About The Chef

Chef Patrice Olivon, the creator and chef instructor of Cooking Live, is one of the most successful and well-known chefs in America. With a star-studded career of more than 4 decades of culinary experience, he has cooked for the White House, served as Executive Chef at the French Embassy and as Chef at leading French restaurants in Washington D.C, competed on prize-winning teams on Food Network television shows, and appeared in cooking demonstrations at the nation’s top culinary festivals.

Chef Patrice established “Cooking Live” to fulfill his dream of making the home chef a better cook. Presenting live online streaming cooking classes, the chef has designed an eminently practical and accessible school that gives amateur cooks the professional techniques of a master chef.

Before establishing “Cooking Live,” Chef Patrice, who holds a culinary degree from the prestigious Ecole Hôtelière de Marseille in the South of France, had most recently served as Program Director for “L’academie de Cuisine,” one of the nation’s top 10 culinary schools, where he taught 100’s of chefs, many of whom have become very successful professional chefs in the culinary world. He had also conducted numerous recreational classes for home cooks, classes that have become immensely popular throughout the Washington D.C, metropolitan area.

After teaching at L’academie for more than a decade, Chef Patrice was ready to discontinue teaching there and to focus on the home chef, putting into place his plan for “Cooking Live,” a top-notch culinary home for the home chef, designed for anyone who wants to learn how to be a better cook.

His real time online cooking classes are presented every Saturday at 4PM ET. After signing up, the “Cooking Live” student receives a list of all the ingredients and equipment needed. On Saturday, the student connects to “Cooking Live” – accessed with any standard device – and then cooks live with Chef Patrice over the internet.  The student can also use live chat to communicate directly with the Chef.

At the end of the class, the student will have prepared two different dishes, enough to serve 4 people. The student learns many professional techniques, techniques that Chef Patrice has taught to many professional chefs. The class, which lasts about 2 hours, is a ton of fun, and students also have access to the dozens of other past broadcast.

Chef Patrice shines whenever he explains his craft to others – his charisma and culinary expertise draw in culinary students and audiences across the country. His humor, anecdotes, and charm are captivating, He has been in the vanguard of a new wave of chefs taking cooking to exciting new levels. On the Iron Chef America TV show, Alton Brown nicknamed the gifted chef “Patrice-O-Matic” for his speed and culinary prowess, skills that helped Chef Patrice’s team win the battle against Iron Chef Cat Cora.

Born in Casablanca and raised in Provence, Chef Patrice’s culinary style is inspired by the cuisine of Southern France, emphasizing fresh, local ingredients. After obtaining his culinary degree in Marseille, he cooked at the renowned Negresco Hotel with Michelin two-star Chef Jacques Maximin. Upon relocating to Washington D.C, in 1979, Chef Patrice first worked as a Pastry Chef at Le Palais des Friandises, and then, for the next 12 years, he served as the Chef at La Maison Blanche. In 1991, he achieved the position of Executive Chef of the French Embassy in Washington D.C, where he worked for another 12 years.

At the same time as he worked mornings at the Embassy, he also had a most prestigious night job: cooking for President Clinton. In 1991, Chef Patrice was also offered the opportunity to work in the Clinton White House, and for the next 14 years, from 1991 to 2005, Chef Patrice cooked at the White House for formal affairs, private parties, and daily meals. In 1993, First Lady Hillary Clinton called upon Chef Patrice, along with the country’s most talented chefs, to “Americanize” White House cuisine. He also traveled with the President to the Summit of The Americas in Miami in 1994 and the G8 Summit in Denver in 1997.

In 2005, he accepted the position of Program Director at “L’academie de Cuisine” in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He also began captivating new audiences – on television as well as live demonstrations. On Food Network’s competition series Food Fight, Chef Patrice and his French team won the show’s grand prize by a landslide. In 2006, Chef Patrice competed on Food Network’s Iron Chef America. Along with the former Executive Chef of the White House, Walter Scheib, his team won the battle against Cat Cora and Chef Patrice gained the nickname “Patrice-O-Matic.”

Chef Patrice is passionate about the culinary arts. He has been that way for decades, and of all his years overflowing with culinary accomplishments, his “Cooking Live” creation may well be his greatest contribution to the culinary world, giving every lover of cooking the opportunity to immerse themselves in the joy of discovering Chef Patrice’s innovative ideas and to learn the techniques for truly cooking like a professional chef – like Chef Patrice!