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SXSW Eats: Chef Paul Liebrandt on Texas brisket and a documentary 10 years in the making
The South by Southwest Film Festival featured two documentaries profiling two of the world’s best chefs: El Bulli’s Ferran Adrià in “Cooking in Progress” and New York wünderkind Paul Liebrandt in “A Matter of Taste.”
For 10 years, “A Matter of Taste” director Sally Rowe filmed Liebrandt as he went from restaurant to restaurant, trying to find a home after becoming the youngest chef to earn three stars from The New York Times.
“I just lived my life,” he said during an interview in the lobby of the Hyatt earlier this week. “The film captured a time in my life, but nobody wants to watch a movie of themselves from 10 years ago.”
Though the documentary showcases Liebrandt’s artistry, the 34-year-old chef at Corton wanted to sample the craft of his peers during his first trip to the state last weekend, first driving to Lockhart to sample brisket and spare ribs at Black’s Barbecue and then hitting up David Bull’s newly opened, prix-fixe only restaurant Congress downtown.
“I can’t come to Texas and not eat barbecue,” he said. “And Congress has a great concept and great food.”
New York food culture is at the heart of “A Matter of Taste,” and Liebrandt acknowledges that it’s a tough to win over New York diners’ discerning palates, especially as a Brit.
“(As a chef) you either embrace New York or you get out of the city,” he said. Liebrandt, even with all the recognition and acclaim, is still trying to stand out as chef in a crowded field.
“You can’t just consistently make good food,” he says. “You have to make something you can’t get elsewhere…and develop a style and a brand and an identity that is unique. We make a luxury product that we have to sell.”
Liebrandt, who is working on a cookbook that is slated to be published next year by Rodale, says one of the biggest challenges for chefs in coming years is figuring out how to deal with rising food costs. Eventually, you have to pass the extra food costs on to customers, he said. Plus, finding skilled people who are willing to work the grueling hours.
“Culinary schools push out students every six weeks and tell them that they will be on TV,” he says. “It’s not that easy.”
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