Josh Huskin
Teddy Liang oversees kitchen operations for five dining spots including the Esquire Tavern and its companion Hugman’s Oasis.
Chef-consultant
"If your restaurant is stuck, he can get it moving."
Teddy Liang recalls his grandmother dressing him at 5 a.m. and taking him to the neighborhood market in Houston. At every stall, vendors greeted her warmly with familiarity and respect. The fishmonger set aside the best of the day’s catch for her.
Armed with ingredients from her trip, she would start cooking.
“People would drop by for conversation and food throughout the day,” Liang said. “She would selflessly give. She took care of family by feeding them. She took care of people by treating them like family.”
Those memories and lessons have informed Liang’s philosophy throughout a culinary career that started with washing dishes at Mongolian barbecue franchise Genghis Grill and has since taken him into some of San Antonio’s best-regarded restaurants and the kitchens of NBA players.
Despite a veritable Who’s Who of culinary names in his contacts, the chef-consultant doesn’t seek the spotlight. Liang’s breadth of experience allows him to work behind the scenes with restaurants’ culinary staffs to offer anything from another helping hand to a life coach in the kitchen.
“I’m the Asian version of Gordon Ramsay, but one who doesn’t yell,” Liang quipped.
His current work includes overseeing kitchen operations for five dining spots including the Esquire Tavern and its companion Hugman’s Oasis, Asian fusion spot 375° Social Kitchen in Selma, Gather Brewing Co. in Universal City and the highly anticipated Conserva Elevated bar and small-bites lounge near The Dominion.
Among his past projects are Sari-Sari Filipino Restaurant, Dashi Sichuan Kitchen + Bar, The Hayden and Alamo Biscuit Co.
Liang’s corporate clients include food service company Levy, for whom he consults on its operations at the AT&T Center in San Antonio and Q2 Stadium in Austin. He also serves on the board of the San Antonio Chef Cooperatives.
“If your restaurant is stuck, he can get it moving,” said chef Stephen Paprocki, co-founder of the co-op. “He’s everywhere and he’s independent, so nobody is going to steal him as a chef. But he’s personable and inspires the kitchen. When he’s there, he’s the one people come to in the kitchen.”
Liang said he wants to instill his grandmother’s longstanding ideals of family to each project. In nearly every instance, he encourages the common culinary tradition of a daily “family meal,” where team members on shift gather for a quick bite prepared by one of the kitchen staff.
Those familial ideals can be as much about empathy with the kitchen staff as they are about understanding the dishes coming from them. It’s an industry with a high rate of burnout and can be a grind without the right mental state.
"You have to understand that it’s a lifestyle to live in and not just a job,” Liang said. “Adventure, investigating, exploring things. Sometimes that gets lost in the industry. We need to be encouraging that exploration and curiosity. We need a little hope.”
