Chef Pierre Thiam

This week's guest is US-based African chef, cookbook author and activist Pierre Thiam. Pierre (who was born and raised in Senegal and now lives in the Bay Area) has dedicated his career to making West African cuisine and ingredients accessible to new audiences in the US and beyond. He’s the executive chef and co-founder of Teranga, his acclaimed fast-casual group of restaurants in New York City, where he sources food directly from African farmers, and is the co-founder of Yolélé, a purpose-driven food business that makes African ingredients available to US home cooks and restaurants, while connecting smallholder farms in West Africa with the global food economy. Pierre is also the author of three cookbooks, including his most recent, The Fonio Cookbook: An Ancient Grain Rediscovered, which highlights simple African-inspired recipes for the home cook such as Fonio Fritters with Sweet Potato, Tamarind Roasted Chicken with Fonio and Fonio Chocolate Cake with Raspberry (among others!). Learn more about Chef Pierre online at https://www.pierrethiam.com/  Purchase his cookbooks and fonio products at  https://www.pierrethiam.com/products