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NYC Semma's Chef Vijaya Kumar On Being Starstruck by Jennifer Lawrence: 'She Kept Coming Back!'
In the melting pot of New York, Chef Vijaya Kumar's restaurant Semma speaks Tamil, earns a Michelin star, and has Jennifer Lawrence coming back for more.
'Uzhavar Santhai Poriyal' is a dish that sits proudly on the menu of Chef Vijaya Kumar’s restaurant Semma in New York City. Named after the farmer’s market from villages in Tamil Nadu that facilitate direct transactions between farmers and buyers looking to buy fresh country vegetables, the dish heroes snow and snap peas, or slow-roasted beets (depending on the season), and ergo, the tillers of the soil. The concept of Uzhavar santhai is essentially the same as that of a farmer’s market in the United States, says Chef Vijaya Kumar (Vijay), on a Zoom call from New York City. “We make a poriyal [a sauteed vegetable preparation] using the vegetables harvested during that season. But with this dish, I also wanted to make sure we retain the Tamil name because when we go to any French or Italian restaurant, they have their own names [for the dishes].”
“Why can’t we?” asks the chef.
This is the question that drives the essence of Semma, which has been serving unapologetic regional Tamil food since 2021. Nestled in Greenwich Village, the popular restaurant earned its third consecutive Michelin star last year. Semma also became the first Indian restaurant to top The New York Times’ list of best restaurants in June this year. Adding more feathers to its culturally rich hat, Chef Vijaya was conferred with the prestigious James Beard award this year for Best Chef, New York State. Backed by Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya of NYC’s Unapologetic Foods group, Semma’s defiance is in its ethos.
Defiantly Tamil Fare
The defiance spills across not just to the names, but also the flavours the dishes spotlight — never toned down to suit Western palates. Nathai Pirattal, a Peconic snails preparation with ginger and tamarind, served with kal dosa; Annasi Pazham Scallop, a day-boat scallop dish with pineapple pachadi (relish), jaggery; Mattu Iraichi Sukka, made with beef short ribs, black cardamom, Tellicherry peppers, and Dindigul Biryani, made with goat, Seeraga Samba rice, garam masala, served with raita, make up a small part of the rooted Tamil menu that Chef Vijaya and team bring alive at Semma. Today, the chef is doling out food not just to socialites, celebrities (Padma Lakshmi, Mindy Kaling, Will Farrell, and Michael J Fox among others) and gourmands, but also to Indian immigrants in the US craving for a taste of their home.
“The food here is not just food, but my life on a plate,” says the chef. His dishes are inspired by his early years at home watching his mother and grandmother cook with local vegetables and protein. He calls his mother a phenomenal cook, who is particular about using the right ingredients. Whether it is waiting those extra seconds for the mustard seeds to splutter in hot oil or sending back meat to the vendor for having too much fat, his mother was a taskmaster when it came to ingredients — a trait perhaps Chef Vijaya instinctively picked up. “Ingredients matter, and she stood for that.”
At Semma, the idea is to elevate these childhood recipes into fine-dining fare by opting for the best ingredients. The Roadside Kaalan, for instance, emerges from Chef Vijaya’s fond memories of eating the mushroom preparation from street hawkers during his time as a chef at Taj Connemara in Chennai.
The dish is made with wild mushrooms, fennel and coriander. “For the roadside Kaalan, we work with King trumpet mushrooms — one of the most expensive varieties. We have to make sure it is visually appealing,” he says. In the Uzhavar Santhai Poriyal, a simple vegetable preparation is elevated, as the dish is shaped into a delicate crescent, with spots of colour from edible flowers and mustard greens.
For a restaurant that specialises in local Tamil cuisine, how challenging is it to source ingredients? Semma procures all its spices from India. “It was difficult to get Alphonso mangoes at one point. The US officials were so strict about approving them,” he recalls. A silky Alphonso custard layered with mango pachadi and basil was on Semma’s menu as a seasonal offering this May. “Ten years ago, it was difficult to get curry leaves, but it’s easier now as a lot of non-Indians also cook with these foods,” the chef says.
Food as the VIP
Chef Vijaya tries to work with seasonal ingredients as much as possible. “The poriyal is typically made with avarakkai (flat beans), but we use spring vegetables such as snow peas and snap peas instead. During winter, we try to get beets, mustard greens, red beets,” he says.
Semma tries to switch out dishes periodically. Inspired by Vijaya’s farming roots, goat intestines, venison and rabbit were on the menu at one point. But they can never take away dishes like gunpowder dosa, Chef Vijaya reminds with a smile. It is a favourite among all his diners, including celebrity regulars like American television host Padma Lakshmi. “When I was there, I couldn’t help but think how far we’ve come, that one of the hardest restaurants to get into in Manhattan happens to be a South Indian spot where you can get dosas alongside stunning fine-dining dishes,” she writes in one post on Instagram.
Lakshmi isn’t wrong. Semma’s intricate menu receives validation through its demand for reservations. “I don’t know if you can see it through the screen but on a Monday night, we have about 1,350 people on waitlist,” the chef glowingly notes, swiftly pulling his phone to his computer screen. And they don’t make exceptions for anybody; everyone has to go through reservations if they want to dine at Semma, which has a 65-seat capacity that witnesses three turns every night. They accept walk-ins for bar seats, but these come in high demand. “Just because they are VIPS, they aren’t given any special treatment. We don’t make reservations for anyone or their concierge. If anyone reaches out, we politely decline and tell them to go through the reservations.”
Vijaya is used to celebrity run-ins at Semma, where the team often just gives them their space. But has any diner ever made him feel starstruck? It has to be American actor Jennifer Lawrence. “I couldn’t believe she was eating with us. She kept coming back. She once told me how much she appreciated the effort that goes behind the cooking at Semma.”
Unapologetic Beginnings
There is still some shame around cooking our own food, notes Chef Vijaya, who rewinds to a time when something changed in him and led the way for Semma. “I started off by cooking Italian and French food when I came here [to the US]. I realised that they all take pride in their own food, so why can’t we? That’s when I discussed this with Chintan [Pandya], and Semma was born. A few years earlier, some of my friends in India joked asking if I went to the US to cook dosas or idlis. I didn’t give up.”
Food can be seen as powerful — and often political — in our cultural landscape, especially today, when many are divided based on the food they consume. The chef agrees. “Not just our food, but we’re divided based on many things, which I don’t want to go into. We just have to love and respect each other. This has to change, and we have a long way to go. I’m glad we’re part of the change.”
At Semma, Chef Vijaya works with members who have been around since the restaurant’s opening in 2021. Chef Suresh Natesan, one of Chef Vijaya’s closest childhood friends, makes up an integral part of the kitchen. “It’s like a family. We work hard but at the same time we enjoy what we do.”
Gunpowder Dosa: Semma’s Crown Jewel
Semma’s irresistible crowd-puller is the humble dosa. It is served crispy with potato masala made from crushed Yukon Gold potatoes, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and turmeric. The dosa is accompanied by molaga podi, or gunpowder, a fiery spice blend lending depth of flavour.