Spotlight: Chef Pierre Thiam

Pierre Thiam is a celebrated chef, restaurateur, award-winning cookbook author, and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Senegal, he is known for his innovative cooking style, at once modern and eclectic yet rooted in the rich culinary traditions of West Africa. His critically acclaimed New York restaurant Teranga, introduced healthy fast casual fare directly sourced from farmers in West Africa. He is the founder of Yolélé Foods, which distributes African food products across the USA, introducing such ingredients like Fonio, a resilient and nutritious ancient grain from the Sahel region of West Africa. Pierre is the author of four cookbooks including his latest, Simply West African: Easy, Joyful Recipes for Every Kitchen, released in 2024 that was named best cookbook of the year from the Los Angeles Times, Sand Francisco Chronicle, Epicurious, Smithsonian and several other outlets. He has won numerous awards and accolades for his cooking and advocacy. In 2024 he was named to the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame. He is on the board of directors for three global nonprofits, IDEO.org, SOS Sahel and Corps Africa and on the Advisory board of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

Born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, Thiam’s cooking style is at once modern and eclectic, rooted in the rich culinary traditions of West Africa. He has cooked for the King of Morocco, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Through his advocacy and many media appearances, he has become known as a culinary ambassador, dedicated to promoting West African cooking throughout the world. His TEDTalk, given at TEDGlobal 2017 in Arusha, Tanzania, has been viewed over one million times. Thiam sits on the board of directors of IDEO.org and SOS Sahel.