Stream Africa interview with Pierre Thiam (Catering)
If you’re looking for one of the best catering companies in New York, Chef Pierre Thiam Catering is the place to go.
Pierre Thiam’s journey toward a food career began in the late eighties in New York City, when he left Senegal to pursue studies in Physics and Chemistry. After working in restaurants as diverse as Garvins and Jean Claude Bistro, he landed at Boom restaurant where he worked his way up to become Chef de Cuisine in 1995.
Since 1997, Thiam started his catering business, with a mission to explore and combine food from his native West Africa to his contemporary NY restaurant experience.
Here is our interview with him.
- When did your love for cooking start?
My early memories date back from an early age. My mom had a cookbook collection (Le Larousse Culinaire) with lots of photos of great looking dishes. As a child, I used to sit down for hours simply looking at the pictures in the book (and salivating of course, Hahaha!) while my friends were playing soccer in the street.
- Have you always dreamed of being a chef?
No! Cooking wasn’t really an option for a young boy growing up in Senegal. The kitchen was considered a women’s territory. I grew up in a family that valued good food. When I first arrived in NY, I stumbled into the restaurant industry when looking for a job. I’ve worked my way up the ladder. 20 years later, I am still cooking.
- When did you launch your company?
My company was launched in 1997 after having worked for several years in NYC restaurants.
- What types of dishes does your catering company offer? Do you make local food or international food?
I like to call it contemporary West African Cuisine. It is a combination of the cuisine of my African roots and my 20 years experience of professional cooking in New York City. It is still local food since most of the ingredients are sourced locally.
- What inspires your culinary skills?
The ingredients inspire me. When they are good and fresh, the cooking becomes fun. Of course I also find inspiration in my roots. The intensity of flavors of our cuisine. The use of fermentation as well as the spices.
- Do you own a restaurant? If yes where is it located?
I recently closed my Brooklyn restaurant to focus on a central kitchen in Harlem. From my base I offer catering services and am developing a line of packaged products.
- How can we contact you for your services?
My catering website is www.pierrethiamcatering.com I also have a website that keeps informed about my other activities: www.pierrethiam.com
By email I can be reached at pierre@pierrethiamcatering.com
- What else will you like to share with us about your company and services?
I just returned from Dakar yesterday where we successfully launched the first AfroEats food festival. The festival’s goal is to celebrate our food culture. We partnered with local food entrepreneurs and the government to promote our food products. I traveled with a delegation of chefs and media professionals from the US, Europe and Africa and for 5 days, the pulse of Dakar was beating in the rhythm of food. I am particularly proud of this success because we have been working on it for a moment. The event received extensive coverage by Reuters, France 24, TV 5 to name a few, as well as by the local media. This is a great opportunity to promote culinary tourism but also for us African to take pride in our food. We are already talking about a second edition and other African countries are approaching us to bring the concept there. In that respect I consider myself a culinary ambassador.
Africa Global News Publication
Check out this great TED talk video from Mr. Thiam…
