Pierre Thiam is a Senegalese

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

, and social activist. Thiam is best known for bringing West African cuisine to the world. Based in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Thiam is the founder of Pierre Thiam Group, which owns Teranga restaurants in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and Yolélé Foods. Yolélé, founded in 2017, is a food company centered on

fonio Fonio, also sometimes called findi or acha, is the term for two cultivated grasses in the genus '' Digitaria'' that are important crops in parts of West Africa. It is a vital food source in many rural areas, especially in the mountains of Fouta ...

, an ancient African super-grain. In addition, since 2015, Thiam has served as Executive Chef of the award-winning restaurant Nok by Alara in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, Nigeria, and the Signature Chef of the

Pullman Hotel Pullman Hotels and Resorts is a French multinational upscale hotel brand owned by Accor. Pullman has 145 hotels and resorts in 42 countries spread across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle-East and Oceania. History Railroad origin ...

in Dakar, Senegal. Thiam has authored several cookbooks, and in June 2024, he was inducted into the Cookbook Hall of Fame by the James Beard Foundation Awards.

Biography

Thiam was born and raised in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

, Senegal. He attended

Cheikh Anta Diop University Cheikh Anta Diop University (), also known as the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese physicist, historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop and has an enrollment of over 60, ...

for an undergraduate degree in chemistry and physics. In 1988, the college was closed due to student strikes, and Thiam moved to the United States the following year to pursue his studies, but when he landed in New York City, he began working in restaurants. By introducing African-inspired foods, he worked his way up to

chef de cuisine A chef de cuisine (, French for ''head of kitchen'') or head chef is a chef that leads a kitchen and its cooks. A chef patron (feminine form ''chef patronne'') (French for ''boss chef'') or executive chef is a chef that manages multiple kitche ...

at Boom restaurant in New York in 1997.

Business career

In 2001, Thiam opened his first restaurant, Yolélé, in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn in

, an African bistro with a menu inspired by traditional West African flavors with modern production techniques. He opened another Brooklyn location, “Le Grand Dakar'', in 2008. Following the closing of his Brooklyn operations, Thiam founded Pierre Thiam Group, a food & beverage company that promotes West African cuisines. Through his group, Thiam has opened Teranga restaurants with two New York City locations, and consulted as an executive chef for the launch of Nok by Alara in

, he developed an African line of food products with his CPG company called Yolélé, and he collaborated with Brooklyn Brewery’s

Garrett Oliver Garrett Oliver (born July 29, 1962) is an American brewer and beer author from New York City. Since 1994, he has worked as the brewmaster at the Brooklyn Brewery. Early life Oliver grew up in Hollis, Queens to a father who enjoyed hunting and co ...

on a series of wildly popular beers that incorporate African ingredients. Since 2017, Thiam, through Yolélé Foods, has been known for producing and selling

products in the United States. Fonio is an ancient West African super-grain mostly imported from

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

, and

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

. Thiam believes that introducing the global market to the fonio grain is simultaneously supporting sustainable and traditional agriculture in West African nations. He positions his project as part of a larger movement to elevate the economic power of African farmers, who for centuries have been suppressed by the Western hegemony in the global food system.

Social impact

Thiam is known for his philanthropic efforts and his commitment to using his platform to make a positive impact in the world. In 2022, Thiam with his wife Lisa started the non-profit L+P Foundation to “promote diverse, healthy, conscious food cultures across communities”. He is also an advocate for the importance of supporting farmers and underutilized crops grown in Africa and promoting food sustainability. Through his company Yolélé, Thiam exports fonio to supermarkets across the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, which has helped bring economic opportunities to the region in West Africa where the grain is grown. Fonio is one of the oldest cultivated grains and was considered to be a peasant's food in West Africa.

Other considerations

Throughout his career as a chef, Thiam has helped to clear a pathway for authors and chefs such as Yewande Komolafe and Serigne Mbaye of Dakar NOLA in New Orleans. He has cooked for the King of Morocco, French President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

, and Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. He has authored four books including his latest, “Simply West African”, published in 2023.

Personal life

Thiam lives in

with his wife Lisa Katayama and their daughters Naia and Marie Aissé.

Books

* * * *

Recognitions

* 2024: Thiam was inducted into the Cookbook Hall of Fame by

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awar ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thiam, Pierre Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Chefs Senegalese business executives African chefs Cookbook writers American people of Senegalese descent