defining moment for me. boom had, like, this global ethnic/italian --. >> anthony: so you saw a window to start introducing african, west african flavors? >> pierre: yeah. >> anthony: and it, it worked. people were receptive to that. >> pierre: absolutely, yeah, yeah. ♪ oh, wow. >> anthony: tonight we're having yassa made with the local fish called thiof. cooked simply, on the bone, wrapped in foil, and steamed over the fire, served with a mignonette-type sauce of onions. grilled mussels. sea urchin. >> anthony: mm, grilled mussels, cool. >> pierre: yeah. >> anthony: oh, that was good. mm, starving. i mean, i'm really hungry. so, what distinguishes senegalese cuisine from the neighbors? >> pierre: i think we have the best food in the continent. >> anthony: have you, you've traveled in the american south? >> pierre: yeah, yeah. >> anthony: um, i mean, do you notice some things about the food? >> pierre: it's familiar. [ laughter ] it's so familiar.