Chef Wylie Dufresne – Getting to Know this Chef from New York

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wd-50 is this ultra-chic restaurant in New York that has earned great praises not only from its loyal diners but also from some of the best known food critics as well. They are a new addition to the top 50 list of San Pellegrino, having bagged the 45th spot. This great recognition is all thanks to its owner and head chef, Chef Wylie Dufresne.

Chef Dufresne was born in Providence, Rhode Island in the year 1970. He spent seven years of his childhood in Providence, but in 1997, his family relocated to New York. He went to Colby College in Main and took up philosophy; however, soon after he graduated from college, he went to the French Culinary Institute to receive some formal culinary training. It was not surprising though that he would want to become a chef because his father, Dewey, is in the restaurateur business, so he got a bit of his interest in the culinary world from him. But what really pushed his interest was his job during college. He was working then at a pizza station, and suffice it to say that he fell in love with cooking.

During his training at the FCI, he was also working at Jo Jo’s, and he stayed with them for about three years. However, he decided to leave Jo Jo’s to further his culinary training and found a job at the eponymous Jean Georges, which is owned by the famous French chef Jean Georges Vongerichten. Here, he became the restaurant’s sous chef. A year later, he moved to Las Vegas where he worked at the Prime, Vongerichten’s restaurant in The Bellagio, as its chef de cuisine. The next year, in 1999, he went back to New York to work at the 71 Clinton Fresh Food as its first chef, the same restaurant that his father co-owned with a partner. His stint here has earned him a Rising Star Chef title.

It was in 2003 that Chef Dufresne finally decided to start out on his own and open his own restaurant. He became partners with Chef Vongerichten as well as Phil Suarez, and they launched wd-50.

wd-50 came from Chef Dufresne’s initials as well as from the street address of the restaurant. His new restaurant boasts of an ultra-modern state-of-the-art kitchen that has been designed by both father and son, and the dining area can seat about 70 people. His kitchen became his kingdom where he experimented with different ingredients, combining and mixing a variety of elements to create innovative dishes.

He does not believe, however, in simply combining different elements just to show that his cuisine is unique, but he is a firm believer in creating a harmonious dish that makes sense. He emphasizes that there should be a balance in all the different flavors in each dish and that temperature as well as the textures of the different elements should also fully complement the flavors.

All his efforts in creating a cuisine that is uniquely his have finally paid off. In 2004, his restaurant was named as the Best New Restaurant, and for three consecutive years starting 2008, Chef Dufresne has been named as the Best Chef of New York City.

His restaurant has also earned a good number of awards. In fact, it got listed into the top 50 S. Pellegrino list, received three stars from New York Times in 2008, and received one Michelin star in 2006. These, however, are just some of the awards and titles that Chef Dufresne and his restaurant have received ever since they opened their doors to the public.

Chef Wylie Dufresne’s Slow Poached Egg, Parmesan Broth, Tomato Powder

Ingredients:

For the Parmesan Broth:

2 pounds of parmesan rinds
2 carrots
1 onion
4 stalks celery
4 garlic cloves
pinch of salt
1 bay leaf
2 quarts water

Directions: Roughly chop the vegetables and place in bottom of a medium sized stock pot. Wrap scraps of parmesan in cheesecloth and secure with string. Place on top of vegetables and cover with water. Add bay leaf and pinch of salt, bring to a boil and simmer for two hours. Strain and allow to cool. Remove fat cap that rises to surface and store in fridge or freezer.

For the Dish:

4 organic eggs
½ cup sev (chick pea noodles)
1 tablespoon tomato powder
Small handful baby chives
1 teaspoon parmesan oil
6 ounces parmesan broth

Directions: Bring a small saucepan up to 145°F and place eggs inside. Leave to cook for one hour. Crack the eggs into four separate bowls, season with salt, sev, tomato powder, and baby chives. Ladle the warm parmesan broth around egg and drizzle parmesan oil in bowl.

Servings: Serves 4.

Image Credit: phorecast.com

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