About Paul Qui
Paul Qui is a Filipino-American chef and restaurateur based in Austin, Texas. Born in Manila, Philippines, he completed his culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin and built his early career at Uchi, eventually becoming Executive Chef at Uchiko under mentor Tyson Cole. He is the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2012, a winner of the San Pellegrino Cooking Cup 2013, and was named one of Food and Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs in 2014. His flagship restaurant Qui was named Best New Restaurant in America by GQ magazine in 2014. He is the co-founder and chef-owner of East Side King, a group of Asian-inspired street food restaurants in Austin, and Thai Kun, which was recognized by Bon Appétit as one of the best restaurants in America in 2014. His approach to cooking is rooted in modernist technique and draws from classic French training, Japanese cuisine, Southeast Asian flavors, and Filipino culinary tradition.
Episode Overview
André Natera sits down with Paul Qui to talk about the creative process behind his cooking, what it takes to build and sustain multiple restaurant concepts simultaneously, and how he thinks about culinary innovation without losing the core of what makes his food distinctive. Qui traces the arc from his early years at Uchi and Uchiko through the opening of his flagship restaurant and the expansion of East Side King, talking honestly about what each phase taught him about leadership, creativity, and the business of running a kitchen at a high level.
The conversation covers the influences that shaped his culinary identity, including the Filipino food he grew up with, the Japanese precision he developed under Tyson Cole, and the modernist techniques he continues to explore. Qui also talks about the mental demands of sustained creativity, how he approaches work-life balance in an industry that rarely makes space for it, and what advice he gives to chefs who want to build something of their own without losing themselves in the process.
Topics covered in this episode:
- The path from staging at Uchi to Executive Chef at Uchiko under Tyson Cole
- Opening East Side King and building an Asian-inspired street food restaurant group in Austin
- Winning the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest 2012
- How Filipino culinary heritage influences his cooking and restaurant identity
- Modernist technique, flavor development, and the creative process behind menu building
- Managing multiple restaurant concepts and the leadership demands of scale
- Work-life balance in a high-output culinary career and the mental side of sustained creativity
- What the culinary industry is getting wrong and where it is heading
Guest
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