In New York City, among the big-ticket American, French, and Italian restaurants, a Senegalese chef is bringing African flair to contemporary cuisine. Pierre Thiam is a renowned restaurateur, cookbook author, and social activist. “I think many people feel like African food is inexistent,” he says. “They think Africa is a land of scarcity, they don’t realise that we have so much abundance.” Today, he’s empowering farmers in West Africa by showcasing the region’s unique ingredients.
Cooking was never a part of Thiam’s plan. While on his way to study chemistry in the United States, all of his money was stolen and he was stranded in New York City. He managed to find work as a busboy in a restaurant, but soon realised that African food was absent in his newfound home. And so, Thiam made it his mission to pay homage to his origins through cooking. As he worked in numerous kitchens, Thiam gained experience and expertise. He later became the executive chef at the renowned NOK by Alara in Lagos, Nigeria, and now hosts a signature menu at the Pullman Hotel in Dakar. In Harlem, Thiam is the co-owner of Teranga, a bistro serving spicy plantains, sweet fufu, and hearty black-eyed pea stew alongside tall glasses of ginger juice or mint-hibiscus tea.
Throughout his journey, Thiam has seen the limitations that rural African farmers face in sharing their produce with other regions. To open markets for smallholder farming communities, he founded Yolélé Foods. “I decided to create this company that brings ingredients from West Africa to the rest of the world with the goal to bring economic prosperity,” Thiam says. He grew up eating fonio, an ancient grain similar to couscous or quinoa. Advocating for fonio to become a world class crop, Thiam is enabling his homeland to become a thriving export economy.
Thiam is sharing rather than shying away from his culture. And in celebrating the wealth of African food, he’s transforming the lives of farmers who can reap the rewards of their land. “The goal is to become the pantry of African cuisine,” he says.
