# EP 48: Cheetie Kumar

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hospitality-on-the-rise-7243462/ep-48-cheetie-kumar
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hospitality-on-the-rise-7243462/ep-48-cheetie-kumar.md
Podcast: [Hospitality On The Rise](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hospitality-on-the-rise-7243462)
Published: 2026-02-10T11:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/culinary-agents/episodes/EP-48-Cheetie-Kumar-e3dn01c
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/101c6a4b0/podcast/play/114048492/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-0-15%2F416184196-44100-2-e6713e4c63251.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hospitality-on-the-rise-7243462/episodes/ep-48-cheetie-kumar
Duration seconds: 1869

## Resource

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , host Alice Cheng welcomes Cheetie Kumar. She is the Chef and Co-Owner of Ajja, Vice President of the Independent Restaurant Coalition and the Southern Foodways Alliance, and a 2026 James Beard Semifinalist. Cheetie reflects on teaching herself how to cook, opening music venues and bars, and eventually building restaurants of her own. She shares how trusting her creative instincts, building strong teams, and fostering community through food have shaped her leadership approach and deepened her commitment to food advocacy. Links - Instagram - Cheetie Kumar: https://www.instagram.com/cheetieku/ - Instagram - Culinary Agents⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.instagram.com/culinaryagents/ - Full Transcript⁠: https://hospitalitycareerpaths.com/resources/ep-48-cheetie-kumar ************ Remember, success looks different for everyone in hospitality. No two paths are the same. If you have a leader or a topic you want to hear about, email media@culinaryagents.com. Hospitality On The Rise is brought to you by Culinary Agents, connecting top talent with employers since 2012. Whether you’re hiring or looking for your next opportunity, join us at CulinaryAgents.com. For more inspiration, subscribe to Hospitality On The Rise and visit HospitalityCareerPaths.com, a free platform by Culinary Agents. Thanks for tuning in! Remember to like, follow, and subscribe. And if you loved this episode, share it with someone who could use a little inspiration.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hospitality-on-the-rise-7243462/episodes/ep-48-cheetie-kumar/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/hospitality-on-the-rise-7243462/ep-48-cheetie-kumar.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.