Tre Wilcox looks like he belongs in a gym more so than in a kitchen. With his athletic physique, most are inclined to believe he’s gearing up for a weight lifting competition. He’s a chef, one with a laundry list of accolades under his belt. His “school of hard knocks” training makes his accomplishments all the more impressive. Wilcox worked his way up the culinary ranks through good old-fashioned
blood, sweat and tears. He cleaned chicken in a fast food restaurant as a teenager and by the age of 29 he earned a 5 star review at Abacus, where he served as chef de cuisine. Twice nominated for the “Rising Star Chef “award by the James Beard Foundation, considered to be the “Oscars of the Food World”, he was also named Best Chef by the Dallas Morning News. He parlayed his kitchen success on to the small screen by appearing on Bravo Television’s Top Chef season three and Top Chef All-Stars. There was also the Food Network program Iron Chef, where along with his mentor Kent Rathbun, they beat the team headed by Bobby Flay. He’s been featured in Gourmet Magazine, Modern Luxury Magazine, and Food & Wine Magazine, just to name a few. As an award-winning chef and television personality, Wilcox began to expand on his other gift, sharing his passion for food through teaching. “When I’m giving a cooking demonstration or on a TV set, I want viewers to walk away with a “can do” feeling in the kitchen.” He goes on to add, “One of the biggest things I enjoy, and what I do myself, is teach what my name is use the three letters of my name as an acronym for good cooking, Techniques, Recipes and Execution.” From there TRE Cooking Concepts was born. Standing by his belief to use the best ingredients, Wilcox taps into the many lessons learned while he “staged” in some of the best restaurant kitchens worldwide. Staging is when a chef works in another chef’s kitchen, typically unpaid, in order to gain knowledge. Wilcox explained that he preferred being trained that way, “Instead of working towards a set criteria, which is what culinary school offers you, I stayed with the trends as they were changing.” Since leaving his executive chef position at Marquee Grill, Wilcox has found much success and satisfaction from teaching classes and catering events. In 2005 he noticed he was packing on extra pounds. Not wanting to get comfortable with his expanding waistline, Wilcox challenged his kitchen staff to a weight loss competition. He believed being in shape was key to keeping up with the rigors of running a busy kitchen. He won the challenge. “A lot of times if I’m not in the kitchen, I’m in the gym.” Never one to use his career choice as an excuse to gain weight, Wilcox proudly calls himself a “gym rat”. His belief in supporting healthy lifestyle choices has led to partnerships with organizations like United Health Care, The American Heart Association and Equinox Gym. In his down time, Tre Wilcox can be seen around town, dining at various restaurants with his daughter Alexis. Quite often referred to as his “sous chef”, he is passing his love of food on to her.
