Chef Jeya Kumar – Cold Kitchen Craftsman & Culinary Innovator from Tamil Nadu Chef Jeya Kumar – Garde Manger Specialist & Rising Culinary Artist from India
Passion, Precision, and Purpose in the Culinary World
Chef Jeya Kumar is fast becoming a name to reckon with in India’s evolving culinary landscape. Hailing from the culturally vibrant Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, his journey is marked by extraordinary commitment, refined technique, and a flair for artistic food presentation. He has emerged as a promising expert in cold kitchen preparations, specializing in garde manger techniques and fruit & vegetable carving—skills that require both meticulous precision and a creative soul.
What makes Chef Jeya Kumar stand out is his seamless blend of traditional South Indian culinary roots with modern food artistry. In a time when visual appeal is as important as flavor, he brings both to the plate. His mastery over salads, charcuterie, and cold appetizers—combined with a talent for transforming fruits and vegetables into decorative sculptures—reflects a rare balance of form and function.
With solid academic grounding in B.Sc. Catering and Hotel Administration, and STCW-certified training in hospitality operations for the maritime industry, Chef Jeya Kumar is not just prepared for land-based hospitality but is also equipped for global culinary roles on cruise liners and seafaring kitchens.
Over the years, he has worked in respected establishments like Sterling Kodai by the Lake, Fortune Select Grand Ridge, and Sandesh the Prince, gradually rising through the ranks to his current position at Caravela Beach Resort, Goa, where he serves as Commi 1 in the cold kitchen.
Driven by a long-term dream to open his own restaurant, he combines ambition with humility, creativity with discipline. Chef Jeya Kumar is more than just a chef—he is a visual storyteller, a disciplined learner, and a culinary professional dedicated to leaving a flavorful legacy behind.
Early Life & Culinary Foundations
📍 Rooted in Rural Tamil Nadu
Born on 20th December 1999, in the village of Kolundurais East, situated in the culturally rich Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, Jeya Kumar’s culinary instincts were formed early in a family that appreciated food deeply. Growing up amidst traditional South Indian flavors, home-cooked meals, and festive delicacies laid the groundwork for what would become his life’s calling.
Even during school days, he displayed an exceptional interest in cooking, food presentation, and experimenting with spices—often surprising family members with his enthusiasm to learn beyond textbooks.
🔹 Educational Pathway: Formal Training & Hospitality Knowledge
🎓 B.Sc. Catering & Hotel Administration
Jeya Kumar pursued his professional training in Catering and Hotel Administration at Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Thiruvarangam, which offered specialized curriculum focused on hospitality, kitchen management, hygiene standards, and service excellence. His education was a turning point—equipping him with not just theoretical knowledge, but the discipline required to thrive in high-pressure hospitality environments.
📜 Certifications: STCW & STSDSD (2024)
In addition to academic training, Jeya Kumar successfully completed:
- STCW – Basic (Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping) – 2024
- STSDSD (Security Awareness Certification) – 2024
These internationally recognized maritime certifications empower him to work in seafaring hospitality and cruise kitchens, opening doors to global opportunities in the future.
🔹 Professional Experience: A Timeline of Growth
🧑🍳 Caravela Beach Resort, Goa (2022 – Present)
One of the most significant pillars in Chef Jeya Kumar’s professional timeline is his multi-year association with Caravela Beach Resort, a five-star resort in Goa, where he has steadily grown through three different ranks in the Garde Manger (Cold Kitchen) section.
🔸 Commi 3 (05 March 2022 – 03 June 2023)
He began as a junior kitchen staff (Commi 3), where he learned mise-en-place, food storage, and plating standards for cold appetizers, salads, and continental starters. His dedication, speed, and cleanliness made him a standout performer.
🔸 Commi 2 (03 June 2023 – 05 June 2024)
Promoted for his consistent efforts, Jeya began to take ownership of specific sections within the cold kitchen. He supervised junior staff, handled pre-service planning, and began training in fruit and vegetable carving techniques used for live buffet counters.
🔸 Commi 1 (04 June 2024 – 19 June 2025)
Currently holding this rank, Jeya Kumar now plays a pivotal role in designing the cold platter section for large banquet functions, daily à la carte operations, and VIP guest events. His responsibilities include ordering, cost control, food artistry, and maintaining HACCP standards.
🧑🍳 Sandesh The Prince, Mysuru (20 March 2021 – 30 June 2021)
At this upscale hotel in Karnataka, Jeya worked in F&B Production, where he was exposed to a wide array of cuisines and large-scale kitchen systems. This short stint provided experience in:
- North and South Indian buffet service prep
- Team-based operations under executive supervision
- Live cooking stations and multi-cuisine line setup
🧑🍳 Fortune Select Grand Ridge, Tirupati (09 December 2019 – 06 March 2020)
In this role, Jeya worked in the Key Department of the property—dealing with high-volume service lines and precise food coordination. Tasks included:
- Line preparation for weddings and corporate events
- Assisting with portion control and station cleanliness
- Learning buffet logistics for over 500 pax/day
🧑🍳 Sterling Kodai by the Lake, Kodaikanal (06 December 2018 – 28 February 2019)
His first foray into the hospitality world was at this renowned Sterling resort. Working in F&B Service, he learned the customer-facing side of food:
- Table setting, order taking, and room service operations
- Guest engagement and dish explanation
- Cleanliness and mise-en-place for restaurant service
🔹 Core Strengths & Technical Skills
Chef Jeya Kumar combines natural talent with professional discipline. His strengths are especially visible in his cold kitchen artistry, but his skills span across multiple domains:
🛠️ Culinary & Kitchen Skills:
- Advanced knife-handling
- Salad and canapé preparation
- Charcuterie board assembly
- Appetizer and cold meat platter layout
- Buffet line organization
- Mise-en-place planning and rotation
🧠 Soft Skills:
- Decision-making
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Teamwork and cross-functional coordination
- Communication and guest interaction
- Cleanliness and hygiene compliance
🧑🎨 Signature Skill:
CARVING (Fruits & Vegetables) – A visual art that Jeya uses to enhance banquet experiences and buffet aesthetics. His carvings have been highly appreciated during live counters and theme dinners.
🔹 Languages: Connecting with Teams and Guests
Jeya Kumar is trilingual, fluent in:
- Tamil – Native language and used across many South Indian kitchens
- Hindi – Enables smooth communication in most North Indian hospitality settings
- English – Used for documentation, guest communication, and coordination with supervisors
This linguistic versatility makes him an effective communicator in both back-of-house and guest-interaction scenarios.
🔹 Personal Traits: What Makes Chef Jeya Kumar Unique
- Calm Under Pressure: Able to deliver quality even during peak service hours.
- Visual Creativity: Uses carving, plate design, and color theory in his cold dishes.
- Growth-Oriented: Moves forward with intention, tracking his own goals using the SMART framework.
- Multi-Dimensional Exposure: Understands both kitchen operations and front-of-house service.
🔹 Career Vision: A Chef on a Mission
Chef Jeya Kumar’s long-term vision is to open his own restaurant that will showcase India’s cold kitchen heritage in a globally appealing way. He dreams of a place where presentation meets authenticity—serving dishes that look like art but feel like home.
In the short term, his focus remains:
- Mastering cold kitchen operations
- Training under senior chefs to learn menu planning
- Joining cruise or seafaring hospitality roles using his STCW certifications
He believes in building a foundation so strong that his future restaurant will reflect not only flavor but resilience and innovation.
🔹 Interests & Culinary Passions
- Cold Kitchen Artistry – Jeya is deeply interested in the creation of salads, terrines, canapés, and hors d’oeuvres.
- Visual Food Design – He actively explores plating concepts that create emotional appeal through color, texture, and structure.
- Seasonal Ingredient Exploration – Passionate about understanding how seasons affect produce and how to source and store ingredients for maximum freshness.
- Hospitality Technology – Interested in modern tools for kitchen management, inventory, and plating.
STCW & CDC
- STCW Basic Certification – Completed
- STSDSD Security Awareness – Completed
- CDC (Continuous Discharge Certificate) – Ready for international assignments
These documents position Chef Jeya Kumar as a global-ready culinary professional, particularly for cruise lines, luxury ships, and overseas hotels.
A Rising Culinary Leader from India
From the misty hills of Kodaikanal, where he first began his journey in food service, to the glittering beachfront kitchens of Goa’s luxury resorts, Chef Jeya Kumar has walked a path that speaks of resilience, learning, and unwavering passion. What began as a modest introduction to hospitality has grown into a powerful narrative of transformation—one defined by hands-on experience, continuous growth, and the pursuit of culinary excellence.
Chef Jeya Kumar’s rise is not defined by speed, but by substance. He has chosen to build his career from the ground up, starting in service roles and steadily moving into high-impact culinary positions. His time at Sterling Kodai by the Lake, Fortune Select Grand Ridge, and Sandesh the Prince gave him a solid foundation in kitchen operations, food production, and guest service. But it was in the cold kitchen of Caravela Beach Resort, where he truly came into his own—refining his skills in garde manger, fruit and vegetable carving, and visual food design.
What makes his story compelling is the spirit he brings to the kitchen each day: a spirit of discipline, creativity, and humility. Whether preparing intricate salads or carving artistic centerpieces for buffets, he views every task as an opportunity to learn and elevate the dining experience.
Chef Jeya Kumar’s career represents more than just a chef’s journey—it symbolizes the evolution of Indian hospitality talent. He stands at the intersection of tradition and innovation, of regional flavors and international standards. As global hospitality continues to expand, chefs like him are not just contributing—they are leading the way.
With ambition in his heart and excellence in his hands, Chef Jeya Kumar is undeniably a rising culinary leader from India, poised to inspire many others across borders and cuisines.
