Chef Pierre Thiam I African Cuisine Making Moves

Updated: November 19th, 2023

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Pierre Thiam & Noah Levine co-founded Teranga, an African superfood joint and catering business. The business focuses on supplying a fresh new take on African food culture. The acclaimed Senegal-born chef and cookbook author Pierre runs it.

It offers a culinary lens into Africa through African-grown ingredients and flavors dating back to colonization. The name Teranga translates to “good hospitality” in Senegalese, although it’s a fast-casual spot.

Pierre Thiam is a renowned chef, author, and social activist best known for bringing West African cuisine to the global fine-dining world. Pierre has cooked for numerous government officials, including the King of Morocco, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

He has authored three cookbooks, including The Fonio Cookbook: An Ancient Grain Rediscovered (2019), Senegal: Modern Senegalese Recipes from the Source to the Bowl (2015), and Yolele! Recipes From the Heart of Senegal (2008). He has won numerous awards and accolades for his cooking and advocacy.

Co-founder Noah is a social entrepreneur who creates purpose-driven enterprises that have a significant effect. Since 2012, Noah has served as the Executive Director of SEED Project, an educational non-profit that employs basketball to train African leaders in Senegal, West Africa.

Teranga’s tradition-inspired seasonal menus focus on creating bowls with African grains like Liberian ruby red rice, the ancient grain fonio, or attieke, a fermented cassava couscous. Diners can add proteins like roasted salmon with Moroccan spices, free-range grilled chicken, or vegan options.

Key information:

  • African restaurants are rare treasures in New York, and Teranga has drawn the culinarily curious from across the city.
  • Pierre Thiam serves on the Board of Directors for IDEO, SOS Sahel, and CorpsAfrica, as well as on the African Cuisine Advisory Board from the Culinary Institute of America.
  • Teranga works like most of these build-a-bowl places: select a base, a protein, a couple of sides, and a sauce.

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