While his family shared Thanksgiving together in the United States, Haymaker owner and chef William Dissen was across the globe sharing the holiday with residents of Qatar. The trip was one of several Dissen has made to share our country’s culture as a member of the American Chef Corps, a program launched by the State Department under the Obama administration in partnership with the James Beard Foundation. Dissen is one of 50 chefs asked to cook around the world, using food as a bridge between nations.

“The idea is to take U.S. food and culture and to go abroad and to work hand-in-hand with embassies around the world to help promote America through food,” Dissen says. “What better way to represent a place than through sharing a meal, and food heritage and food culture?”

Last year, Dissen was scheduled to go to Ukraine, but the assignment was canceled due to the pandemic. In his first Chef Corps trip post-pandemic, Dissen traveled to the Middle East for the Qatar U.S. Festival. On Thanksgiving, he took part in a discussion of the American Thanksgiving holiday, with samples of roasted turkey and cranberry cider relish, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. He also hosted a cooking demonstration of Southern foods, including barbecue chicken, rice grits, and chow-chow, followed by a cook-off between international food bloggers.

Dissen often cooks Southern barbecue, as despite wood-fired cooking taking place across the world, our area’s style of barbecue is unique. The result can sometimes be a scramble to find ingredients that got lost in translation; during one trip in New Zealand, Dissen asked to see the barbecue only be led proudly to a traditional grill. He laughs recalling the hunt through Wellington for a smoker, eventually finding one at a Spanish restaurant. For his cooking demonstrations in Qatar, Dissen traveled with Carolina Gold Rice. Though he represents America more broadly, Dissen says his cooking style leads to him bringing Appalachian and Carolinian culinary traditions to kitchens across the world.

“Bravado aside, I feel almost like being selected an Olympic athlete to represent the U.S. around the planet,” Dissen says. “It’s a huge honor for me. I’m excited, and also just to be able to go abroad. In our world, I think a lot of prejudice happens because people don’t get outside their bubble, and they only know what’s around them. And I think travel and meeting new people and seeing new places helps broaden our perspectives.”

Unpretentious People Say...

Other Articles You Might Enjoy