacations, we used to sit in paddy fields and relish the flavourful nathai pirattal, enjoying the picturesque view," a DT Next interview quoted the chef as saying.