Born and raised in New York, Wilson first started cooking with his brother while their parents worked. Deciding to pursue cooking as a career, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.
A master of French, New American and Caribbean cooking, Chef Herb Wilson began working at age 23 with the late Patrick Clark, one of the most respected chefs in America. Early in his career, Wilson also worked with Chef Larry Forgione of An American Place, developing his passion for seasonal American cuisine. As a young man, Wilson left his native New York City and traveled abroad, working in some of the most prestigious three-star Michelin kitchens in France, including Gerard Pangaud and Le Freres Troisgros.
Upon returning to the United States, he cooked in several cutting edge restaurants in New York before becoming executive chef of the highly acclaimed Le Refuge. There he received a two-star review from The New York Times and remained for seven years. In 1996, Wilson opened Bambou, designed around an upscale Caribbean concept and tapping into his Jamaican lineage. Bambou was the first of its kind in New York and garnered national attention. For five years, he held the position of executive chef of Bull Run Restaurant in the Financial District, giving diners a reason to eat downtown again. His food continues to be highly regarded by both the media and savvy New Yorkers.
Fun fact: Herb Wilson may be the only chef to have received a prestigious two-star review from The New York Times on three separate occasions, by three different reviewers at three different restaurants. Chef Wilson was most recently the Executive Chef of the Soho and Tribeca Grand Hotels.
Wilson was the executive chef at SushiSamba in Las Vegas. He currently the Executive Chef and part owner of Sumo Mayo in Scottsdale, Arizona. At Sumo Maya, Wilson is creating a menu that combines traditional sushi, ceviche, tacos, and noodles with more exotic Asian-Latin fusion plates and cooked on everything from Argentinean-style wood-fired rotisserie to a cast-iron plancha and woks.
At his newest gig, Wilson says he’s most excited to connect with the Valley’s network of small-scale farmers and boutique food purveyors.
“That was something I really enjoyed in New York, and it wasn’t really an option in Las Vegas,” Wilson says. “As Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten once told me, 65 percent of great food is the ingredients, and only 35 percent is technique.”