Paul Liebrandt is a chef and

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...

. He was the co-owner of Corton restaurant in New York City 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 star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

s. He previously worked at Atlas, Gilt and Papillon restaurants in New York, and in 2008 opened Corton. Liebrandt was born in

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(formerly Salisbury, Rhodesia) on 26 August 1976 and was raised in London, England. After accumulating experience in upscale restaurants in London and Paris, he moved to New York in 1999.

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 boarded at St. George's School in

Harpenden Harpenden () is a town and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The population of the built-up area was 30,240 in the 2011 census, whilst the population of the civil parish was 29,448. Har ...

, England. He moved out of his house in 1992 and began work as a

commis chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a ki ...

at L'Escargot in London. In 1995 he was a commis chef at

The Restaurant Marco Pierre White The Restaurant Marco Pierre White, also known as The Restaurant, Restaurant Marco Pierre White and later Oak Room Marco Pierre White, was a restaurant run by chef proprietor Marco Pierre White. The Restaurant was opened at the Hyde Park Hotel, ...

, at a time when White was the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars. Liebrandt later went to work for

Raymond Blanc Raymond Blanc OBE (born 19 November 1949) is a French chef. Blanc is the chef patron at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a hotel-restaurant in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, England. The restaurant has two Michelin stars and scored 9/10 in the ''Good Fo ...

's two Michelin star Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons near

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, England., Then moved to Paris, France to work with Chef Pierre Gagnaire at his Three Michelin star restaurant. In 1999, Liebrandt moved to New York, where he worked as a

sous chef A sous-chef is a chef who is second in command in a kitchen; the person ranking next after the head chef, usually the more hands on manager with regards to training staff and organising the kitchen. Duties and functions The sous-chef has many re ...

at Bouley Bakery.

Atlas

In 2000, Liebrandt became

executive chef A chef de cuisine (, French for ''head of kitchen'') or head chef is a chef that leads and manages the kitchen and chefs of a restaurant or hotel. A chef patron (feminine form ''chef patronne'') (French for ''boss chef'') or executive chef is ...

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 ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. He quit over a disagreement with the owners about the menu at Atlas and went to work at the bistro, Papillon.

Papillon

While at Papillon, Liebrandt earned a two-star rating from ''The New York Times''. He also earned a reputation for eccentricity, in part for requiring diners to eat their ''

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'' meals while bound and blindfolded. According to Liebrandt, it was the pastry chef's idea and only happened on two occasions. Liebrandt quit the restaurant after a few months when it dropped his avant-garde menu in favour of "burgers and fries", in response to diners' post-

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preference for

comfort food Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone, and may be characterized by its high caloric nature, high carbohydrate level, or simple preparation. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual, or it may app ...

. He opened his consulting company the Veda Group and worked as a private chef for

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and Lord Rothschild.

Gilt

Gilt opened in December 2005, in the former location of Le Cirque 2000, in the New York Palace Hotel. recruited Liebrandt as Gilt's executive chef allowing Liebrandt to create a menu that

Thomas Keller Thomas Aloysius Keller (born October 14, 1955) is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Founda ...

characterised as a "light years" extension of his cooking. The restaurant received a two-star review from ''The New York Times''.

Corton

After leaving Gilt, Liebrandt freelanced for a short time before opening his

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restaurant Corton In October 2008, Liebrandt opened Corton, Corton. Corton earned two stars in the 2009 New York City

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...

. Liebrandt's elaborately imaginative food and "sometime outré" style were toned down slightly at Corton, but reservations at Corton often must be made months in advance and Liebrandt's cooking continues to receive ecstatic reviews. Corton closed in July 2013 when Chef Liebrandt left to open The Elm in Brooklyn in the McCarren Hotel & Pool.

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 13 June 2011. The film was nominated for an Emmy for Best Cultural Programming in 2012. Food writer Andrew Friedman started discussions in 2011 about writing a book which will be published by

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in 2013. Liebrandt appeared as a guest judge on Season 15 of ''

Top Chef ''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional chef ...

.''

Awards

Liebrandt has received several awards and other recognition throughout his career. *Youngest Three Star Chef, ''The New York Times'', 2000 *The Best and the Brightest, ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'', 2002 *Two Stars, Corton, ''Michelin Guide'', 2009 *Best New Chef, ''

Food and Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and season ...

'', 2009

References

External links

Corton
* https://www.paulliebrandt.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Liebrandt, Paul Living people American restaurateurs 1976 births British chefs American chefs American male chefs Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants People from New York (state)