Chef Corps Spotlight: Meet Chef Cheetie Kumar
North Carolina-based Chef Cheetie Kumar has seen WCK grow since she first enlisted her community to support us in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in 2018. “At that point, WCK was pretty new,” she says. “When they set up a massive kitchen in Raleigh, it was a no-brainer to get involved and help support with fundraisers.”
A two-time James Beard Award Foundation nominee who grew up in India and the Bronx, Chef Cheetie is having a big year. She just opened a new restaurant, Ajja, in Raleigh’s Five Points neighborhood that draws inspiration from the foodways and cultures, spices, and cooking techniques of the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and beyond. It builds on the legacy of her first restaurant, Garland, which closed in 2022 and was devoted to highlighting local farmers and purveyors.
Chef Cheetie was just in DC to speak at a MAPP (Mentorship, Advocacy, Purpose, and the Power of Women) event. “A Seat at the Table: from the Kitchen to Congress” focused on recognizing the profound work women in the culinary and hospitality industry carry out in their communities across the country, despite the myriad of challenges small business owners face. We relished catching up with Chef Cheetie while she was in town.
“Cooking for people in their language and foodways when they’re displaced and devastated is one of the most divine things you can do for someone,” Chef Cheetie says, reflecting on why she joined the Chef Corps. “This act of kindness and generosity is just one reason we continue to support WCK.”
WCK’s Chef Corps is a global network of culinary leaders who champion World Central Kitchen’s work providing fresh meals following crises.
