Pierre Thiam

Pierre Thiam, a renowned chef and the co-founder of Yolélé, shares his journey from Senegal to New York City. After a fateful robbery shifted his career focus to cooking, he passionately promotes fonio, an ancient, drought-resistant grain. The conversation highlights the grain's incredible sustainability and nutritional benefits, as well as its cultural significance. Thiam discusses the impact of colonization on food systems and emphasizes the importance of empowering local farmers through this unique culinary endeavor.

Pierre Thiam, a celebrated chef and co-founder of Yolélé, shares his inspiring journey from Senegal to New York City after a life-changing mugging. He discusses the ancient grain fonio, its potential for food security, and the challenges in promoting it globally. Thiam highlights how he embraces his cultural roots in his cooking and the transformative power of community support in establishing Yolélé. He also reflects on sustainable agricultural practices and the importance of diversifying diets with nutritious options like fonio.

Mike Kurtz, founder of Mike's Hot Honey, shares the labor-intensive journey behind popularizing his spicy condiment. Robert Craggs, Pladis's culinary innovator, reveals how trend scouting takes them around the globe for inspiration. Chef Pierre Thiam advocates for the ancient grain fonio, highlighting its potential and cultural significance. The trio discusses the intricacies of branding and scaling food trends, predicting that health-oriented and sensory-led foods will dominate future markets, driven by social media buzz.

Guests Amy Thielen, Eric Ripert, and Pierre Thiam share tips on stress-free Thanksgiving hosting, cooking moist turkey, simple seafood dishes, West African flavors, and crispy roasted Brussel sprouts. They discuss their books, including Thielen's Company, Ripert's Seafood Simple, and Thiam's Simply West African. They provide techniques for cooking salmon gently, creating reimagined Thanksgiving side dishes, and incorporating unique flavors like palm oil and collard greens.

This week, we’re all about trying some new things in the kitchen. We’ve got unexpected ideas from our listeners and from pros like Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi. Food & Wine’s restaurant editor Khushbu Shah weighs in on the best way to cook rice and their wine editor Ray Isle turns to canned wine. Chef Pierre Thiam introduces us the African super grain fonio, and Ariel Dumas, adventurist cook and a head writer for The Late Show with Steven Colbert, accepts a ratatouille challenge from Francis.Broadcast dates for this episode:August 28, 2020 (originally aired)September 3, 2021 (rebroadcast)December 29, 2023 (rebroadcast)Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show