To conclude our Earth Month Series, we’re highlighting a chef who puts sustainability at the heart of everything he does. Meet Chef William, Sous Chef at North Dining Hall. William has been a valued part of ND Dining for nine years and continues to champion innovative ideas that help create a more sustainable dining environment.
From using imperfect oranges to make juice and repurposing the peels for tea to crafting homemade hot sauce through fermentation processes, Chef William is passionate about cooking techniques that support the campus’s sustainability goals.
This semester, Chef William hosted a special dinner celebrating dishes rooted in Native American traditions. Bison stew, bison burgers, and cactus and corn salad were featured on the menu. Hundreds of students and staff came together for an evening of exploring new and innovative dishes while also learning about the sustainability-focused practices behind many of the offerings.
Behind the scenes of this stewardship-focused meal were dedicated chefs and thoughtful partners who took great care in responsibly sourcing the bison and other fresh ingredients featured on the menu.
One of those partners is Red Frazier Bison, based in Spencer, Indiana. This group of visionaries has played a key role in reintroducing American bison to the Indiana landscape. Red Frazier Bison deeply understands the environmental and ecological benefits of bison, including ethical husbandry, climate resilience, and environmental stewardship. Although, consumer taste has led them to adopt techniques such as a ‘corn finish,’ where the animal is fed grains at the end of its life to help balance flavor.
In addition to its environmental benefits, bison is also a nutrient-dense protein, naturally lower in fat and higher in iron and vitamin B-12, making it a strong option for supporting overall metabolic health. Beyond nutrition, bison also play an important role in shaping and maintaining healthy landscapes. Because they prefer higher, drier ground and travel long distances between water sources, they help reduce soil compaction and protect Indiana’s sensitive waterways—an issue often associated with more sedentary cattle herds. Their grazing patterns, focused on dominant grasses like big bluestem and switchgrass, naturally balance prairie growth and create space for native wildflowers to thrive, contributing to a more diverse and resilient ecosystem.
With dedicated staff members like William, a commitment to responsibly sourcing sustainable products such as bison, and a readiness to embrace new ideas, we can all play a part in making each Earth Month more impactful than the last. Thanks for following along with us this month and learning about the various sustainability-focused efforts that Notre Dame Dining strives to execute each and every day!