Who is Patrick Clark? The ‘pioneer of the American bistro’ who broke barriers for Black chefs

• Netflix’s “High on the Hog” highlighted Chef Patrick Clark’s contribution to American cuisine. 
• In 1994, he became the first Black chef to win the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Award. 
• Patrick is also known for breaking barriers across the food industry.

Chef Patrick Clark refused to put himself in a box, even if others did.

The famed chef touched on his ideology during a 1994 interview shared on YouTube by the African American Chefs Hall of Fame. At the time, Patrick worked as the executive chef at the Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington, DC, which is nestled right across from the White House.

“Understand that there are young African Americans out there who do know how to cook more than ribs, chicken, black-eyed peas, and collard greens,” Patrick said. “You can experience some really gastronomic delights from these guys.”

Patrick’s remarks weren’t a knock against Black American cuisine. Instead, it was an unapologetic declaration that Black chefs can’t — and won’t — be pigeonholed. Black chefs at that time were fighting stereotypes that they could only excel at making soul food. The fight continues to this day.

Patrick fell in love with French cuisine, making him an industry disrupter. One of his sons, Preston, reminisced about his father’s accomplishments during season two of Netflix’s “High on the Hog.” Preston dove into the food industry like his father and is the executive chef and culinary director at Lure Fishbar in New York City.

During episode four, Preston told host Stephen Satterfield that his father’s culinary contributions allowed Black chefs to unapologetically occupy space in the food industry, no matter the cuisine.

“He was able to show restaurant owners that they can hire a Black chef and be wildly successful,” Preston said, adding that his father is a “pioneer of the American bistro.”

Patrick began his culinary career at 9 and eventually trained in Europe

According to his obituary on the African American Chefs Hall of Fame’s website, Patrick was born on March 17, 1955, in Brooklyn, New York, to Melvin and Idella Clark. Patrick’s father was a chef, so his food curiosity began as a child.

When Patrick was nine, he enrolled in his first culinary course.

Per the obituary, Patrick later enrolled in the hotel and restaurant curriculum at New York City Technical College — where his father attended — and earned an associate of arts degree.

Patrick had dreams that far exceeded his resources in New York, so he enrolled in a food program at Great Britain’s Bournemouth Technical College and completed an apprenticeship at Braganza restaurant in London, the website’s obituary says.

While overseas, Patrick trained in Britain and France under Michel Guérard, according to Clark’s obituary in The New York Times. Time magazine reported in 2017 that Guérard is the founding father of nouvelle cuisine, emphasizing freshness and lightness in contrast to France’s heavier food options.

Patrick’s love for French cuisine continued when he returned to NYC, where he quickly made a name for himself

Patrick returned to the US and settled in New York City, where he worked at restaurants like Regine’s, Le Coup de Fusil, La Boite, and the Pear Tree, per his African American Chefs Hall of Fame obituary.

NYT reported that Patrick cemented himself as a chef on the rise when he became the first Black chef at Odeon, a local restaurant famous in the 1980s for its food and star-studded clientele. He was just 25 years old at the time.

“Customers would rave on about the food, and I’d say why don’t you meet the chef, and they would be startled,” Keith McNally, one of Odeon’s co-owners, told the outlet.

The NYT reported that Patrick worked simultaneously as the executive chef at McNally’s other restaurant, Cafe Luxembourg.

In 1988, Patrick opened his first restaurant — Metro — but left in 1990 to work as the executive chef at Bice in Beverly Hills for two years.

Former President Bill Clinton considered hiring Patrick as the executive White House chef

Patrick continued to work along the East Coast, settling in DC at The Hay-Adams Hotel in the early 90s. Due to the restaurant’s prime location, prominent figures like former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hilary Clinton took notice.

According to his African American Chefs Hall of Fame obituary, Patrick was one of four candidates the couple considered for White House chef until he removed himself from the running. He told The Washington Post in 1998 that the White House’s salary didn’t compete with his Hay-Adams Hotel paycheck, which was about $170,000.

“I have five kids, five college tuitions to save for. It wasn’t enough,” Patrick said.

Patrick cinched a historic victory at the 1994 James Beard Foundation Award ceremony

Patrick’s hard work paid off in May 1994 when he won the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Region James Beard Foundation Award for his work at The Hay-Adams Hotel. He’s the first Black chef to receive such an honor.

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Danielle Reed Rivera, Patrick’s sous chef at the hotel, told WaPo that he was focused on his craft despite the significant award.

“He didn’t even celebrate that night,” she said. “We were back to work the next day.”

After winning his JBF Award, doors continued to open for Patrick, who eventually accepted an offer to serve as executive chef at Tavern on the Green. Tavern on the Green is a New York City staple known for delicious American food in an elegant atmosphere.

NYT reported that Patrick worked at Tavern on the Green until November 1997, when doctors discovered he had congestive heart failure. Patrick entered Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center to undergo a heart transplant, but he became so dissatisfied with hospital food that he snuck in ingredients and tools to make his meals, per the outlet. However, he never underwent a heart transplant because he also had a plasma disorder called amyloidosis, the NYT reports.

He died on February 11, 1998, at age 42.