Nutrition

How a chef’s coronary crisis forced him to change his diet

by Thomas P. Farley
[ Updated: Jul 14, 2008 - 4:46:42 PM ]

Nearly two years ago, 43-year-old ­Simpson Wong, chef and owner of New York’s Jefferson restaurant, had just finished lifting weights when he was struck by what felt like a horrific bout of heartburn. “I felt so terrible. I could barely walk,” he recalls. Five hours later, staring up from a hospital gurney, he learned his chest pain had been, in fact, a heart attack.

Wong immediately quit smoking half a pack a day, but his doctors believed his primary enemy was butter. As the chef worked in his kitchen, whipping up entrées such as sesame-encrusted tuna with brown butter and caper sauce, he liberally sampled his creations, consuming up to a whole stick of butter a night. So Wong shut down his restaurant and began to rethink his menu. He replaced butter with grape seed oil, which is high in heart-healthy antioxidants and monounsaturated fat. Recent studies also suggest that eating grape seed extract can reduce total cholesterol.

Today, Wong’s heart is going strong. “My cholesterol is down to 135,” he says, cringing at the thought of his pre–heart attack reading of 350. Best of all, he needn’t fear the consequences of sampling his delicious dishes.