Paul Qui – the recent winner of Top Chef Texas and the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest – is currently working on his much-anticipated Austin restaurant projects, but that doesn’t mean he has completely forgotten his chef roots. From September 10-15, Qui will return to the Uchi kitchen where he first trained under Tyson Cole. Throughout the five-day event, Qui will move in and out of the kitchen, cooking with the Uchi staff and greeting guests throughout the restaurant.

Although Qui has broken off on his own and no longer works for the Uchi establishment, he still attributes much of his current success to Tyson Cole and the Uchi team. “I can never forget where I started and I miss being at Uchi and working with Tyson,” Qui told TEXAS MONTHLY. ”I’ll be there next week to cook where it all began.”

Tagged: austin, Layne Lynch, Paul Qui, Top Chef Texas, Tyson Cole, uchi