- Chef Vijay Kumar won the Talent Of The Year award by La Liste 2026
- He is known for serving authentic South Indian cuisine at New York's Michelin-starred Semma
- Chef Kumar was also named Best Chef in New York State by the James Beard Awards
Indian chef Vijay Kumar has made headlines once again as he received the 'Talent Of The Year' award by La Liste 2026, a ranking organisation based in France. Hailing from a small village in Tamil Nadu, Chef Kumar is famous for his work at Semma in New York. This Michelin-starred restaurant is renowned for serving authentic South Indian food with bold flavours that are not toned down for its international audience. Several of the dishes are inspired by lesser-known treats enjoyed by the chef during his childhood in his hometown.
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Chef Vijay Kumar couldn't attend La Liste's ceremony in Paris to collect his award. It was accepted on his behalf by restaurateur Roni Mazumdar, CEO of Unapologetic Foods (the company that owns Semma). He carried a cutout of the chef's head during the event to make his presence felt. The caption on Instagram read, "Brown excellence comes in many forms. Sometimes it's a perfectly crispy dosa, and sometimes it's your business partner holding your face on a stick to accept a major award."
Over the past few years, Semma has emerged as one of the best Indian restaurants on a global level. Under the leadership of Chef Kumar, it won its first Michelin star in 2022 and has retained it ever since. Additionally, Semma made history earlier this year when it was ranked the No.1 restaurant in New York by The New York Times. That's not all. Chef Vijay Kumar was named the Best Chef in New York State for 2025 by the James Beard Awards, one of the most prestigious culinary accolades in the US.
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Only six "promising chefs" from around the globe won the special accolade of 'Talent Of The Year' by La Liste this year. Along with Chef Vijay Kumar, it was awarded to chefs Danny Khezzar, Bertrand Noeureuil, Jessica Rosval, Fabricio Lemos and Lisiane Arouca. Moreover, La Liste unveiled its annual list of the world's 1000 best restaurants recently. 21 Indian restaurants were featured on it. Find out more here.
