Growing up in West Virginia, Chef William Dissen began his culinary journey in his grandmother’s kitchen. There, family meals were cooked with local ingredients, many from the home’s bountiful garden. In this ambitious debut cookbook, Dissen reinterprets the flavours of his youth, putting a modern spin on recipes grounded in the traditions of sustainable agriculture, local cuisine and the hills and valleys of his Appalachian community. Thoughtful Cooking also represents a culinary vibe shift as these recipes invite the reader to meditate on the importance of cooking through the seasons and considering the people who are growing, harvesting, fishing and foraging the ingredients. With modern, Southern-inspired recipes like Cornmeal Fried Catfish with Butterbean and Boiled Peanut Stew, Tomato Sandwiches with Confit Garlic Aioli and Red Wine–Braised Beef Short Ribs with Blue Cheese and Green Apple Slaw and Cumin Chili Sauce, Dissen showcases the flavours of the place he calls home.

Photographs by: Johnny Autry