Wylie Dufresne Wylie Dufresne was born in 1970 in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of a designer and a restaurateur. In 1977 he moved to New York. In 1992 he completed a B.A. in philosophy at Colby College, Maine. After college Wylie enrolled at the French Culinary Institute in New York and was then employed at Jo Jo's from 1994 to 1997. Wylie was hired to work on the opening of Jean Georges, eventually becoming the sous chef. In 1998 Dufresne was hired as chef de cuisine at Vongerichten's Prime in The Bellagio, Las Vegas. In 1999 he left Prime to become the first chef at 71 Clinton Fresh Food, a 30-seat restaurant on Manhattan's Lower East Side where his father, Dewey, was a partner. The restaurant's mission was "fine dining in a casual atmosphere." The restaurant was a great success and garnered much favorable press attention in spite of a Lilliputian kitchen. Dufresne opened wd~50 (named for the chef's initials and the street address), a 70-seat restaurant with a state of the art kitchen, in April of 2003, on Clinton Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side. His partners in the venture are Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and restaurateur Phil Suarez. Wylie's cuisine continues to evolve in terms of technique, utilizing ingredients and equipment that have created a menu notable for its innovation as well as flavor. The restaurant prides itself on the fact that the cooks all work in a collaborative fashion, continually experimenting and sharing ideas. For further information: Rachael Carron (212-477-2900) Alex Stupak Born April 21, 1980, Alex Stupak made his first appearance in a professional kitchen (as a prep cook) at the age of twelve having convinced the restaurant’s owner he was of legal age. Alex took full advantage of his high school’s unique Culinary Arts program and also joined VICA, the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, and quickly started to participate in culinary competitions, eventually competing at the national level during his senior year. He swept the competition and won a full scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America, securing a culinary degree and an externship at Boston’s prestigious Clio Restaurant. Here Alex had his first opportunity to work the pastry station, part of a mandatory rotation for all cooks, and to his surprise enjoyed the work, although at the time he did not anticipate making it his career. After graduation from the CIA Alex moved to Chicago where he became roundsman (or tournant) at Tru. Within fourteen months he was offered the position of sous chef at The Federalist in Boston. However, a twist of fate, landed him in the position of pastry chef. Fascinated by innovation and technique and seeking an environment that supported his vision, Alex returned to Clio to become the restaurant’s first pastry chef. Boston Magazine awarded him the title of “Best Pastry Chef” in 2003, and in the following year, Food & Wine Magazine hailed him as “a visionary”. In 2005, Chef Grant Achatz asked Alex to be the pastry chef at Alinea. The restaurant’s opening was a highly anticipated event in the restaurant industry, galvanizing Alex to excel with his menu. He was asked to recreate his magic on-air, making appearances on broadcasts including The Today Show, Colameco's Food Show on PBS, and The Discovery Channel. The recently published Alinea cookbook includes several of Alex’s recipes. An invitation from Wylie Dufresne to take on the mantle of pastry chef at wd~50 fulfilled Alex’s combined ambitions to cook in New York and to work in an environment that fostered his creative vision; he joined the team at wd~50 in August of 2007. Chef Stupak was victorious on Iron Chef in 2008. Pastry Art & Design named Alex “One of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America” in October of 2008, and shortly thereafter, Vogue’s food critic, Jeffrey Steingarten, deemed him “an unstoppable font of new ideas”. Jon Bignelli Born in Connecticut, January 31, 1978, Jon Bignelli graduated from James Madison University with a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology in 2004. Though he has no formal culinary training, Jon was raised in a family that sat down to meticulously prepared dinners every night. His father had lived in France and enthusiastically introduced the family, including Jon, to the joy of cooking and dining well. Jon has also been fortunate to work with the following chefs during his career thus far: Jerry Hayden (Amuse), Marcus Samuelson (Aquavit), and Nils Noren (Aquavit). He was promoted to the position of sous chef at Aquavit. In March 2007, Jon joined wd~50 as roundsman and was promoted to sous chef a year later, in June of 2009 he became wd~50’s Chef de Cuisine.