Pierre Thiam: Innovation & Food
*Click here to watch Pierre Thiam on Innovate Africa explaining Fonio, perhaps the most nutritious grain around.
Marianna
Do you have a routine or ritual for entering into a creative headspace?
Pierre
I wake up every morning before sunrise to meditate and symbolically pour water to the memory of my ancestors. It’s a ritual that keeps me grounded and connected to an infinite creative pool.
Throughout the day, I also take moments to re-center and to seek the original source.
Marianna
Do you have any habits you've built for yourself to foster creativity?
Pierre
I like to visit market places whenever I travel. They’re a formidable feast for the senses where All sorts of people converge. I find the energy in markets to be quite unique and inspiring.
Marianna
Where do you think ideas come from?
Pierre
Ideas come from the same source where everything originated. It’s a source and our challenge is to figure out a way to tap into it. There are many ways.
Marianna
When do your best ideas hit you?
Pierre
In my bed, when I am half asleep, also when I listen to jazz.
Marianna
What are the unexpected turns your life took to lead you to become who you are today?
Pierre
I was robbed 3 days after I first arrived in NY. That completely changed my plans of going to school in Ohio to finish my degree in physics and chemistry. My first job in NY happened to be in a restaurant. Thirty years later, I am still in the kitchen.
Marianna
How has working at the intersection of being a chef, a writer, and an activist affected your thinking and your work?
Pierre
They are not exclusive of one another. To me, it’s an organic continuum. As a chef, I am concerned with agricultural policies and environmental issues. I am particularly concerned with the plea of farmers in Africa. Consequently, I import products sourced from those farmers and cooperatives under my brand, and I also cook with those same products at my restaurant.
Marianna
Do you experiment in your work?
Pierre
Yes, I do an experiment. I often start with a memory. Recently, I received a couple of pounds of amaranth leaves. I wanted to revisit a traditional west African sauce that consists of leaves, red palm oil and tomato with shredded dried and smoked shrimp and crayfish. I was looking for a vegan version for the restaurant. I substituted the seafood flavor with a fermented locust bean called dawadawa in Nigeria.
Marianna
Can you think of something you read or saw recently that strikes you as a truly new idea?
Pierre
I am not sure whether it came from a book or a series of thoughts. Lately I am fascinated by the idea of turning the desert into a forest as an answer to climate change. That may not be a new idea but it certainly is a bold one.
Marianna
Can you tell me about a time you inspired creativity in others?
Pierre
I think I inspired my team and my partners to believe in the vision for my companies Yolele Foods (www.yolelefoods.com) and Teranga (www.itsteranga.com) and to work upon it. I also inspire young African chefs to revisit their culinary traditions…
Marianna
Can you tell me about a time that someone helped you innovate?
Pierre
When I was a young sous chef at a Soho restaurant and my executive chef, Geoffrey Murray, asked me to innovate by introducing the cuisines of my roots in the menu.
Marianna
How do you make sense of chaos in your life?
Pierre
Chaos can be my worst enemy, particularly in the kitchen.
Professional kitchens need a certain level of organization in order to produce good quality food. That’s why we always start our day at work with the “mise en place” (French for “put into place”). The idea is to organize the kitchen into an optimum level of food preparation. This is a good metaphor for life too. Trying to turn the chaos around into some sort of organized “mise en place”.
Marianna
Why do you think people get stuck on problems?
Pierre
It may be an attachment thing. I believe that we need to learn how to let go of things (including problems). The mind is a powerful thing and sometimes all it takes is to change our negative mindset into something positive.
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About Pierre Thiam:
Born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, the bustling and culturally diverse West African metropolis, Pierre Thiam pays homage to traditional West African cuisine through his thoughtful approach to food. He is currently the Co-Founder of Yolélé Foods, a purpose-driven African food company launched in 2017 that specializes in African superfoods. Thiam is also the Executive Chef at the celebrated Nok by Alara in Lagos, Nigeria. His pan-African fine dining menu brings an elevated experience of the African diaspora onto the table. Clientele includes the Who's Who of Africa including Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, the Emir of Kano and the King of Morocco.
Based in New York City, Pierre Thiam Catering introduces contemporary interpretations of ethnic flavors to a diverse, savvy clientele, including UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon, world-renowned artist, Kehinde Wiley, and global icon, Dikembe Mutombo.Thiam is a leading advocate for responsible tourism, as well as a spokesperson for the rich culinary history of Africa and its Diaspora.
He has authored two groundbreaking cookbooks. His first book, Yolele! Recipes from the Heart of Senegal was a nominated finalist of the IACP Julia Child Cookbook Award as well as a Special Jury Award Winner at The Gourmand World Cookbook in Paris. It is currently featured in the Cultural Expressions section at the Smithsonian’s New Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington DC. His second book, SENEGAL: Modern Senegalese Recipes from the Source to the Bowl was nominated James Beard Award for Best International Cookbook. Thiam has been featured on numerous TV programs including Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, CNN's Inside Africa and the Food Network's Iron Chef.
He has also spoken on various prominent radio shows including NPR’s "Leonard Lopate Show", “The Splendid Table” and "Here and Now" as well as Martha Stewart Living Radio. His life, career, and contribution to African cooking has also been highlighted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, The Village Voice, Boston Globe, Saveur Magazine, Essence Magazine and many others.
A leading advocate for world hunger alleviation, responsible tourism as well as a spokesperson for the rich culinary history of Africa and its Diaspora, Thiam has been invited as a guest lecturer and guest chef across the globe to speak on these topics. Today, he continues to share the culinary world of West Africa with a partnership with Boston University’s West African Research Association for Tastes of West Africa, an unforgettable culinary journey in Senegal. This hands-on learning experience includes preparing a number of signatures West African dishes such as Ndole, Egussi, Yassa, and Thieboudienne, and opens up the world of West Africa through its cuisine.