Chris Wilson began working in restaurants while still in high school, bussing tables at the age of 15. His interest in cooking was evident early on, as cooks constantly shooed him away from the kitchen and back to his duties in the front of the house.Wilson went on to pursue his passion for cooking, training at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. After graduating in 1992, Wilson worked at the Westpark Winery in upstate New York, studying under Chef Victor Gielisse, ( Great Chefs-Great Cities eps 07 & 41) followed by Actuelle in Dallas. In 1993, he was drawn to New Orleans by renowned Chef Emeril Lagasse, (Great Chefs Louisiana New Garde eps 01, 13, & 16) starting as a line cook at Emeril’s Restaurant in the Warehouse District. By 1995, he had been promoted to Sous Chef and took a position at Emeril\’s New Orleans Fish House in Las Vegas. The call of the Big Easy brought Wilson back to Emeril\’s in New Orleans, where Lagasse asked him to oversee operations as Chef de Cuisine in 1999. In 2005, Wilson was named Culinary Director at Emeril’s Homebase, where he oversees culinary operations at Lagasse’s three restaurants in New Orleans – Emeril’s, NOLA and Emeril’s Delmonico, as well as e2 Emeril’s Eatery in Charlotte, N.C. and Emeril’s three restaurants in the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pa.