Humanizing Chefs: Gary Leybman

Humanizing Chefs

Name: Gary Leybman

Where do you Cook? — I cook at The Pickled Pig

Favorite Food — soup

Favorite Chef — Favorite chef locally is David Cook

Favorite Cincy Restaurant (Past or Present) — It’s hard to pick a favorite restaurant but I go to Saigon Noodle a lot, also love: Tuba, Galactic Chicken, Kiki, Lonley Pine, Zips, and recently Wild Weed.

Favorite Food Memory or Meal — Eating in Bouchon Bistro is my favorite food memory. Having a meal like that in my early 20s as a young cook was pretty mind blowing.

I first knew I wanted to be a chef when — I realized I wanted to be in the food biz after getting my second kitchen job that let me prep foods after all the dishes were caught up :)

If I weren’t a chef, I would be — If I wasn’t cooking I’d probably be doing some other hands on skilled labor, building or fixing things.

My first job was — First job was a dishwasher at a neighborhood bar Peter D’s in Landen Ohio

Why I love my job, in three words — Love my job because it’s Hands on work

If I could have dinner with anybody, alive or dead, it would be — Obviously Anthony Bourdain would be a guy to share a meal with

Favorite Book — A Russian Debutants Hand Book by Gary Shteyngart

Favorite food to make after a busy service — a PBJ

Favorite move — anything from the Coen Brothers

Favorite TV Show’s — Bobs Burgers, King of The Hill are neck and neck

Favorite song — The End by the Doors

Favorite Band or Musician — The Allman Brothers I would say is the jam

Favorite place to travel — anywhere new

Favorite hobby — digging in dirt

Favorite Quote — I have 2 Favorite quotes “if you put something in, you get something out” and “luck can take you places good never will”

Biggest pet peeve — inconsiderate behavior

What can I say to the younger cooks? Don’t expect, Deliver.