Latest news with #PierreThiam
San Francisco Chronicle
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
I eat at S.F.'s best restaurants. This dining experience is the one I look forward to all year
In my line of work, I routinely eat at some of the best restaurants in the world, but one of the dining experiences I look forward to most all year has no Michelin stars, brand name chef or even paid staff. All the dishes are economical — no caviar supplements available — and there is no wine list. Oh, and it's a 30-course tasting menu. The Tenderloin Family Housing Cooking Competition is an annual event where the residents of 201 Turk, a building that provides affordable housing to low-income families, compete for bragging rights across three categories — appetizers, entrees and desserts. Last week I served as a judge for the second year in a row, and while I would like to say I do this out of my commitment to community, a sense of civic responsibility, etc. etc., between you and me I'm there because the food is really stinking good. Located in the heart of the Tenderloin, 201 Turk is a 175-unit building with a focus on families managed by the Chinatown Community Development Center. A large percentage of the building's residents are immigrants, and this diversity is a big part of what makes this cooking competition such a delight. This year there were chicken masala sliders, a tagine, fish sauce chicken wings, Syrian and Egyptian molokhia, sweet glutinous rice cakes, chocoflan and apple pie. With 10 entries in every category, my fellow judges, including Oakland-based chef Pierre Thiam and AA Bakery owner Henry Chen, and I were in for a lot of eating. We made our way down the line of folding tables, each home cook serving us a portion while describing his or her dish, sometimes through a translator. After sampling the entries, we deliberated on who would place first, second and third in each category while the rest of the attendees filled their plates. Much debate and horse trading ensued before we announced the winners. The woman who took third place in the dessert category with her marzipan-like cookies known as makrouta sauntered victoriously to the front of the auditorium with an Algerian flag wrapped around her shoulders. A cook in the appetizer category was both humble and incredulous when her flavorful Yemeni bean dish took first place. 'It's just beans,' she said. Award-winning beans. Amazing home cooking aside, what I love most about the Tenderloin Family Housing Cooking Competition is the sense of palpable community in this building, even among people who might not speak the same language. I watched the Yemeni bean wizard trade bites with her neighbor, who made a punchy pico de gallo, and when one resident took second place with his eggplant lasagna, he called his wife of 27 years up with him and said it was her recipe and she deserved the credit. This is the feel-good food event we all need, and I can't wait for next year.
Eater
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
A Pioneering African Fast-Casual Restaurant Shuts Down in Harlem
Teranga, an acclaimed African fast-casual restaurant founded by chef Pierre Thiam, is closing its original location inside the Africa Center in Harlem on Sunday, June 15, Time Out New York reports. The restaurant had been in operation for nearly six and a half years. 'It is with a sense of sadness and full hearts that we announce that we are closing our doors in Harlem on Sunday, June 15th,' the Teranga team said in a statement posted to Instagram. 'Thank you to everyone who shared a cup of Ethiopian coffee, a bottle of Bissap, a plate of hot Jollof and Suya, or a side of Kelewele with us.' Teranga, with its focus on putting ancient African grains like fonio front and center, was a big-deal opening back in early 2019. With his fine dining background, Thiam was best known for his work at places like the pan-African Nok by Alára in Lagos, and Brooklyn Sengalese spot Le Grand Dakar, which closed down in 2011. Shortly after Teranga's opening, former Eater NY critic Ryan Sutton hailed the bowl spot as an exciting harbinger of the future of fast-casual dining in NYC. The restaurant scooped up numerous accolades during its run, including a spot on a New York Times list of the 25 essential dishes in the city in 2021. The concept has been a precursor to other fine dining chefs remixing the lunch bowl, including Chinese spot Milu, run by Eleven Madison Park alum Connie Chung. Teranga's Midtown location at 601 Lexington Avenue (stationed inside food hall the Hugh) remains open, and, in the goodbye post, the team hinted at more Teranga locations opening in the future. It's not clear whether another restaurant will be taking Teranga's place at the Africa Center, which has been weathering its own shifts in leadership strategy. Eater has reached out to both Teranga and the Africa Center for more information on the closure. Sign up for our newsletter.
Time Out
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time Out
This beloved West African cafe in Harlem is coming to a close
One of West Africa's most accomplished chefs, Pierre Thiam has certainly made his mark on the dining scene. Credited with introducing West African cuisine to the fine dining world, the Senegal-born chef and award-winning cookbook author promotes underutilized African grains and goods with his food company, Yolélé, and oversees restaurants on a global scale, including Nok by Alara in Lagos, Nigeria and the five-star Pullman Hotel in Dakar, Senegal. But New Yorkers may readily recognize him for his fast-casual efforts, especially his work at Teranga. Only adding to the culture found inside The Africa Center, the immersive restaurant on the ground floor provides a gateway to the dishes of contemporary Africa—but after a six-year run, the cafe is coming to a close. Today, Teranga announced it is closing its doors in Harlem. As posted on the restaurant's Instagram account, the last day of service will be on Sunday, June 15. 'It is with a sense of sadness and full hearts that we announce that we are closing our doors in Harlem on Sunday, June 15th,' said the Instagram post. It went on to thank those who have supported them throughout the years. 'Thank you to everyone who shared a cup of Ethiopian coffee, a bottle of Bissap, a plate of hot Jollof and Suya, or a side of Kelewele with us.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by TERANGA️️️ (@itsteranga_) While it is coming to a close, Teranga's mission to bring African cuisine to the mainstream seems to have been successful. The restaurant consistently ranked in media outlets, receiving top nods from The New York Times for its 'Shanghainese lion's head' portions of fufu and fluffy fonio. Thiam's 'super bowls' of joloff and salmon entrees received a four-star rating from us at Time Out. Plus, Thiam's introduction of fonio, West Africa's 'miracle,' gluten-free grain, has continued to find grounding here, evident by his collaboration beer with Brooklyn Brewery, Fonio Rising Pale Ale. Yet not all hope is lost, as the fast-casual outpost will remain strong in midtown. Additionally, the team seemingly teased new locations on the horizon. 'This is far from a goodbye as our Midtown location (601 Lexington) will continue to serve New York City, and we will be opening new Teranga locations in the near future.' T ime Out has reached out to the team for further comment about what's next.
