Patrick Clark (chef)


Patrick Dean Clark was an American chef. He won the 1994 James Beard Foundation award for "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Region" during his tenure at the Hay-Adams Hotel, Washington, D.C. and also competed in the 1997 Iron Chef. Clark is credited with having been the first chef in New York City to mix fine-dining and bistro at The Odeon in Tribeca, as well as also having been one of the first American chefs to apply French technique to growing American regional cuisine in the late 70s and early 80s.

Early life

Clark was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Melvin, also a chef, and Idella. He was raised in Canarsie.

Career

In 1988, he opened his own restaurant, Metro, on the Upper East Side. It closed in 1990 and he went to work at Bice in Beverly Hills. He soon returned to the east coast, taking over the kitchen at the Hay–Adams Hotel. In 1995, he returned to New York City to become Executive chef at Tavern on the Green.

Personal life

In 1979, he married Lynette. The couple had five children: two sons, Preston and Cameron, and three daughters, Aleia, Ashley, and Brooke. Preston is also an award-winning chef. At the time of his death, he and his family were living in Plainsboro, New Jersey.

Death

Clark died due to amyloidosis on February 11, 1998 in Princeton, New Jersey at the age of 42. Before his death, Clark, suffering from a rare blood disease amyloidosis and in need of a cure, had been admitted to the Princeton Medical Center. His wife and their five children survived him.