Asheville Food Bites: Cookbook chats, wine pairings, more culinary events

Tiana Kennell, Asheville Citizen Times
·4 min read
Jalapeno biscuits made with a recipe from Chef William Dissen's upcoming cookbook, "Thoughtful Cooking: Recipes Rooted in the New South."
Jalapeno biscuits made with a recipe from Chef William Dissen's upcoming cookbook, "Thoughtful Cooking: Recipes Rooted in the New South."
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ASHEVILLE - An acclaimed Asheville chef to release his first cookbook; two food-centric discussion panels featuring award-winning local and national chefs and culinary professionals; a wine and chocolate tasting, and a five-course dinner to celebrate women dominating their industries locally and globally.

Appalachian cookbook preorders

Asheville chef and restaurateur William Dissen is preparing to release his debut cookbook, “Thoughtful Cooking: Recipes Rooted in the New South” on April 2.

Dissen, owner of The Market Place, will share modern, Southern-inspired recipes that are interpretations of meals made in his grandmother’s kitchen in West Virginia and celebrate sustainable agriculture, local cuisine and the Appalachian community.

Chef William Dissen, owner of The Market Place, will release his first cookbook this April titled, "Thoughtful Cooking: Recipes Rooted in the New South."
Chef William Dissen, owner of The Market Place, will release his first cookbook this April titled, "Thoughtful Cooking: Recipes Rooted in the New South."

Cornmeal fried catfish with butterbean and boiled peanut stew, and tomato sandwiches with confit garlic aioli are among the many recipes featured in the 288-page cookbook.

“Thoughtful Cooking: Recipes Rooted in the New South,” published by Countryman Press, will be released in hardcover and costs $35.

To preorder, visit wwnorton.com and for more about Dissen and The Market Place, visit marketplace-restaurant.com.

Dissen also owns Billy D’s Fried Chicken and Little Gem in North Carolina.

The Market Place is a 2024 semifinalist for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant.

Cioppino, a fish stew, is one of the many recipes shared in Chef William Dissen's debut cookbook, "Thoughtful Cooking: Recipes Rooted in the New South."
Cioppino, a fish stew, is one of the many recipes shared in Chef William Dissen's debut cookbook, "Thoughtful Cooking: Recipes Rooted in the New South."

Food advocacy book release and chef panel

On March 19, Katherine Miller will celebrate the release of her new book, "At the Table: The Chef's Guide to Advocacy,” with an author talk with special local guest chefs Meherwan Irani (Chai Pani Restaurant Group, Spicewalla), William Dissen (The Market Place) and Katie Button (Curaté Bar de Tapas, La Bodega), moderated by Feast + Harmony founder, Christine Sykes Lowe.

Miller, founding Executive Director of the Chef Action Network and former James Beard Foundation Vice President of Impact, published the book as a comprehensive guide to chef advocacy. Miller presents how chefs can lead and change a troubled food system with testimonies from U.S. food advocates.

"At the Table: The Chef's Guide to Advocacy” will begin at 6 p.m. at Malaprop’s Bookstore, 55 Haywood St. downtown, and will be streamed online. Admission is free but registration is required for in-person and virtual attendees at malaprops.com.

'Comales and Cornbread' chat

Foodways scholar Marcie Cohen Ferris and cookbook authors Sandra Gutierrez and Ronni Lundy will explore how Latin American and Appalachian foodways intersect in North Carolina at "Comales and Cornbread: Exploring the New-Southern Latino Table in Appalachia" scheduled for 6 p.m. March 27 in the Blue Ridge Room at Highsmith Student Union on the UNC-Asheville’s campus, 1 University Heights.

Sandra Gutierrez, award-winning journalist, author, food historian, and professional cooking instructor, is a featured guest of “Diverse Roots at the Common Table: Culinary Conversations in the American South,” scheduled for 6 p.m. March 27 at UNC-Asheville.
Sandra Gutierrez, award-winning journalist, author, food historian, and professional cooking instructor, is a featured guest of “Diverse Roots at the Common Table: Culinary Conversations in the American South,” scheduled for 6 p.m. March 27 at UNC-Asheville.

Ferris, a James Beard Award-nominated author, has more than 40 years of experience exploring Southern foodways, the Southern Jewish experience and more. Her published works include “The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Region.”

Lundy, a founding member of the Southern Foodways Alliance and the Appalachian Food Summit, is a winner of the James Beard Book of the Year and Best in American Cooking awards for her Appalachian cookbook, “Victuals.” She’s also the owner of Plott Hound Books in Burnsville.

Gutierrez, an award-winning journalist, author, food historian, and professional cooking instructor, has more than 3,000 original recipes and more than 1,500 articles published worldwide. Her published works include “The New Southern-Latino Table: Recipes that Bring Together the Bold and Beloved Flavors of Latin America & The American South.”

"Comales and Cornbread," a part of the Thomas Howerton lecture series, is free and open to the public. Registration is required for in-person attendees at unca.edu.

Or watch the livestream on UNC-Asheville’s YouTube channel @UNCAsheville.

Free visitor parking is offered at 5 p.m. on campus in the faculty/staff and All Permit lots. For more information and a campus map, visit parking.unca.edu.

Women's History Month wine tasting and dinner

On March 25, The Blackbird, in collaboration with Metro Wines and Juniper Cooper of Johnson Brothers/Mutual Distributing of North Carolina, will present “A Spring Celebration Dinner” at 6:30 p.m. at the downtown restaurant, 47 Biltmore Ave. In honor of Women’s History Month, the five-course dinner will incorporate produce and edible creations from local women-led farms and kitchens paired with wine selections from sustainably certified, female-led wineries. Several local farm partners will share their journeys, experiences and farming ethos with dinner guests. Tickets are $125 plus tax and gratuity, and seating is limited. RSVP by calling (828) 254-2502 or email wine@imperialbirds.com.

On March 27, Provisions Mercantile will host Women Wine Makers Night from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at its Biltmore Village Shop, 14 Lodge St. Unique wine and small bite pairings will be served to honor women of the wine industry served with cheese from local women cheesemakers. Jael Skeffington, founder of French Broad Chocolate, will share chocolate pairings and share her experience as a woman trailblazer in the chocolate industry. Tickets are $35 per person and seating is limited. Purchase at provisionsmercantile.com.

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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Award-winning chef chats, wine tastings, Women's History Month events