What I Learned From Cooking With a Michelin Star Chef

Three unexpected lessons that changed how I think about cooking and excellence

I was sweating before I even walked into the kitchen.

Chef Vijay Kumar of Semma, NYC's hottest Indian restaurant and Michelin star recipient, had agreed to cook with me, and I was terrified I'd embarrass myself. Here's a chef who's redefined Indian cuisine in America, won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef this year, whose restaurant has thousands of guests on the waitlist and whose every dish is meticulously crafted. And there I was, a private chef with a fraction of his experience and none of his accolades, about to step into his world.

What happened next surprised me in ways I never expected. The experience taught me three profound lessons that go far beyond cooking, lessons about preparation, intuition, and the mindset that separates good from great.

Cooking With a Legend

For those unfamiliar, Chef Vijay Kumar isn't just any chef. Semma has become the gold standard for Tamil cuisine in New York, earning its Michelin star by elevating regional Indian dishes that most Americans had never experienced. This year, Chef Vijay added the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef to his accolades. The restaurant is consistently booked solid, and Chef Vijay has become something of a culinary celebrity.

When the opportunity arose to cook alongside him (watch the video here), I jumped at it and then immediately questioned my sanity. What would I learn? What would I mess up? How do you even begin to cook alongside someone operating at that level?

The answers came quickly, and they weren't what I expected.

Prep Is Everything, But Not How You Think

Even though we were cooking just a small portion for the two of us, Chef Vijay spent what felt like an eternity organizing and preparing ingredients. Every spice was measured, every component was ready to go, every tool was in its perfect place.

I used to think excessive prep was overthinking. But watching Chef Vijay, I realized prep isn't about being obsessive; it's about creating space for creativity and connection.

Because everything was ready, we could focus entirely on the cooking process. We could talk, experiment, and truly be present with the food. There was no frantic searching for ingredients, no rushed measuring, no stress that kills the joy of cooking.

Experience Trumps Recipes, But Only With Deep Practice

I expected to see Chef Vijay measuring precisely and following rigid protocols. Instead, he cooked entirely by intuition. He tasted constantly, adjusting salt here, adding acid there, determining doneness through sight, sound, and smell rather than timers or thermometers.

This wasn't reckless improvisation. Every adjustment was precise and purposeful, based on thousands of hours of practice and deep understanding of how flavors develop and combine.

Chef Vijay could cook without recipes precisely because he had mastered the fundamentals so thoroughly. His intuition was actually the result of incredibly disciplined training, not the absence of it.

The Learning Mindset That Changes Everything

Here's what shocked me most: Chef Vijay, despite his accolades and expertise, was genuinely curious about my approach to cooking. He asked questions about techniques I used, wanted to understand my thought process, and seemed as interested in learning from me as I was from him.

This is a James Beard Award-winning, Michelin star chef, at the pinnacle of his field, learning from a private chef. It would have been so easy for him to simply instruct or demonstrate. Instead, he approached our collaboration with genuine curiosity about my experience and techniques.

The best in any field stay hungry to learn, regardless of their level of success. They understand that insights can come from anywhere, and that the moment you stop learning is the moment you start declining.

Excellence isn't a destination; it's a mindset. The people who reach the top and stay there are those who remain genuinely curious about getting better, no matter how much they've already achieved.

The Meta-Lesson: Excellence Is a Practice, Not a Position

Cooking with Chef Vijay taught me that true expertise isn't about knowing all the answers, it's about having developed the right practices and mindset to consistently create great results.

The preparation, the intuitive decision-making, the learning mindset - these aren't just cooking techniques. They're the building blocks of excellence in any field.

Most of us think that reaching a certain level means we can relax, that we've "made it." But watching Chef Vijay, I realized that the highest performers never arrive at a destination. They're always in the practice of getting better.

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So, which lesson surprised you most? I'm curious. Let me know in the comments or send me a reply with what resonates most with your own experience of learning and growth.