bˈɔːɹn ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti ɪn pɹˈɑːvɪdəns, ɹˈoʊd ˈaɪlənd, dˈʌfɹɛsni ɪz ɐ ɡɹˈædʒuːət ʌv fɹˈɛndz sˈɛmɪnˌɛɹi ænd ðə fɹˈɛntʃ kjˈʊlɪnˌɛɹi ˈɪnstɪtˌuːt nˈaʊ nˈoʊn æz ðɪ ˌɪntɚnˈæʃənəl kjˈʊlɪnˌɛɹi sˈɛntɚ ɪn nˈuː jˈɔːɹk.
Born in 1970 in Providence, Rhode Island, Dufresne is a graduate of Friends Seminary and The French Culinary Institute (now known as The International Culinary Center) in New York.