Food can hold deep emotional significance and symbolize a person's life and legacy.
Yolele, Pierre Cham's African food brand, promotes sustainable, nutritious African ingredients and supports small farmers.
Deep dives
Sauce-Viande Stew: A Comforting and Flavorful Dish
Sauce-Viande, known as leafy sauce, is a traditional West African dish that chef Pierre Cham brings to life. The stew features meat that has been carefully stewed and a delicious sauce made from broken down leafy greens. Aunt Mary, who played a key role in Cham's love for food, introduced him to this dish. When Cham served it to his wife, Lisa, she fell in love with the hearty stew and connected it to the flavors of Japan. The recipe includes blanching and shocking cabbage and colored greens, sautéing beef with onions, garlic, and ginger, adding tomato paste, and simmering until thickened. Optional ingredients include peanut butter and scotch bonnet or habanero chili for those brave enough to enjoy the heat. The scotch bonnet is served on top of the stew for individuals to customize their spice level.
Yolele: Advocating for African Ingredients and Cuisine
Pierre Cham founded Yolele, an African food brand, to make African-grown crops more accessible to people and raise awareness about their nutritional value and impact on the environment. Yolele focuses on climate-friendly, drought-resistant ingredients that are not only nutritious but also support small farmers. Yolele started with fonio, an ancient grain, and has expanded to include fonio beer, spices, and more. The brand has gained national and international distribution, making significant strides in diversifying diets and promoting sustainability.
The Universal Love for Comforting Stews
Pierre Cham's one recipe, sauce-free, holds a special place in his heart and exemplifies people's universal love for comforting stews. When Cham introduced sauce-free to his wife, Lisa, she immediately connected with the flavors and enjoyed multiple servings. The stew features blanched cabbage and colored greens, sautéed beef with garlic, onions, and ginger, tomato paste, and a slow simmering process. Aunt Mary's addition of smoked fish and oysters gives the stew a unique and delightful taste. The stew thickens with the inclusion of cabbage and greens, and optional ingredients like peanut butter and scotch bonnet provide additional flavor and heat. Serving the scotch bonnet on top of the stew allows individuals to control their spice level.
Yolele: Bridging Cultures and Promoting Biodiversity
Yolele, Pierre Cham's African food brand, not only showcases the diversity of African cuisine but also serves as a bridge between cultures. By promoting a diversified diet that includes African ingredients, Yolele supports the health of individuals and the planet. Using climate-friendly and drought-resistant ingredients, the brand brings economic opportunities to small farmers while raising awareness about the significance of preserving biodiversity. Through collaborations with breweries and the introduction of fonio beer, Yolele demonstrates the potential for flavorful products that positively impact the environment.
This week, we have stories centered around food, love, and legacy. First, we talk with author Michaele Weissman about meeting her husband's family for the first time, tasting his mother's bread, and later learning its significance and how it represented her husband's life. Her latest book is The Rye Bread Marriage: How I Found Happiness with a Partner I'll Never Understand. Then, we sit with Barkha Cardoz to remember her husband, the late Chef Floyd Cardoz. We talk about their meeting in culinary school in India to admiring how he would add flavor to everything he cooked. In his honor, she is releasing the masala spice blends they created together to continue his legacy. Then, we feature a segment from our sister podcast, The One Recipe, where Chef Pierre Thiam, author of the latest book, Simply West African, talks to host Jesse Sparks about the first time he introduced the love of his life to his aunt and the one recipe that ultimately passed the test, Sauce Feuille.
Broadcast dates for this episode:
August 18, 2023 (originally aired)
August 9, 2024 (rebroadcast)
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