Chef William Dissen on Cooking with Purpose

Today on Flavors Unknown, I’m talking with Chef William Dissen — chef, owner, and visionary behind The Market Place, a renowned 46-year-old farm-to-table restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina. Known for his Appalachian heritage and his fierce commitment to sustainability, Chef Dissen sees cooking not just as craft, but as daily activism.

From beating Gordon Ramsay on Uncharted to leading a restaurant that fuels community economics, Chef Dissen blends tradition with innovation — preserving Southern foodways while pushing them into the future. In this episode, we dig into his Appalachian roots, his approach to food preservation, and the lessons he’s learned running one of the most respected sustainable restaurants in America.

We’ll talk about the biodiversity of wild mushrooms in Western North Carolina, the business philosophy behind farm-to-table after four decades, and why slowing down to cook together might be the most radical thing you can do in modern life.

Whether you’re a chef, home cook, or food lover, this episode will inspire you to think differently about where your food comes from and the impact it makes.

What you’ll learn from Chef William Dissen

• Childhood memories that shaped Chef William Dissen’s culinary path (2:09)
• The moment that sparked his deep connection to food (5:00)
• Why he almost chose culinary school in France over the CIA (6:31)
• Lessons from French market culture and seasonal cooking (7:53)
• Working at Charleston icons Magnolia and Cypress (9:04)
• Balancing traditional Low Country cuisine with modern techniques (10:56)
• Moving to Asheville and stepping into entrepreneurship (13:23)
• The difference between owning a business and having a great job (14:09)
• How Hurricane Helene impacted Asheville’s tourism economy (15:00)
• Appalachian cuisine as the backbone of Southern food (16:14)
• Food preservation techniques that are both traditional and profitable (18:05)
• A wild mushroom ravioli dish that celebrates local ingredients (19:27)
• The biodiversity of wild mushrooms in Western North Carolina (21:07)
• Sustainability in materials, energy, and operations at The Market Place (22:00)
• Why Chef Dissen considers cooking a form of activism (24:17)
• Creating an economic multiplier effect in the community (26:15)
• The seasonal approach behind his cookbook Thoughtful Cooking: Recipes Rooted in the New South (27:20)
• Why slowing down and cooking together strengthens relationships (28:27)
• His top 5 Asheville dining recommendations (29:05)
• Chef Dissen’s guilty pleasure food (30:38)
• His favorite Appalachian ingredient (31:57)
• The book that helped him overcome internal struggles (31:57)
• Wellness advice for young chefs entering the industry (32:43)
• His dream culinary collaboration (34:15)
• The worst piece of advice he’s ever received (35:14)
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