Patrice Boudou Obituary (1970 - 2021)

Patrice Boudou was born in Verdun, France, and taken much too soon in December, 2021 in Oro Valley. He was creative, adventurous, brave, thoughtful, and fun loving. If he could have done anything in his life, it would have been to travel the world with his wife and son. He pursued a path in the culinary arts, earning Chef de Cuisine and Chef Patissier degrees, inspired by his mother's cooking. His gift took him from his native France to Germany, Spain, St. Maarten in the Caribbean, and eventually to the United States. He worked as an Executive Chef in fine restaurants, resorts, his own catering company, and as a Private Chef. As a Private Chef for a Major League Baseball star, he also met his wife, Tamara, whom he successfully courted thanks in no small part to his home-made tiramisu. Together, they have a son, Nicco. His career path diverged from cooking to estate management for high-profile clients, and eventually to starting his own concierge company. Patrice was very ambitious and worked hard so he could play hard. He loved and owned vehicles of all kinds, from his first moped to his beloved Dodge Challenger and Harley Davidson Street Glide. He was very creative, as demonstrated by the thoughtful, handmade gifts he made for family and friends. His creativity was also evident in his artistic food presentation and home improvement projects, a favorite of which was the treehouse he designed and built from scratch for Nicco. He took his family on trips back to his small village in France where his sister Severine, his niece Charlotte, and his parents Gerard and Noelle still live. Additionally, he traveled with his family around the USA, the Caribbean, and Europe. His plans included a return to France so he could live more simply in his home village, near his family as well as a European hub for more travel. Ray Bradbury wrote, "Everyone must leave behind something when he dies...A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there." Patrice's soul is everywhere around us. He is in loud, rumbling engines of cars and motorcycles. He is in the home he helped to create for his family. He is in every delicious meal and bottle of wine shared with family and friends. He is in the music, the art, the places, and the people he loved.