Cheetie Kumar

Garland | Raleigh, NC

Growing up in India until the age of 8, Cheetie spent time in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother, learning the basics of Indian cooking. After the family immigrated to the Bronx, she was immersed in a world of many ethnicities, traditions, and flavors. In North Carolina, she’s embraced her new home and its long-standing tradition of readily available home-grown produce, as well as its variety of international grocery stores. Cheetie is a self-taught cook: She learned the craft while playing guitar in independent rock bands, many of them with her husband – Paul Siler – who is also her business partner. Life on tour and as the co-owner of music venue Kings (and its adjoining cocktail bar, Neptune's Parlour) taught her the value of the independent, artistic spirit that is the backbone of the emerging downtown Raleigh community.  Cheetie was a James Beard award semi-finalist for 2017 Best Chef: Southeast. 

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Cheetie is participating in the Hill Fire dinner on 10/19.