Cheetie Kumar 是 Ajja 餐厅的主厨兼老板，Ajja 是罗利五点街区的一家餐厅，其灵感来自地中海、中东及其他地区的多样化饮食和文化、鲜活的香料和烹饪技巧。Ajja 于 2023 年 6 月开业，是詹姆斯·比尔德基金会奖最佳新餐厅半决赛入围者。Ajja 还被评为 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 的简介 这 纽约时报, 南方生活 和 华尔街日报, 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.