After a shift, what is your favorite guilty pleasure to eat? “After a particularly long day, the lure of a good cheeseburger leaves me completely powerless. I used to get one from an old Raleigh institution down the street that sourced its grinding beef from a high-dollar steakhouse in town. But its ownership and hours changed, so now it’s a Char-Grill Steak Jr. for me! I really wish there was a late-night Japanese sushi/steak kind of place in Raleigh—that’s what I really want!”
Is there one dish you won’t cook? “Hmmm—I can’t think of any dish that doesn’t have a time and place. I’m down to cook most anything, but that’s not the same as serving it in my restaurant.”
All-time favorite spice. “Can’t live without cumin (or coriander).”
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What is your favorite music to listen to while you cook? “Depending on what I’m fixated on at the moment—but these are always in heavy rotation:
- David Bowie, “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)”
- LCD Soundsystem, anything by them
- Led Zeppelin, “Physical Graffiti”—from Kashmir to Night Flight
- Kraftwerk, “The Man-Machine”
- Thee Oh Sees”
Did you grow up cooking as a child? “Yes—I wanted to be in the kitchen for as long as I can remember.”
What cookbook is your go-to resource for inspiration? “I have a ridiculous tower of cookbooks next to my bed that rotates regularly. It’s hard to choose one because it’s good to always keep references fresh, but there are mainstays in the kitchen that we refer to for basic guidance on how to structure dishes we are working on:
- Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
- A handful of Madhur Jaffrey books
- Julie Sahni, Classic Indian Cooking
- Jacques Pépin, Essential Pepin”
After all these years working in restaurants, do you still enjoy going out to eat? “Absolutely. A good meal at a restaurant is truly restorative (living up to the name).”
Is there one chef you’d like to cook with? “Madhur Jaffrey.”
Name the all-time best cooking show. “Mind of a Chef.”
What is the one tool that you always make sure to pack when you’re traveling for business? “I usually have a knife roll that is packed with tools, but if I am only allowed one item, I won’t show up without a sharp, general-purpose chef’s knife.”
Chef Cheetie Kumar is the co-owner of Garland in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is a two-time James Beard Award-semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast.
Interview has been condensed and edited.
