Patrick O’Connell

Patrick O’Connell is a self-taught chef who pioneered a regional American cuisine in a tiny Virginia village 67 miles west of Washington DC. His alliance with local farmers and artisanal producers was an adaptation born of necessity more than 40 years ago when nothing but milk was delivered to the town of “Little Washington”, VA (pop. 133). O’Connell, a native of Washington DC, opened The Inn at Little Washington in 1978 in a former garage on the corner of Main and Middle Streets. It has evolved from a simple country inn to an international culinary shrine. O’Connell is now referred to as “the Pope of American cuisine.”

O'Connell and The Inn have enjoyed enormous national and international recognition. Author of three The Inn at Little Washington-inspired books, O'Connell has also released his own memoir, "Main, Middle & Gay: A Chef Finds His Place in the World Against All Odds."

O’Connell was asked to cook for Queen Elizabeth at the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond on her visit to Virginia in 2007. Through Relais & Chateaux, he staged a dinner celebrating the coming of age of American Cuisine in Paris and participated along with Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, and Charlie Trotter in the “American Food Revolution” in Oxford, England. He has appeared on "Good Morning America," "TODAY," the "CBS Early Show," the "Martha Stewart Show," "Top Chef," "The Diane Rehm Show," "Charlie Rose" and is a frequent guest speaker at The Smithsonian Institution and The Culinary Institute of America.

An original inductee into "Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America," O'Connell has received numerous accolades for The Inn at Little Washington. The Inn became the first in America to earn two five-star awards from Mobil Travel Guides, one for its restaurant and one for accommodations, and also received two five-diamond awards from AAA. O’Connell and The Inn have won six James Beard Foundation awards, including Restaurant of the Year (1993) and the Lifetime Achievement Award (2019). In 2020, President Trump awarded O’Connell the National Humanities Medal, praising his contributions to culinary arts. He also received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from William & Mary, The Culinary Institute of America, and Johnson & Wales University. Inspired by the great Michelin restaurants of Europe, The Inn at Little Washington has been Michelin-Starred since 2019 and was awarded a Michelin Green Star for sustainability in 2021.