Jesse Dunford Wood
Jesse Dunford Wood is an English Chef born in Brazil to artist parents in 1977.
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Life and work
He started cooking for himself while at Wimbledon College of Art, culminating in an idea of a career in the kitchen. Swapping the drawing board and camera for a set of knives, Jesse has gone on to work in some of the best restaurants around the world.
His career started in the sinks of Edinburgh in 1997, washing up in one of Scotland's most successful restaurants, The Witchery by the Castle, but he was soon moved into the kitchen proper as a trainee chef. This led to an opening at the nearby Atrium, a contemporary Scottish restaurant run by Andrew and Lisa Radford, which over the years won numerous awards for its food, modern design and fantastic wine list.
Jesse then relocated to the West Country. At Gidleigh Park Hotel in Devon, chef Michael Caines, holder of two Michelin stars, cooks wonderful modern French food. With such a disciplined and dedicated teacher he stayed to work his way around the kitchen, and give himself a solid technical foundation.
With a move to Australia to broaden his food knowledge, he worked in Sydney's 'Best New Restaurant' VII under Japanese chef Nori Sugie. As a protégé of the famous Tetsuya Wakuda, they cooked French-Japanese fusion at the highest level. He then worked with chef/owner Mark Best at Marque, Sydney's 'Best French Restaurant' cooking very daring and contemporary French food. It is a small family-run restaurant, a chef and partner operation at the top of its industry.
Back in London from Australia, in 2003, Jesse spent some time at the Le Gavroche in Mayfair with chef Michel Roux Jr. The restaurant has had many of Britain’s top chefs pass through its kitchens, teaching them 2 Michelin Star French classics, consistently the best in this country since the 1960’s.
Finding an opening at Kensington Place, Jesse spent the first of two spells as Sous Chef at one of the most important British restaurants of the last 20 years, run by Rowley Leigh. The daily evolving menus and eclectic mix of dishes were to have a profound impression. The idea of mixing familiar food with more challenging dishes was a real eye opener, and the bustling crowds of happy diners were a testament to the great place it was.
But America was next with a position at the legendary Charlie Trotter as the first English paid chef to work in his Chicago kitchens. Once voted The World's Best Restaurant, Charlie Trotter's is at the forefront of cutting edge cuisine. Working around the kitchen, Jesse was involved in all aspects of the restaurant including trips away for private dinners, big charity events and even involvement in ‘Charlie Trotter's Workin’ Sessions’ cook book. Charlie Trotter has not been out of the culinary spotlight since he opened the restaurant 20 years ago, a true genius and a real phenomenon within the industry.
With training and knowledge in the kitchen it was time to better understand business as a whole, by retraining front of house. Working at the famed Balthazar, a highly successful busy French brasserie in Soho, New York, and also at the ground-breaking 71 Clinton Fresh Food in the Lower East Side, Jesse worked his way up from a breakfast runner to a dinner waiter looking after movie stars, musicians and celebrity chefs.
In early 2006, Jesse teamed up with Oliver Peyton to open his restaurants in the National Gallery as Executive Chef. The National Dining Rooms served seasonal modern British food, it received rave reviews on opening, and went on to win the Time Out Award for 'Best British Restaurant' in September 2007.
Away from the restaurant, TV appearances include the BBC's‘Masterchef’ and ‘The Truth About Food’, he has been a participant at The Taste of London Festival and a contributor to various cook books.
Jesse lives in West London, and will be opening his own restaurant later in 2008.