Pierre Thiam, the chef behind Harlem’s Teranga, Nok in Lagos and Pullman in Dakar, is America’s foremost expert on West African cuisine and an advocate for the ingredients, dishes and people of West Africa. It’s quite the contradiction that Thiam has dedicated much of his life and work to introducing West African cuisine to Americans, when so much of it shows up in their life already. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that Chef Thiam works to reframe Americans’ understanding of a cuisine that is inextricably linked to their country. “Talking about that connection between Africa and America is a way to honor and credit our ancestors,” he says. 

Korsha Wilson: Your work is driven by a core mission to promote West Africa on a global stage. How did that come about?

Pierre ...