Wylie Dufresne

Wylie Dufresne
Born	Template:Birth year and age Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Chef, business owner
Known for	Molecular gastronomy, wd~50, Alder, Du's Donuts

Wylie Dufresne is a prominent American chef and business owner, recognized for establishing the pioneering dining venues wd~50, Alder, and Du's Donuts in Manhattan. He currently operates Stretch Pizza located on 24th Street. Dufresne is a notable authority in molecular gastronomy, integrating scientific methods into culinary practice.

Early life

Dufresne was born in 1970 in Providence, Rhode Island. He completed his education at Friends Seminary, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Colby College, and received professional culinary training at The French Culinary Institute (presently The International Culinary Center) in New York City.

Career

Between 1994 and 1999, Dufresne gained experience working under Jean-Georges Vongerichten, holding positions as sous chef at Jean Georges and chef de cuisine at Prime in Las Vegas. In 1999, he took on the role of first chef at 71 Clinton Fresh Food. His signature restaurant, wd~50, opened on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 2003, followed by the launch of Alder in the East Village in 2013. Both establishments ceased operations by 2015.

Throughout his career, Dufresne has earned several honors, including James Beard Foundation nominations for Rising Star Chef (2000) and Best Chef New York (2007), ultimately winning Best Chef NYC in 2013. The restaurant wd-50 held Michelin stars from 2006 to 2008 and received high praise from New York Magazine and Food & Wine. Among his notable culinary creations is the Pickled Beef Tongue paired with Fried Mayonnaise.

In the realm of television, Dufresne appeared as a competitor on Iron Chef America (2006), judged multiple seasons of Bravo’s Top Chef, participated in Top Chef Masters (2009), and featured on the UK edition of MasterChef. He also made guest appearances on HBO’s Treme and was mentioned on the series Silicon Valley for his invention of Liquid Shrimp.

Following the closure of his restaurants, Dufresne introduced Du's Donuts & Coffee initially as a pop-up in Williamsburg in 2017, later expanding to Soho and Brooklyn locations. That same year, he co-authored the cookbook wd~50 with Peter Meehan.