Paul Qui
{{Short description|American chef}}
Paul Qui (born August 14, 1980) is a Texas-based Top Chef winner and James Beard award recipient. He operates restaurants East Side King (Austin), Thai Kun (Austin) and Pao (Miami).
In 2011, he won the ninth season of reality television cooking competition Top Chef. Qui is also a winner of the James Beard Award.{{Cite web|title = Paul Qui|url = http://www.bravotv.com/people/paul-qui|website = Bravo TV Official Site|access-date = 2016-02-01}}{{Cite web|title = Uchiko's Paul Qui nabs the James Beard Award: Another Austin win|url = http://austin.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/05-07-12-21-25-austin-nabs-another-james-beard-award-in-uchikos-paul-qui/|website = CultureMap Austin|access-date = 2016-02-01}}
Biography
Paul Qui was born in Manila, Philippines and moved to the United States as a child.{{Cite web|title = How I Went from Being a Terrible Drug Dealer to Top Chef|url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-i-went-from-being-a-terrible-drug-dealer-to-top-chef/|website = MUNCHIES: Food by VICE|access-date = 2016-02-01}} He attended high school in Springfield, Virginia{{Cite web|title = Paul Qui {{!}} TRIBEZA Austin Magazine|url = http://205.186.161.206/magazine_content/paul-qui|website = 205.186.161.206|access-date = 2016-02-01}} and completed his culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, Texas.{{Cite web|title = Paul Qui|url = http://www.bravotv.com/people/paul-qui|website = Bravo TV Official Site|access-date = 2016-02-01}} His initial forays into cooking professionally led to a job with Tyson Cole, chef/owner of Uchi and Uchiko restaurants in Austin. During his time in the kitchen, Cole became Qui's mentor, and Qui eventually worked his way up to become the chef de cuisine and executive chef at Uchiko.{{Cite web|title = How I Went from Being a Terrible Drug Dealer to Top Chef|url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-i-went-from-being-a-terrible-drug-dealer-to-top-chef/|website = MUNCHIES: Food by VICE|access-date = 2016-02-01}}
Qui was one of 29 contestants who appeared on Top Chef Season 9 in 2011, which was filmed in locations around Texas. He won eight of the season's 16 elimination challenges and went on to win the entire season. Tom Colicchio, the head judge of Top Chef, said that Qui was the most talented chef in the first 12 seasons of the show.{{Cite web|title = WATCH: Tom Colicchio Picks 'Top Chef's Most Talented Contestant|url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/16/tom-colicchio-paul-qui_n_5998356.html|website = The Huffington Post|access-date = 2016-02-02}}
Following his win, he returned to Austin and opened his flagship restaurant, Qui, and a venture called East Side King, which showcases various Japanese-inspired dishes via food trucks with business partner Moto Utsunomiya.{{Cite web|title = Paul Qui {{!}} Austin Food + Wine Festival {{!}} April 22–24, 2016 - Austin, TX|url = http://www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/2015-talent/paul-qui/|website = Austin Food + Wine Festival|access-date = 2016-02-01}} Another of Qui's restaurants, Thai Kun, was recognized by Bon Appétit magazine as one of the best restaurants in America in 2014.{{cite news |last1=Knowlton |first1=Andrew |title=The Hot 10 2014: Thai-Kun, Austin, TX (No. 8) |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/best-new-restaurants/article/thai-kun |work=Bon Appétit |date=August 19, 2014}} In 2016, Qui opened Pao by Paul Qui at Faena Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.{{cite news |last1=Hamersly |first1=Kendall |title=Restaurant review: Pao! Paul Qui strikes gold at Faena Miami Beach |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/living/food-drink/article61038072.html |work=Miami Herald |date=February 18, 2016}} In 2018, his new Houston restaurant Aqui received a rare four-star review from the Houston Chronicle, but it closed at the end of the year amidst controversy.{{cite news |last1=Morago |first1=Greg |title=Paul Qui's Aqui restaurant to close Dec. 23 |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/restaurants-bars/article/Paul-Qui-s-Aqui-restaurant-to-close-Dec-23-13439119.php |work=Houston Chronicle |date=December 4, 2018}}
In 2016, Qui was charged with assaulting his then-girlfriend while intoxicated,{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/23/top-chef-winner-paul-qui-charged-with-assault-after-alleged-cocaine-use-fight-with-girlfriend/|title='Top Chef' winner Paul Qui charged with assault after alleged cocaine use, fight with girlfriend|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2017-04-17}} charges that were dropped in 2018.{{cite web|url=https://austin.eater.com/2018/4/27/17292008/paul-qui-domestic-assault-charges-dismissed|title=Chef Paul Qui's Criminal Charges Are Being Dismissed|author=Nadia Chaudhury|date=April 27, 2018}}
Qui opened an Asian-fusion restaurant in Dallas called TacQui in May 2018, but it closed just six months later.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/food/2018/11/07/taco-shop-tacqui-closed-in-richardson/|title=Taco shop TacQui closed in Richardson|date=2018-11-07|website=Dallas News|language=en|access-date=2019-10-04}}
In March 2019, Qui announced the opening of a second location of East Side King in Denver, Colo. inside the food hall Avanti Food & Beverage. However within a days of the announcement, Avanti owners opted to cut ties with Qui amid continued controversy over his 2016 assault arrest.{{Cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/03/26/avanti-paul-qui-restaurant-assault-charges/|title=Denver food hall Avanti will not add restaurant from "Top Chef" winner who faced assault charges|date=2019-03-27|website=The Denver Post|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-04}}
Awards and accolades
In addition to his win on Top Chef, Paul Qui also has earned the following awards:
- Chef of the Year by Esquire Magazine in 2014{{Cite web|title = The Best New Restaurants of 2014 and Other Tasty Awards|url = http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/g1660/best-new-restaurants-2014/?slide=3|website = Esquire|date = 2014-10-16|access-date = 2016-02-01}}
- Best Chef, Southwest by the James Beard Foundation in 2012{{Cite web|title = James Beard Foundation|url = http://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/best-chef-southwest-paul-qui|website = www.jamesbeard.org|access-date = 2016-02-01}}
- One of Food & Wine magazine's best new chefs of 2014{{Cite web|title = Meet the 2014 F&W Best New Chefs|url = http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/2014/04/01/meet-the-2014-f-and-w-best-new-chefs|website = Food & Wine|access-date = 2016-02-01}}
- Winner of the 2013 S. Pellegrino Cooking Cup Young Chef of the Year{{Cite web|title = Paul Qui Wins S. Pellegrino Cooking Cup 2013|url = http://www.eater.com/2013/6/17/6419275/paul-qui-wins-s-pellegrino-cooking-cup-2013|website = Eater|access-date = 2016-02-01}}
References
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{{Top Chef}}
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Category:American people of Filipino descent