The elusive, wacky, and wonderful Wylie Dufresne is an altogether mysterious man. Many of us are aware that Dufresne has appeared on Top Chef, that he was the first to deep-fry Hollandaise sauce at his game-changing restaurant wd~50, and that he stocks his kitchen with hydrocolloid gums and immersion circulators. But were you aware that the chef loves polar bears and has a man crush on British actor Daniel Craig? You have probably read that 2013 was the first year Mr. Dufresne won a James Beard Award (Best Chef: New York City) after six consecutive nominations, but we bet you didn’t know he eats Thomas’ English Muffins everyday for breakfast.

Because the world of Wylie is so fascinating and fantastic, we did some digging to unearth 11 things you didn’t know about Wylie Dufresne. Prepare to love the chef even more than you already did.