Indian chef -Kuhar, who took the Tamil tariff Global and won the “Food” Oscar

In the western village of Manhattan, where culinary trends can change with the seasons, the boss Viji Kumar forms a quiet revolution.

His winning James Beard Award in 2025 for the best boss -kuhar: New York this month is not just personal recognition – it means cultural beating.

Culinary historian on the basis of Czeno Rakesh Raghunathan says: “In the footsteps of colleagues-Tamimo, such as Raghavan Ier and The losing of the LakshmiVija Kumar’s recognition reflects an increasing impetus for the vote of South India at the world culinary stage. ”

“Tamil cuisine – together with Sri -Lankan Tamil and other South Indian regional traditions – is increasingly perceived by global snacks as something up -to -date, rich and deeply rooted into culture.”

44-year-old Kumar, who was born in a small agricultural Arasapati, Madurai in the south, Tamil Nadu, always cooked from the memory-vines and harvesting, the furnace of firewood and his mother and grandmother served from scratch for the family.

When he took the stage at the JB awards ceremony, he said, “The food I grew up, the food made with caution, with the fire, now occupies the main stage.” It was a moment of deep emotions and cultural pride for Kumar.

“There is no such thing as the food of a poor man or a rich person’s food. It’s food. It’s powerful. And a real luxury – be able to connect with each other at the dining table.”

For Kumar, victory is a personal milestone, but also a powerful act of visibility.

“When I started cooking, I never thought that Tamil Nadu with dark skin could reach such a room,” he said in his speech. Therefore, it was important for him to wear Veshti, the traditional tamil outfit for men, for the black tie ceremony, James Beard, like a nod on her roots.

Recently, Kumar was subjected to a couple of influences in New York. Soon rising to his defense, he was a lodge, author of a culinary book and a culinary ambassador, which caused influences for his cultural insensitivity.

Speaking to the BBC, Lakshmi said that “the story of Vija is important not only for South Indian food, but also as the story of the one who grew up with modest means and prepared with the disabilities.”

“This resourcefulness not only pushed his working ethics, but also strengthened the sense of aroma, ingredients and feelings of the world. He is a lighthouse to young people around the world, when you trust and develop your feelings and skills, you can go far in a creative career.”

Coumar’s journey was not smooth to start.

Without the opportunity to afford an engineering school in the big city, he chose instead a culinary school – starting traveling at Taj Connemara Hotel in Chennai, preparing his way through cruise ships and kitchens, and eventually found his promised land in America, working in Doha in San Francisco.

His real breakthrough occurred when he collaborated with Ronnie Mazumdar and the Padan of the Unapoloteic Foods, the New York restaurant to open the Semma – the Tamil word for the “fantastic” in 2021.

The trio found “a common sense of desire to honor our heritage to tell the world who we actually through our kitchen.”

“At this point, it was not only about food, but about identity,” Mazumdar said. “For too long, Indian food in the US has lived under the curtain of the northwestern lens. We sought to distract this veil and share something more honest.”

Kumar jumped on the opportunity to share his cuisine with the world. “His eyes caught fire when we started talking about the food we grew up, and such food rarely gives it on the restaurant menu,” Mazumdar recalls.

The kumar’s force is to supply true rustic food, which is seasonal, hyper-lacquered and completely built from scratch. According to him, his approach to the table is to prepare the road “My Mother and Grandma”. Semma, he adds, is a holiday of this simplicity.

This simplicity resonates.

The Semma menu is not a losing cliché that often determines Indian food abroad. There is no oil here and Naan and Epiphany Kumara came with a unlikely meeting: French escargot.

As a child, in the days when the rice was not enough, he faded with his family behind the snails on paddy wagons, which would be cooked in a spicy tamarin sauce. Kumar confessed that he was ashamed as a boy, because “I felt like a food that was born of poverty – until I saw the honor with which the French serve Escargo.”

Today, the dish, Nati Piratal, proudly sits in the Sammma menu, is not concerned as the memory of the deficit, but as a symbol of sustainability and cultural pride.

Semma menu – Pepper Rasam, Tamarind Crab, Banana Flower Vadai, a ubiquitous dose – offer emotional connection for many diaspora snacks and opening for first -graders.

The Kumara’s intention to bring Tamili -style Tamil and demonstrate it in upscale, and the new York Ruat restaurant won a long line of fans.

This food has depth, regionalness and powerful emotional connection.

Cocktails are a nod on Tamil stars, such as a rajarian and silk Smith, as well as the “decor” warmth. Even the kitchen is the space of the intention – the chefs are asked to cook food with “Thanks and Attentiveness”.

“I invited him to cure a 650 guests at the Golden Gala in Los Angeles, and he made us be proud of us. In a year, people are still talking about how incredible food is,” Lakshmi says, applauding a gift to bring regional Indian cuisine to most glamorous platforms.

Rewards and rewards feel natural progress of his journey. Semma -the first restaurant in New York, which only serves the South Indian cuisine to win Michelin’s star and headed the New York Times for the 100 best restaurants. And now JBA for Kumar.

In many ways, Kumar did not just serve food – he serves memory, pride and quiet revolution.

His James Beard Victory is a recognition of his talent, but the statement that regional Indian cuisine with its bold spices and penetrated simplicity belongs in the center of the global table.

Kumar’s victory aroused “the curiosity of young people from all over the Indian diaspora and instilled in our food ways,” Lakshmi says. “It will be his greatest legacy.”

Mazumdar adds: “This victory is a signal that regionality matters, and that our stories and our roots are relevant on the world stage.”