In this episode of The Charlotte Business Podcast, host George-Alain Boti sits down with Chef Mark Allison, former Dean of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University, founder of Midlife Wellness & Beyond, and author of Fuel for Life and Let's Be Smart About Diabetes. At 62, Mark climbed Mount Kilimanjaro carrying the names of 70 cancer patients, survivors and people who lost their battle, including his late wife, to the summit as a fundraiser for Chefs Against Cancer.
Mark's approach to wellness, which is about staying capable rather than just staying young, has been shaped by a lifetime in kitchens, by raising sons with type 1 diabetes, and by caring for his wife through cancer. In this conversation he explains the six pillars behind Midlife Wellness & Beyond, why real food matters more than any diet trend, and how small steps add up at any age.
“You don't have to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to have an obstacle in your way. You just decide what you want to improve on.”
Watch the full conversation above, or listen on Buzzsprout.
Mark grew up in the northeast of England, where his options at 16 were the mines, the shipyards or a car factory. Because his mother was a good cook and his father grew vegetables, he chose food instead and stepped into his first professional restaurant at 16. Forty-six years later he is still cooking, after working in restaurants, hotels, healthcare, education and large international companies. He arrived in the United States in 2004 and calls Charlotte one of the best cities in America, especially for entrepreneurs.
Mark moved to Charlotte with his wife and three boys after living near Charleston, where he says they were surrounded by fast food. A photo from Thanksgiving 2005 reminds him that he gained 40 pounds in 14 months without noticing. He says one missing piece in modern life is that people no longer learn to cook, so they do not know how to choose healthy food.
A Fulbright scholarship in 1998 sent Mark and his family to Alaska, where his youngest son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The family changed how they ate. In 2008, his wife was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer with no treatment and was given three years. Turning to food, she survived eight years before passing away in 2015. Mark notes that food and lifestyle are generally cited as influencing about 80 percent of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
When Mark turned 62 he wanted an annual adventure with his three grown sons. After a trip to Iceland, he picked Kilimanjaro. His sons passed, so his nephew joined him. Because of Chefs Against Cancer, Mark turned the climb into a fundraiser and carried more than 70 names of people who were fighting cancer, had beaten it, or had lost their battle. At the top he read their names aloud.
Mark did not train like a professional athlete. He followed an 80/20 approach to eating, with about 80 percent real, one ingredient food, walked his dog for an hour every morning around 6:30, and rode a Peloton about 15 to 20 miles every other day. His message is that you do not need to climb a mountain to face a challenge. You just need to decide what to improve.
Mark booked everything online, but a name error on his airline ticket meant he had to rebook his entire flight the day before. He reached the hotel at 1 a.m. on the morning the group met at 5 a.m. to start. He ran on about five hours of sleep over three days, hiked for seven days, and began the summit push around midnight in freezing temperatures. A slow, gradual climb gave his body time to acclimatize, and his group had a 100 percent success rate. He says fitness, resilience and mental strength got him through, and admits he discovered on night one that he hates camping.
Mark describes Midlife Wellness & Beyond as a blueprint of habits that still works when you travel or your routine changes. It covers real food, movement, strength, sleep, mindset and purpose. He says the biggest misconception about aging is that it is too hard to change. The guides on Kilimanjaro repeated the Swahili phrase pole pole, meaning slowly slowly, and Mark applies it to health: small steps, built one at a time.
Real food is the food on the outer edge of the grocery store: produce, fish, meat and dairy, usually with no ingredient list. The aisles in the middle are full of packaged foods with long ingredient lists, additives and preservatives. Mark also says growing your own food is wonderful, but buying fresh as needed works too, and he encourages supporting local bakers and farmers.
Mark built the program for anyone from age 45 up to 75 or 80 who wants more energy, vitality, movement, balance and mental sharpness. That could be someone who has never worked out, someone who is overweight, or a professional athlete. Plans are personalized, but the basics are the same for everyone: get outside, move, eat better food, sleep better, reduce stress, stay close to family and have a purpose. He is not promising anyone will live to 100. He wants to improve the quality of life as people get older.
Mark recommends 15 to 20 minutes of morning sunlight and fresh air. He suggests eating when you are hungry, and if you follow a diet at all, the Mediterranean diet, which he calls a lifestyle built on real food, eating with other people and moving your body. For better sleep, he suggests finishing dinner at least three hours before bed and preferably four, keeping the bedroom cool and dark, turning off electronics an hour beforehand and keeping a consistent bedtime.
Mark founded Chefs Against Cancer after his wife passed away in 2015, as a way to honor her legacy and raise awareness. He asked 10 local chefs, expecting two or three to say yes, and all 10 did. Five years later all 10 are still involved. The annual gala this year was held on October 3 at the Center City Marriott uptown. Last year it sold out 240 seats and raised just under $135,000. The organization keeps no money; after paying for the event, everything is divided among four local cancer charities that help with medical bills, mortgages, food and child care. Mark's long-term hope is to also help hospitality workers who face cancer. Supporters can donate or buy tickets at chefsagainstcancer.org, and Mark also cooks private dinner parties where the proceeds go to the cause.
In the lightning round, Mark says potatoes and bread are the most misunderstood foods. Potatoes are nutritious when they stay away from the deep fryer, and good bread, like sourdough or loaves with just a few ingredients, deserves a place at the table. Asked what he would tell his 40-year-old self, he says never give up and that it is never too late. He closes with a message about being the light in your own life: you cannot wait for the light at the end of the tunnel, you have to become it.
If you are rethinking what healthy aging looks like, building a business while taking care of your health, or just love a good comeback story, Mark's conversation is a motivating reminder that small, consistent steps can take you further than you think.
Chef Mark Allison is a chef, author, educator and wellness speaker with more than four decades of experience in food, nutrition and culinary education, including serving as Dean of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University. At 62, after summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, he founded Midlife Wellness & Beyond to help adults 45+ live stronger, healthier and more capable lives through real food, movement, strength, sleep, mindset and purpose. He is also the founder of Chefs Against Cancer, which brings Charlotte chefs and the community together to raise money for local cancer charities. His books include Fuel for Life, Let's Be Smart About Diabetes and 3 Boys & a Chef.
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