Tre Wilcox is a chef on a mission. The long-term mission involves joining the pantheon of legendary Dallas chefs like the Rathbun brothers, proprietors of the award-winning Abacus restaurant. But on this evening, his more immediate concern is helping his crew prep for tonight’s dinner service at the popular Marquee Grill and Bar in Dallas, which opened in April to high expectations. “I hope you don’t mind the noise,” Wilcox says, taking breaks to instruct his staff on everything from finding utensils to sourcing products.
Whether giving orders or answering questions, Wilcox is thrifty with his words—economical. His personality is the polar opposite of his dramatic, food-as-art culinary style. In addition to tasting sublime, Wilcox wants his food to be aesthetically pleasing, a visual feast. So he’s constantly thinking, tinkering and experimenting; trying to find new ways to repurpose basic ingredients into something special.
“I think a lot about manipulating the forms of food,” Wilcox says. “I may liquefy beets and use them as a broth. Most people just think about choosing the ingredients, cooking them and putting them on the plate. I challenge myself to give people something they know about, like beets, but prepared in a way they wouldn’t expect.”
Speaking of the unexpected, the Germany-born Wilcox, (“I was an Army brat”), grew up in Duncanville, Texas, and never imagined that he’d be cooking for a living. His career in food got off to an inauspicious start as a teenager working at Boston Market, then later at Boston Chicken. More than a decade later, he’s on the cusp of joining Dallas’ culinary cognoscenti.
Wilcox has racked up awards, including several Rising Chef nominations from the James Beard Foundation. He’s competed on Bravo’s “Top Chef” twice, helped the Rathbuns beat culinary superstar Bobby Flay on “Iron Chef America,” and runs his own kitchens — first at Loft 610 and now at Marquee Grill and Bar in the city’s upscale Highland Park Village area. “I didn’t become a chef,” Wilcox says, “It chose me.”
“I agreed to participate [on “Top Chef”] because it offered me a chance to get exposure and increase name recognition,” he says. “I was never scared to compete. You have to have confidence in the food you put out, that the food you make tastes good. I was humble, but confident in my abilities and I certainly thought I could win the competition.”
Wilcox didn’t win (done in, ironically, by one of his favorite foods, risotto). But he considers himself richer for the experience. As for the competition itself, he says it wasn’t as intense as it came across on television. “Lots of long hours and long days and lots of sitting around in a 15-passenger van, waiting to be told what to do.”
During filming, he says, “I focused on being myself. I stayed true to myself. I was there to showcase my skills and represent myself well. The producers are looking for something to make the show great. You are portrayed the way you act, so if you act a certain way, that’s what they will show. It was a good exercise to go through. If you’re humble enough, you can learn from the critique.”
Wilcox is constantly looking for those types of skills-sharpening experiences. Getting to the top means constantly striving to get better. Whether it’s spending time in acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse’s training center in Paris or visiting the kitchens in America’s finest restaurants to see master chefs at work, he’s always looking for inspiration.
“You can look at my menu and call it what you like, but I use my experiences to influence what I do.” So dishes may reflect his Texas roots, veer toward the Mediterranean or reference Italian or French techniques. Similarly, Wilcox would like to see African-Americans venture out of their culinary safe zones—be open to new flavors, foods and techniques. “It’s a slow progression,” he says of expanding palates. “But it’s happening. If I can be a catalyst for that, great.”
“I want people to seek me out and seek out my restaurants when they come to Dallas,” Wilcox says. “I want [my restaurants] to be mentioned among the top restaurants in Texas. I was mentioned in a magazine as being a part of the next generation of great Dallas chefs. I plan to live up to that.”
Marquee Grill & Bar is located at 33 Highland Park Village in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.marqueegrill.com or call 214-522-6035.
To read the full interview with Wilcox, be sure to order your copy of the special anniversary print issue of Cuisine Noir available on Monday, September 26.
Photo credits: Quinn Nagurney and Joy Zhang
