Paul Qui

Paul Qui (born 1980) is a Texas-based chef and owner of Austin restaurants Otoko, Kuneho (previously Qui), Thai Kuhn, and East Side King, . In 2011, he won the ninth season of reality TV cooking competition Top Chef. He is also a James Beard Award winner.

Qui was born in Manila, Philippines and moved to the United States as a child. He attended high school in Springfield, Virginia and completed his culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, Texas. 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.

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. Following his win, he returned to Austin and opened his flagship restaurant, Qui, and a venture called East Side King, which showcases various Asian-inspired dishes via food trucks. Restaurateur, chef and head judge of the TV show Top Chef, Tom Colicchio, said that Qui was the most talented chef in the first 12 seasons of the show.

In addition to his win on Top Chef, Paul Qui also has earned the following awards:

...
Wikipedia