Cheetie Kumar es la chef y propietaria de Ajja, un restaurante en el vecindario Five Points de Raleigh que se inspira en las diversas costumbres y culturas gastronómicas, las vibrantes especias y las técnicas culinarias del Mediterráneo, Medio Oriente y más allá. Ajja abrió sus puertas en junio de 2023 y es semifinalista del premio de la Fundación James Beard al Mejor Restaurante Nuevo. Ajja también fue nombrada Esquire Best New Restaurant,  Eater’s Best New Carolinas Restaurant and Raleigh’s Best Restaurant by Axios.

An India- and Bronx-raised Southerner and musician, Cheetie earned two James Beard Foundation Award nominations (and five semifinalist nods) for “Best Chef: Southeast” for her multi-cultural menus that blended the flavors of South Asia and the surrounding regions with local agriculture at the beloved Garland, which closed in 2022.  Ajja builds on the legacy of Garland and continues telling the rich story of North Carolina’s growers, farmers and purveyors in a vibrant indoor-outdoor neighborhood restaurant.  

Cheetie ha sido perfilada en los New York Times, vida sureña y El periodico de Wall Street, among many other national publications.  She is active in food advocacy and serves on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of both the Independent Restaurant Coalition and the Southern Foodways Alliance. She also serves on the board and the Government Affairs Committee of NCRLA. Cheetie is part of World Central Kitchen’s Chef Corps, a global network of culinary leaders who champion World Central Kitchen’s work providing fresh meals following crises.