Following the change in ownership of one of his restaurants, Haymaker, chef William Dissen is getting ready to open more restaurants in the Charlotte area.
While the sale of his restaurant to Built on Hospitality is bittersweet, Dissen has big plans moving forward. He tells What Now Charlotte that he is expanding Billy D’s Fried Chicken throughout North Carolina, eventually hoping to open a location in the Charlotte area. This isn’t the only project Dissen is planning for the Charlotte area. The renowned chef and culinary diplomat is also working on a new venture but isn’t ready to share any details, according to the Charlotte Business Journal. Until then, the loss of Haymaker will allow Dissen to focus on his current restaurants, such as The Market Place in Asheville, which is celebrating 45 years.
“I think, as you grow older, you start to think about what’s important in your life,” Dissen tells the Charlotte Business Journal. “For me to find the pathway ahead, I think I need to open up some other places in my life. I’m stirring a lot of pots right now. We’ll just leave it at that.”
Chef Dissen, who has been awarded “Green Chef of the Year” two years in a row by FORTUNE Magazine, currently operates Billy D’s Fried Chicken at the North Carolina Zoo, Elon University, and Wake Forrest University. The restaurant specializes in farm-fresh fried chicken that is hot and crispy. Like all Dissen’s restaurants, the chicken is made with local ingredients. One of the many reasons why the restaurateur has been named “Most Sustainable Chef in the World,” recently beating celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay on National Geographic’s Uncharted.
Chef Dissen started his sustainable-focused career in the early 2000s when he helped establish the local food shed in Western North Carolina. The chef eventually became an advocate for food policy on Capitol Hill starting in 2010 after recognizing the impact of climate change and overfishing on food sources. Dissen has helped influence Congress on several sustainable-related bills, including The Farm Bill, The Childhood Nutrition Reauthorization Act, and The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
