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Last Visited: 10/22/2009
Bucking trends and avoiding conformity is nothing new for Magdiale Wolmark, co-owner and head chef of Dragonfly Neo-V.
Far from what one thinks of as a typical chef or artist, the idea that he's creating his own way, and a new path for his business and his craft, suits him just fine.
It is what has taken him around the world as a martial artist, what propelled him to open one of the city's finest restaurants for nearly a decade, and what makes him one of the most compelling people in Columbus, Ohio.
This vibrance, this energy, this kineticism, it's small wonder that it all comes from the ground up, and from seed to table.
It is easy to sense Mr. Wolmark's passion for his work, and his conviction in his methods.
He has learned, studied, planted, grown, and lived the change he's exploring at his own establishment.
Mr. Wolmark's personal philosophy has come via the aid of biodynamics, a school of thought gaining much traction of late with the growing interest in organic and all-natural farming.
Beyond this, Mr. Wolmark's competitive spirit is evident, and perhaps best exemplified by his food being perhaps the very epitome of locally grown.
...
Mr. Wolmark explains, as he walks about his garden, tending to plants large and small as he explains the origins of the garden.
Having excavated 40 tons of dirt from the parking lot, and working with the aid of a woman to help him design the garden, Mr. Wolmark has built quite the haven from the urban environment around him.
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Mr. Wolmark said.
To watch him work, Mr. Wolmark might seem frenetic where he is actually kinetic, fastidious when he is actually just particular, but above all, he's a charismatic showman and a leader, who has a want to share his craft through his business.
There is a lot he has done from the ground up, quite literally in the case of his garden, and to see his ability to coordinate, network, and keep a smile and a dialogue running all simultaneously, one conjures up the image of the plate spinners one might see in the circus, deft and adept at putting on a show while managing the precarious balancing act with aplomb.
Nevertheless, his competitive spirit, honed by years of athletics and business, shows in his belief in his work on the garden, and on his food, which are both things he takes much pride in.
Rightfully so, insofar as he's been recognized the city over for years for all his work in creating Dragon Fly Neo-V, and the new adjacent On The Fly Street Food.
Is Magdiale Wolmark's way the only way?
Is it the one right way?
Perhaps, but perhaps not, but what's important is how much he makes it work for himself, and how he can so vociferously defend his methods.
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Mr. Wolmark said.
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Mr. Wolmark says.
There's a wry sense of humor, and a real honesty to what he says that is unguarded, and genuine, and in a sense, very organic.
"I'm a competitive guy, and you know, I competed in sports, and things like that, so I think about it, and I'd love to do like garden combat with people, like people do fashion shows, and let's have a panel of judges judge our gardens and see who is better, and stuff like that, that would be fun.
It enables us to really communicate with our people in a way that's non-verbal.
That demonstrates a commitment to sourcing the best possible ingredients for their products.
Mr. Wolmark says, with a sort of whimsy reserved for just such sublime conversations as this.
One can imagine him with a copy of Percy Blythe Shelley or Byron in his garden, maybe at dusk, with a cigar in hand (Mr. Wolmark prefers Montecristos, according to his wife) and a cool drink in the other.
"My nature is that I'm attracted to physical beauty, material beautiful things, and quality.
I'm not a junk guy, I don't have a lot of TVs or anything...so, cooking had a lot of that physical exertion, some glamour, and some audience appeal where you can get some ego-fulfillment.
he continued.
He expanded that, as a person who had been turned off to a degree by some of the compromises that were being made in the restaurant industry, and by some of the things he'd learned about life, in traveling around the world, from his native Philadelphia, to Washington DC, and now Columbus, with many stops in between, as far away as China, saw him learn and grow, and mature.
"We can really do so much more, and that's what I'm exploring, with the ecology here.
I think we all see this direction we need to move in, or maybe return to, where we're not hurting the environment.
It comes back on us, in terms of disease, and ill health, and problems with our food supply.
Mr. Wolmark explains.
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Magdiale Wolmark has a diversity of thought that is weighted by the quality of his ideas, and his ability to express them in a way that is mature, considered, impassioned, and still even handed and fair.
In this sense, it's inclusionary, and still simultaneously provocative.
"We can't just have conversations about gardening locally.
They're almost out of context.
Mr. Wolmark is agreeable to the notion that many of those conversations are done for one's own ego and own benefit than it is to raise awareness or put ideas in action.
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