Erind Halilaj

Coming Up

Training at Universita degli Studi di Milano Bicocca (2017) sits inside a career already moving through increasingly large kitchens and broader responsibilities. Before that study, Erind Halilaj worked as Executive Chef at Canottieri Restaurant (2011–2014), a stretch that built leadership and service rhythm, then carried that experience to New York as Executive Chef at Obicà Mozzarella Bar NY Flatiron in New York, NY, US (2014–2015). The progression shows steady movement through Italian cuisine in different settings, with the same operational discipline carried from one kitchen to the next. Today, Erind is Executive Chef of Il Brutto (since 2017) and Executive Chef of Brigecio. In both roles, the work stays close to Italian fundamentals: structure, generous flavor, and a menu that keeps to the essentials without flattening them.

Where They Are Now

At Il Brutto in Austin, Texas, Halilaj runs a kitchen centered on Italian dishes shaped by ingredient-led cooking. Antipasti set the table, pastas and pizzas carry the middle of the meal, and the overall format stays direct and readable. In Austin, that approach gives the restaurant its identity: polished, contemporary, and grounded in the basics of the cuisine.

Signature

Erind's signature dishes include squid ink tagliolini, ravioli stuffed with sheep ricotta, and cacio e pepe. Taken together, they show a cook working within a narrow range of ingredients and getting density, delicacy, and precision from each one: the depth of squid ink tagliolini, the soft richness of ravioli stuffed with sheep ricotta, and the stripped-down balance of cacio e pepe. The through line is technique used to keep the dishes exact rather than decorative.

In Their Words “This menu represents the cuisine of Italy as a whole, from Mediterranean flavors of the south to central lamb dishes and beef tenderloin from the north.”