Semma has retained its Michelin Star for the fourth year in a row—an honor that belongs to our team, our community, and to the generations of home cooks whose knowledge guides everything we do.
South Indian cuisine has thrived long before any accolade, but moments like this remind us that its stories, techniques, and traditions deserve their place on the world stage.
Thank you to our guests for trusting us and to the Michelin Guide for seeing the soul of this cuisine. With the same fire and humility that shaped Semma from the start, we’ll keep pushing, evolving, and honoring South India 🖤🔥
Humbled. Grateful. Committed.
To be recognized by the @nytimes among the best restaurants in New York City is an honor we carry not just for ourselves, but for South Indian cuisine and every hand that has kept it alive for generations.
To our team, whose dedication and passion make all things possible, thank you ❤️
@ligayamishan , thank you for this honor. We're so proud to be included among such incredible talent!
#Semma #TamilNadu #NewYorkTimes #Top100
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to speak at the India Conference at Harvard, hosted across the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School.
The theme was “The India We Imagine.” The whole event stayed with me.
I didn’t go there as someone with answers, I went as someone still learning. Learning more and more about the vast country I come from, and what it means to be Indian. We spoke about food of course, but really we were speaking about memory. About how a dish can hold a place, a language, a way of life, and how, when you move across the world, those things don’t disappear, they just adapt and find a new form.
What struck me most that weekend was the room itself, filled with students, builders, thinkers, all asking what India can become without losing what it already is or was. I figured out that that question doesn’t have a fixed answer. It’s something we shape every day, in small, consistent ways.
Grateful to have been part of that conversation ❤️
Welcome back 🧡
In Tamil households, the Alphonso mango arrives wrapped in newspaper, nestled in wooden crates, usually gifted. You don't buy them casually, you receive them. You wait for them to ripen on the counter, and then eat them greedily over the sink.
At Semma, we plate that memory. Mango custard, mango pachadi, basil.
Being named to @foodandwine Top 10 U.S. Restaurants is such an honor.
These are dishes shaped in Tamil homes, recipes carried by memory, adjusted by hand, and protected. For a long time, they weren’t the ones that made it onto lists like this.
So this isn’t just a “thank you.” It’s a marker that this food, specific, regional, and deeply personal, can take up space exactly as it is. ❤️
From the cocktail menu, the Konkan 🌴
Kokum is the Konkan coast's ancient souring fruit, tartly floral and deeply local. Tying in coconut oil to fat-wash the spirit into silk, and the chili? Portuguese traders brought it from the Americas to this very coastline in the 1500s, the same continent that gave us tequila.
Five hundred years of trade and migration, closing its loop on a salted rim 💫
#SemmaNYC #KokumCocktail #SouthIndianFood #MichelinStarNYC #NYCFoodie
chef.vijayakumar loves to take Semma on the road, most recently to @ojaifoodandwine at @ojaivalleyinn for one very special night.
Chef Vijay Kumar curated a menu of truly iconic dishes, and seeing them plated among the warm California light and rolling green vineyards, in conversation with a room full of curious diners, felt truly grounding.
Alongside the food, the legendary @sarathomas brought a deep sensitivity to the pairings from the @martineswines cellar, expertly choosing bottles that were both thoughtful and precise, a reminder that context can shift, but integrity doesn’t have to.
Thank you to Ojai Food & Wine, @ben.kephart , for the invitation, and to everyone who came to the table.
Semma, on the road, always a good time. ❤️
We’re honored to receive our @michelinguide plaque for retaining our Michelin Star for 2025 ⭐️
To our team, who grinds, tempers, roasts, and plates with relentless precision.
To our guests, who trust us.
To our partners and producers, who show up.
We are so grateful. ❤️
Love stories live here.
Over the years, these walls have witnessed first dates, quiet proposals, anniversaries and Valentine’s Day traditions shared over a dosa. Moments that begin with curiosity and return as tradition. We don’t take that lightly.
The only way we know how to love you back is through the food; the hands, the heat, the patience, the memory in every dish.
Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️
ON 👏 THE 👏 COVER 👏
In the January issue of Gulf Gourmet Magazine, Shreya Asopa traces @chef.vijayakumar ’s journey from Natham, Tamil Nadu to Semma in the West Village, and his quiet superpower of cooking unapologetically.
Oh, and find out Vijay’s favorite Indian spice of the moment, all at the link in bio 🔗
On February 15, join @chef.vijayakumar at India Conference (ICH) at the Harvard Business School!
ICH is a 48 hour look into the complexities and opportunities of India. This year, ICH has been organized as a deep dive for anyone who wants to learn more about India’s emergence in the global stage. ICH will feature dozens of speakers, including CEOs, experts, politicians, founders, and cultural ambassadors.
Ticket link for ICH ($5 discount with code ICHHARVARD) in bio!
Grateful to @cbsmornings and The Dish for taking the time to sit with the work and the why behind it.
At Semma, Chef Vijay Kumar cooks from memory, place, and lived experience. Food shaped by childhood, grounded in Southern Indian traditions, and presented with intention.
Thank you for creating space for a thoughtful, impactful conversation. Watch the full video at the link in bio. ♥️
