MEET THE VISIONARIES BEHIND TERANGA GRILL
Our Leadership’s Commitment to Community and Cuisine
Teranga Grill is more than a restaurant. It is the flagship social enterprise of the Boston Innovation Community, uniting premium halal cuisine with a clear mission: fund food security, youth opportunity, and community pride in Nubian Square. Behind every plate of Jollof, Biryani, or Mediterranean mezze is a leadership team that treats hospitality as service, technology as leverage, and profit as fuel for our neighbors in need.
MEET THE VISIONARIES BEHIND TERANGA GRILL
Teranga Grill is guided by the Boston Innovation Community, a non-profit that believes restaurants can be engines of social change. Our leadership team blends 30 years of halal culinary expertise, deep roots in Roxbury, and decades of experience in education, technology, and community development. Together, we are building a premium multi-cuisine halal restaurant that feeds Boston’s body and future at the same time.
Chef Muhammad Barry
Executive Chef & Culinary Director
Chef Barry brings 30 years of mastering West African, Mediterranean, and Indo‑Pakistani halal cuisine. He leads Teranga’s kitchen with a commitment to 100% Zabiha standards and flavors that feel like home.
Ahmad M. Barry
Vice President, Boston Innovation Community
An 18‑year‑old visionary who helped raise $200,000 to build Teranga Grill in Nubian Square, Ahmad leads strategy, youth training, and community partnerships—with his eyes set on serving Boston as a future mayor.
Robert Novak
Executive Director, Boston Innovation Community
Robert oversees Teranga Grill’s operations, technology, and brand, turning decades of digital and financial experience into systems that make the restaurant sustainable, scalable, and impact‑driven.
Ruth K. Manion
President, Boston Innovation Community
Ruth brings two decades of experience in education, youth counseling, and community development. She ensures that every program, partnership, and policy at Teranga Grill reflects empathy, inclusion, and real opportunity.
Halal Integrity, Rooted in Heritage
Our leadership team is united by one non-negotiable standard: 100% Zabiha halal, from sourcing to service. Chef Barry’s West African heritage, Ahmad’s multicultural upbringing, Robert’s systems mindset, and Ruth’s community-first lens all shape how Teranga Grill operates.
We work only with trusted halal suppliers, maintain separate prep and storage for all meats, and welcome regular audits from local religious leaders and community partners. Every plate whether it’s Jollof, Biryani, or Mediterranean mezze is prepared with the same care we would offer our own families. This is not fusion. These are three authentic culinary traditions, honored side by side, under one halal table in Nubian Square.
Driving Change Through Food and Collaboration
At Teranga Grill, our leadership team is deeply committed to addressing food insecurity through innovative solutions and authentic community partnerships. We believe that food is dignity. By leveraging premium halal cuisine paired with traditional culinary practices and cutting-edge technology we deliver nutritious, culturally respectful meals while fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment in Nubian Square and beyond. Our approach is rooted in listening, not prescribing. We ask our neighbors what they need. We show up. We stay.
Our approach is rooted in collaboration, working closely with local organizations, religious leaders, youth advocates, and corporate partners to build sustainable pathways for youth employment and community engagement. By investing in people and nurturing relationships, we create impact beyond the plate. Teranga Grill is not a charity; it is a for-profit social enterprise designed to last, scale, and inspire businesses to prove doing good and doing well are not mutually exclusive. It proves Boston’s future is built together.
Our Journey to Impact
Explore the milestones that have shaped Teranga Grill’s mission-driven journey, from vision to reality to scaled community change in Boston.
2023
The Vision Takes Shape
The idea for Teranga Grill was born from a passionate conversation about food security, cultural pride, and economic opportunity. Our founding team recognized a gap in Boston: No premium halal fine dining restaurant existed, yet 100,000+ Muslim residents, tens of thousands of West African and South Asian immigrants, and countless community members deserved a space to celebrate their cultures authentically and with dignity.
2024
Building Our Foundation
We partnered with local organizations, religious leaders, and community advocates to understand the true needs of Nubian Square residents. These early conversations shaped our model: profit reinvested into food security, youth pathways, and cultural celebration. We were not starting a restaurant to extract value from the community we were starting a restaurant to serve it.
2025
Doors Open in Nubian Square
After years of planning, design, and fundraising, Teranga Grill opened its doors in the heart of Boston’s Nubian Square. Our first week was electric families from the Muslim community lined up to experience premium halal food. Mediterranean enthusiasts discovered our mezze platters. Corporate partners inquired about catering. Most importantly, neighbors felt seen. We immediately launched free meal delivery to seniors and began recruiting the first cohort of youth trainees.
2026
Creating Opportunity for Boston’s Youth
We formalized our Youth Economic Mobility program, offering paid culinary training, professional mentorship, and career pathways for young people in Roxbury and Greater Boston. To date, we have trained and employed 120+ young adults, many of whom are now in leadership roles at Teranga Grill or other hospitality businesses across Boston. This program proves a simple truth: Talent is universal. Opportunity is not. We exist to change that.
Voices of Our Community
Hear directly from the people neighbors, partners, and advocates whose lives have been changed by Teranga Grill.
“Teranga Grill has transformed our neighborhood by providing not only delicious, authentic meals but also hope and opportunity. Chef Barry’s respect for halal traditions, paired with the team’s commitment to our youth, makes this more than a restaurant, it’s a community institution.”
Fatoumatia Diallo
Community Leader & Mosque Advisor
“The partnership with Teranga Grill has been a game-changer for our organization. They don’t just donate meals they’ve become a strategic partner in our food security mission. Every catering order, every event, every connection strengthens our ability to serve Boston.”
John Smith
Non-Profit Director & Food Security Advocate
“I trained at Teranga Grill and it changed my life. Chef Barry taught me that cooking is service. Now I’m a sous chef and I mentor other young people. This restaurant proved to me that opportunity exists if you show up, work hard, and stay true to your values.”
Aisha Okafor
Sous Chef & Youth Program Graduate
“Teranga Grill is a model that other food businesses should follow. They’ve proven that you can build a profitable, premium restaurant while genuinely serving your community. Their innovative approach to food security and youth employment is inspiring a new generation of mission-driven entrepreneurs.”
Michael Johnson
Philanthropist & Social Impact Advisor
Join Our Mission
Teranga Grill is more than a restaurant it’s a movement. Whether you’re a diner seeking premium halal cuisine, a business looking to partner on catering, a young person interested in culinary training, or a philanthropist committed to food security, there’s a place for you at our table.