Wylie Dufresne

CHEF/OWNER
WD~50, NEW YORK
CHEF MEMBER

It’s a matter of trying to find answers to all of the questions. There’s a lot of inherited wisdom in cooking, but sometimes we don’t know why we do something the way we do it. It’s good to find out if there’s a better way to do it and, if not, why it works the way it does. It’s made my work really interesting and fun. Obviously, I’m not a scientist, but there is an immense amount of satisfaction in completing a successful innovation after much trial and error.

Photo: Joyce George

It’s hard to know what the future will be. I would hope that Culinology® becomes a more-accepted approach, and I think I’m beginning to see this. Our diners seem more open to what we’re doing here than they were when we opened. I think we can have more fun and go further if we’re required to defend the approach less.

BIRTHPLACE: Providence, RI;

SCHOOL DAZE: B.A., Philosophy, Colby College, Waterville ME (1992);

CAREER MOVES: JoJo Restaurant, sous chef; Restaurant Jean Georges, sous chef; Prime, Bellagio, chef de cuisine; 71 Clinton Fresh Food, chef; wd~50, chef/owner;

WHY I’M A CHEF: I had ambitions to be a professional athlete, but not the aptitude. Being a chef fulfills many of the pleasures that I imagine a competitive professional athlete derives from their sport. I worked the pizza station at Al Forno for a summer job during college, and that’s when I got bitten.

TOUGHEST MEAL I’VE PREPARED: On one night we had Ferran Adrià at one table and Heston Blumenthal at another;

CAREER HIGH POINT: Owning and operating wd~50 for six years;

BIGGEST MISHAP OR DISASTER: Having to throw out all of the food because of a health department inspection that cited us for doing sous vide before we received our final certification. We were subsequently certified, won a Golden Apple, and on our most-recent health department visit for sous vide passed with flying colors.

FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOL: Vita-Prep 3, the workhorse in our kitchen—we have several;

FAVORITE DISH TO PREPARE: Scrambled eggs for myself, which I often do at the restaurant;

BIGGEST INSPIRATION: My cookbook collection;

MOST-INFLUENTIAL PEERS: I’ve been influenced by all of the people I have enjoyed working with, from Jean-Georges Vongerichten to my current staff. My eye, with regard to presentation and plating, has been greatly influenced by my former and current pastry chefs, Sam Mason and Alex Stupak. I admire anyone who does what they do well in this industry.

MOST-MEMORABLE MEAL: I’m as happy to eat the perfect cheeseburger or enjoy a lengthy meal at Mugaritz;

EARLIEST FOOD MEMORY: My great grandmother boiling potatoes and serving them with a lot of butter and a side of stacked white toast—she would cry if I didn’t eat everything;

FAVORITE FOOD PRODUCT AT THE GROCERY STORE: Eggs;

FAVORITE JUNK FOOD: Sliced American cheese;

FANTASY FOOD SPLURGE: A private jet flight with my wife to some exotic dining destination;

FAMOUS PERSON I’D MOST LIKE TO COOK FOR: Thomas Jefferson;

FAVORITE FOOD CITY: New York;

IF STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, I’D MISS: A cheeseburger;

FAVORITE MUSIC: The Grateful Dead;

CURRENTLY READING: “Contemporary French Cuisine: 50 Recipes Inspired by the Sea,” by Olivier Roellinger.