Patrick Robertson
Childhood:
Patrick Robertson is a seventh
generation Californian born in
1958. A veteran of the US Navy as a
nuclear engineer he took his first
restaurant job at the age of 23 as a
dishwasher. When a cook didn’t show
up for a shift he found himself
thrust onto the line and a lifelong
passion was born.
When the restaurant failed a year
later Patrick put his engineering
education to use as a sales rep for
an engineering company. During this
time he continued to pursue his
passion, taking private cooking
lessons and reading every cookbook
he could lay his hands on.
Education:
Armed with valuable skills learned
by his graduation from the Naval
Nuclear Engineering School and the
knowledge gained about cooking
through self study, Patrick began
his culinary education in earnest in
1992. He left his high paying, low
hour sales position for the opposite
and enrolled in the Contra Costa
College Hotel & Restaurant
Management program at Diablo Valley
College under the direction of Chef
Nader Sharkes.
While in culinary school Patrick was
the top student in the respected
program and completed his studies in
1995. He graduated with a 3.96 GPA
and certificates in Culinary Arts,
Commercial Baking and Restaurant
Management.
Early
Career:
While in school Patrick gained
experience at the fine dinning
restaurants Grassini, Black Hawk
Grill and The Duck Club at the
Lafayette Park Hotel. During his
final semester he was Chef de
Cuisine of Mangia Mangia Restaurant
achieving 2½ stars from the S.F.
Chronicle.
Patrick then gained valuable
experience in San Francisco
kitchens. He worked 3 years at The
Dinning Room at the Ritz Carlton
with Gary Danko, Lawrence Jossel and
Sylvain Portay. His next 3 years
were spent at Farallon with Chef
Mark Franz and George Francisco as
Sous Chef and Lunch Chef. A move to
the East Bay followed with Chef
positions at Mezze and Café
Nordstrom.
On His Own:
In 2005 he started his own
successful company, Food with
Attitude Consulting. Patrick
provided kitchen design, concept
planning and operational training to
local and international clients.
In 2006 Patrick was contacted by his
mentor Nader Sharkes about the
possibility of teaching at Contra
Costa College. He joined the team
in 2007, completing his AA degree in
culinary education and graduating as
Presidents Scholar.
After 2½ years at CCC he is now the
chef/partner of a new collaborative
culinary project called Restaurant
615, a culinary school and full
service restaurant where he is
putting to use his years of
experience to help tomorrow’s
culinary stars to realize their
dreams.
