Paul Liebrandt loves Tribeca: the architecture, the cobblestone streets, the way the light hits the buildings. “This neighborhood is New York to me.” After years cooking in midtown, he finds that Tribeca’s more casual, quirky vibe is coloring his approach to hospitality. At Corton, his new restaurant with renowned restaurateur Drew Nieporent, Paul wants to offer a culinary experience on par with the finest restaurants in the country, in an atmosphere that feels relaxed and intimate. He describes Corton’s cuisine as “joyful and playful, yet deeply rooted in traditional French cuisine.”

Paul has cooked in some of the world’s most esteemed restaurants. He began his career in England, working under Marco Pierre White at his Michelin three-star restaurant and Raymond Blanc at Le Manor Aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxford.

Seeking more experience with French cuisine, Paul traveled to Paris, where he worked for Pierre Gagnaire at his eponymous three-star restaurant. He moved to New York in 1999, signing on as chef de cuisine at Bouley Bakery, which soon earned four stars from the The New York Times.

Paul left Bouley in 2000 and was hired as executive chef at Atlas. In November of that year, he became the youngest chef ever awarded three stars from The New York Times: critic William Grimes praised the young chef’s “daring, distinctive style,” likening him to “a pianist who seems to have found a couple of dozen extra keys.”

After leaving Atlas, Paul cooked for numerous high profile clients including Lord Rothschild and HRH Prince Andrew. And in 2005 he opened Gilt in the Villard House in New York City.

In 2002, Esquire named Paul as the Best and Brightest of the next generation in food and restaurants. He has also been profiled in Vogue, W Magazine and the UK Sunday Telegraph.