Wylie Dufresne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wylie Dufresne is the chef and owner of wd~50 restaurant in Manhattan. Dufresne is a disciple of Spanish chef Ferran Adria and a leading American proponent of molecular gastronomy; the movement to introduce new techniques and sciences in the preparation and delivery of food.
Born in 1970 in Providence, Rhode Island, Dufresne is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York. In 1992 Wylie completed a B.A. in philosophy at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. From 1994 through 1999, he worked for Jean-Georges Vongerichten, where he was eventually named sous chef at Vongerichten's eponymous Jean Georges. In 1998 he was chef de cuisine at Vongerichten's Prime in The Bellagio, Las Vegas. In 1999 he left to become the first chef at 71 Clinton Fresh Food. In April of 2003 he opened his 70-seat restaurant, wd~50 (named for the chef's initials and the street address) on Clinton Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
Dufresne was a James Beard Foundation nominee for Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2000 and chosen the same year by New York Magazine for their New York Awards. Food & Wine magazine selected him as a recipient of their 2001 America's Ten Best Chefs award and in 2003 New York Magazine gave him one of their Chef Awards. In their first Red Guide for North America, Michelin released the New York City Guide, 2006 in which Dufresne's wd~50 was awarded a one-star rating.
Among his signature preparations are Pickled Beef Tongue with Fried Mayonnaise and Carrot-Coconut Sunnyside-Up
In 2006, Dufresne lost to Mario Batali on Iron Chef America.
