Feb. 13 & Feb. 20 Chef Pierre Thiam and Peter Kim—On the Continent - West & Central Africa - Cuisines of Africa and the African Diaspora Lecture Series

About Pierre Thiam
Pierre Thiam is a Senegal-raised, New York City-based chef, author, restaurateur, social entrepreneur & culinary ambassador best known for bringing West African cuisine to the global fine dining world. He is the Executive Chef of the award-winning restaurant Nok by Alara in Lagos, Nigeria and the Signature Chef of the five-star Pullman Hotel in Dakar, Senegal. He is also the executive chef and co-owner of Teranga, a fast-casual food chain from New York City. His company Yolélé Foods advocates for smallholder farmers in the Sahel by opening new markets for crops grown in Africa; its signature product, Yolélé Fonio, is found in Whole Foods, Amazon, and other retailers across America.
About Peter Kim
Peter is a food culture pioneer who leads food content and creators at Pinterest, which reaches over 450 million users worldwide. Previously, he led the creation of the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) as its founding director. Under his leadership, MOFAD became recognized as a global leader in experiential food education.

Readings

Imma Adobu ~ Immaculate Bites
Ethnic Fusion Made Easy: Recipes, Videos, How To's, and more.
"My hope is that people from other countries learn more about our Caribbean and African cultures through food."
Fetlework Tefferi ~ CIA Plant-Forward Kitchen
Fetlework Tefferi is owner/general manager at Café Colucci and Brundo Organic Flavors of Ethiopia. She started Brundo International in 2009 in the central Ethiopian town of Modjo. The nearly all-female-run spice company employs 29 women in Ethiopia, who grind spices grown by local farmers and mix them into various blends. She also helps to foot the costs of uniforms and a lunch program at the nearby school, which their children attend. She moved to the United States as a teenager when the revolution in Ethopia began, with five small bags filled with spices that her mother gave her as she left. After college Fetlework went into banking and relocated to San Francisco. Two of her friends were opening a restaurant and asked for her help. She started doing a little cooking at the café, peppering Ethiopian dishes onto the Italian menu. Ethiopians who ventured in loved her kitfo, a spiced steak tartare. Café Colucci is now a second home to many Ethiopians in the Bay Area. (Oakland, CA)