Paul Liebrandt

Paul Liebrandt

Chef Paul Liebrandt
Born (1976-08-26) August 26, 1976[1]
Harare, Zimbabwe (formerly Salisbury, Rhodesia)
Website paulliebrandt.com

Culinary career

Cooking style Modern French

Paul Liebrandt is a chef and restaurateur. He was the co-owner of Corton restaurant in New York and the subject of the documentary film, A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt. Liebrandt is known for his daring cuisine, creativity and eccentric style, and has been awarded two Michelin stars. He previously worked at Atlas, Gilt and Papillon restaurants in New York, and in 2008 opened Corton.[2][3]

Liebrandt was born in Harare, Zimbabwe (formerly Salisbury, Rhodesia) on August 26, 1976[1] and was raised in London, England. After accumulating experience in upscale restaurants in London and Paris, he moved to New York in 1999.[4][3]

Career

At age 15, Liebrandt considered becoming an officer in the British Army as his father had done. After his parents divorced when he was eleven, he attended St. George’s boarding school in Hertfordshire, England.[5] He moved out of his house in 1992 and began work as a commis chef at L'Escargot in London.[6][7] In 1995 he was a commis chef at Marco Pierre White, at a time when White was the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars.[8] Liebrandt later went to work for Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin star Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Oxford, England.[8] In 1999, Liebrandt moved to the New York, where he worked as a sous chef at Bouley Bakery.[9]

Atlas

In 2000, Liebrandt became executive chef at Atlas at 40 Central Park South, where at age 24, he was the youngest chef ever to earn a three star review from The New York Times.[2] He quit over a disagreement with the owners about the menu at Atlas and went to work at the bistro, Papillon.[9]

Papillon

While at Papillon, Liebrandt earned a two-star rating from The New York Times.[9] He also earned a reputation for eccentricity, in part for requiring diners to eat their prix fixe meals while bound and blindfolded.[10] According to Liebrandt, it was the pastry chef's idea and only happened on two occasions.[11]

Liebrandt quit the restaurant after a few months when it dropped his avant-garde menu in favor of "burgers and fries", in response to diners' post-9/11 preference for comfort food.[12] He consulted for the Veda Group and worked as a private chef for Prince Andrew and Lord Rothschild.[11]

Gilt

Sirio Maccioni opened Gilt in December 2005,[13] in the former location of Le Cirque 2000, in the New York Palace Hotel.[14] Maccioni recruited Liebrandt as Gilt's executive chef allowing Liebrandt to create a menu that Thomas Keller characterized as a "light years" extension of his cooking. The restaurant received a two-star review from The New York Times. Liebrandt was dismissed just a few months later and, in August 2006, was replaced by chef Christopher Lee.[7][9][7][9][15]

Corton

After leaving Gilt, Liebrandt freelanced for a short time before meeting with famed restauranteur Drew Nieporent. Nieporent recruited Liebrandt to reopen his Tribeca restaurant, Montrachet, which originally opened in 1985.[9][16] In October 2008, Liebrandt and Nieporent reopened Montrachet under the new name, Corton.[17] Corton earned two stars in the 2012 New York City Michelin Guide.[18] Liebrandt's elaborately imaginative food and "sometime outré" style were toned down slightly at Corton, but reservations at Corton often must be made weeks in advance and Liebrandt's cooking continues to receive favorable reviews.[16] Corton closed in July 2013 when Chef Liebrandt left to open The Elm in Brooklyn in the McCarren Hotel & Pool. The Elm closed in February 2015.[19]

A Matter of Taste

Main article: A Matter of Taste

Liebrandt starred in the Sally Rowe directed documentary film A Matter of Taste:Serving Up Paul Liebrandt. The film follows Liebrandt's New York career over the course of a decade, and premiered on HBO on June 13, 2011. The film was nominated for an Emmy for Best Cultural Programming in 2012.[20][9]

Food writer Andrew Friedman started discussions in 2011 about writing a book which will be published by Clarkson Potter in 2013.[21][22]

Awards

Liebrandt has received several awards and other recognition throughout his career.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Monday Marinade - Paul Liebrandt Correction Courtesy of his Mother". Learning Curve on the Ecliptic. December 27, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Claus, Matt (December 2002). "You want comfort food? Paul Liebrandt is not your man. You want America's most challenging, daring cuisine, give him a call. And bring a blindfold.". Esquire.
  3. 1 2 "Bio at Corton". Corton. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  4. ↑ Moskin, Julia (April 21, 2009). "At Home, at Last". The New York Times. New York, NY. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Paul Liebrandt". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "Best New Chefs 2009: Paul Liebrandt". Food and Wine. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Liebrandt, Paul. "Timeline". Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Chef Paul Liebrandt of Gilt". Star Chefs. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Weinberger, Jerry (June 17, 2011). "Eat the Documentary". City Journal. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  10. ↑ Moore, Toby (December 7, 2001). "Diners are bound to enjoy Paul's cooking". London. The Express. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  11. 1 2 Leuzzi, Jennifer (January 4, 2006). "Third Time's a Charm". New York, NY. New York Sun. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  12. ↑ Dollar, Steve (June 11, 2011). "From Kitchen Wunderkind to Comeback Kid". New York, NY. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  13. ↑ Thorn, Bret (December 14, 2005). "Kitchen Dish". New York Sun. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  14. ↑ Colemeco, Mike (2009). Mike Colameco's Food Lover's Guide to New York City. Hoboken, NJ: Hohn Wiley and Sons. p. 132.
  15. ↑ Klein, Michael (August 22, 2006). "Striped Bass chef Lee departs for N.Y.'s Gilt". Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  16. 1 2 Andrews, Colman (April 2009). "It's Up to You, New York, New York". Gourmet.
  17. ↑ Liebrandt, Paul. "Inspiration". Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  18. 1 2 "Michelin Guide to New York Restaurants 2012". Michelin. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  19. ↑ Khabiri, Layla. "UPDATE: Paul Liebrandt's The Elm Closes For Good on Sunday". New York Eater. February 12, 2015. Accessed: September 28, 2015.
  20. ↑ Liebrandt, Paul. "Media". Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  21. ↑ Forbes, Paula (March 12, 2012). "Book deals". eater.com. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  22. ↑ Friedman, Andrew (March 12, 2012). "VINTAGE TOQUELAND: The Writing Life: The Down Payment". Toqueland. Andrew Friedman. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Paul Liebrandt". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  24. ↑ Claus, Matt. "The Chef". Esquire. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Best New Chef". Food and Wine. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
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