"Excellence has to be part of us; we cannot negotiate that, said Chef Cisse. Harlem is the mecca of Black people, from the culinary to the culture, so when we want to represent Harlem, we have to bring our best, he continues. He brings the same level of excellence to all his restaurants. Cisse takes particular pride in being a Black chef."
"Sadly, in every fieldespecially the culinary worldpeople of color must excel to be compared to their white counterparts that revel in mediocrity. Despite bias and disparities, Chef Cisse built a culinary empire in Harlem that represents the Black diaspora and stays true to his Senegalese roots. I visited three of his four restaurants to bring readers the inside scoop. Below is my Black History Month: Tour De Harlem!"
Chef Cisse Elhadji, Senegalese-born and based in Harlem since 1995, owns four Harlem restaurants: Pony Bistro, Renaissance Harlem, PB Brasserie, and Harlem Cafe. He trained with many chefs across New York before opening Pony Bistro in 2008 and later PB Brasserie. He emphasizes uncompromising excellence and pride as a Black chef, insisting that people of color must perform at the highest level amid industry bias. He blends West African and Senegalese flavors to represent the Black diaspora and honor Harlem's cultural legacy. Despite disparities, he built a local culinary empire centered on quality, cultural authenticity, and community presence.
Read at www.amny.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]