Meet Dosa Temple Chef Siva Kumar

By Margarita Martinez

Dosa Temple's chef Siva Kumar (Patricia Alvarado/WGBH)

Siva Kumar was born in the farmlands that surround Chennai, India. He grew up milking cows and helping his parents care for their crops. His mother was known in their community as a wonderful cook with a keen sense of hospitality. She was often feeding neighbors and cooking meals for Siva’s classmates. She inspired Siva to become a chef.

In 1997 Siva moved to Chennai to attend culinary school. After graduation he worked for a few years in five-star hotel in the city, the Taj. In 2000 he moved to Bombay, where he continued to work at the Taj. Eager to expand his culinary experience, he moved to the United States in 2004.
In the U.S. Siva had the opportunity to work in a number of cities and learn about different cuisines. He discovered that he has a special passion for vegetarian and vegan foods. He helped start a vegetarian restaurant and he found that he loved combining healthy, local products to create tasty and hearty meals with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free products. When his longtime friend Gopala Krishnan opened Dosa Temple, he called upon Siva to join him. Dosa Temple has been very successful, and Siva is planning to open his own restaurant very soon.

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Watch Neighborhood Kitchens online to learn more about Dosa Temple in Somerville's Union Square.

*Since filming, the Union Square restaurant has reopened under new ownership as Dosa N Curry. The Ashland location remains Dosa Temple.

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