meez podcast

Wylie Dufresne on Peristaltic Pumps and American Cheese

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About this episode

If you didn't check out part one of this conversation, we recommend having to listen to that first.

In Episode 2 of The meez Podcast, CEO/Founder of meez, Josh Sharkey, finishes his chat with Chef Wylie Dufresne with some not-so-quick-fire questions, the inspiration behind Stretch Pizza, and some Q&A from the audience. 

From bagels to gadgets to food, Dufresne's responses were insightful, entertaining, and at times, surprising.

Chef Wylie reveals that stumbling upon a Breville pizza oven during the pandemic led to his obsession with pizza-making. His desire to understand the levers and variables involved in creating the perfect pizza dough became a source of stimulation and happiness during this difficult time, and ultimately led to the opening of his new concept, Stretch Pizza.

This conversation with Chef Wylie highlights the importance of recognizing the craft and technique that goes into cooking. While it's easy to copy a dish or recipe, it takes years of practice and repetition to truly master the craft. By seeking feedback, recognizing when a dish is balanced, and being open to new ideas, chefs and creators can continue to push the boundaries of what's possible, and leave their mark on the culinary world.

Where to find Chef Wylie Dufresne:

Where to find host Josh Sharkey:

What We Cover

(2:13) Lightning round 

(7:15) Why American cheese is so good

(11:37) Funny moments at wd~50

(18:00) Du’s Donuts flavor hits and misses

(19:16) Why pizza saved Wylie 

(24:35) How to identify talent

(26:37) When it’s time to stop iterating

(28:17) Is imitation really the greatest form of flattery

(31:00 ) What wd~50 was all about

(32:50) When to take a pause on ideation

(35:41) Innovating on equipment and ingredients

Transcript

Josh Sharkey [00:00:00]: 

Welcome to the meez podcast. I'm your host, Josh Sharkey, the founder and CEO of meez, the culinary operating system for food professionals. On the show, I'll be interviewing world-class entrepreneurs in the food space that are shifting the paradigm of how we innovate and operate in our industry. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy the show.

[00:00:25]: 

Welcome to part two of my fireside chat with Chef Wylie Dufresne. If you didn't check out part one, I recommend having to listen to that. In part two, we finished our chat with some not-so-quick-fire questions and some inspiring Q&A from the audience. We had a ton of fun and learned a lot, and I think you will too. Hope you enjoy!

[00:00:58]:

This podcast is brought to you by meez, the culinary operating system for food professionals. As a chef and restaurant owner for the past 20 years, I was frustrated that the only technology that we had in the kitchen was financial or inventory software. Those are important, but they don't address the actual process of cooking, training, collaboration, and consistent execution.

So I decided if it didn't exist, I'd do my best to get it built. So the current and next generation of culinary pros have a digital tool dedicated to their craft. If you're a chef, mixologist operator, or generally if you manage recipes intended for professional kitchens, meez is built just for you.

Organize, share, prep, and scale your recipes like never before, and get laser accurate food costs and nutrition analysis faster than you could imagine. Learn more at www.getmeez.com.

[00:01:45] 

We have a lot of questions from the audience and I want to get to those. So I'm gonna skip a couple of things. I'm gonna jump to a little quickfire. Okay. And then after that, we're going to do a bunch of Q&A I'll read some of you guys' questions and then also I can pass the mic around for anybody that wants to ask.

[00:02:13]: 

We're in New York. So is it bagels toasted or untoasted?

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