Patrick O'Connell (chef)

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Patrick O’Connell is the chef and proprietor of The Inn at Little Washington, a country inn and restaurant in Washington, Virginia.^[1] O’Connell was not classically trained as a chef. His training began at fifteen when he worked after school at a neighborhood restaurant in his native Washington D.C.^[2] Along with his now former partner, Reinhardt Lynch, he began a catering business in 1972 in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. In 1978, O'Connell and Lynch opened the Inn at Little Washington in an abandoned gas station. Opening first for friends and acquaitences on January 28, 1978, then officially to the public on February 1, 1978, the Inn at Little Washington was met with immediate success and notoriaty despite antogonism from many locals. Three weeks after opening, a food critic for the Washington Star, a Washington D.C. newspaper, John Rosson, visited the inn for dinner after the insistence of one of his loyal readers. Familiar with Rappahanock County, Rosson accepted the challenge to visit the new restaurant in the sleepy town of Washington, VA, located 67 miles west of the younger but more recongnizable Washington D.C. Upon visiting for the first time, he was amazed by what he experienced. So be certain that it was more than just a "fluke" or a "series of fortunate events," Rosson would return the next week. Upon doing so, equally astonished by the depth and breadth of his experience, he thought it best to introduce himself, despite regarding his annonymity as a food writer as a well-guarded secret. The critic had met his match at least in terms of his ability of uncovering any weak underside of a fledgling new entity, especially one centered in the midst of a sparsely populated villiage of less than 300 residents. By introducing himself to the new chef and proprietor, he gave a not-so-subtle warning that was more prophetic than concilliatory: "I am going to write a story about you that is going to change your life. You are going to need to hire someone full time just to answer your phone!"

In April, 1978, John Rosson's article was printed, proclaiming Patrick O'Connell's Inn at Little Washington as "the best restaurant within 150 miles of Washington D.C."

In April, 2008, the Inn at Little Washington celebrated her 30th anniversary at the Mellon Auditiorium in Washington D.C. where they premiered an original film highlighting the unique and remarkable history of America's culinary rebirth via "culinary pioneers." Thirty notable chefs, cookbook authors, critics and television personalities, including O'Connell, were recognized for leading America into the spotlight as a gastronimical super power mirrored by the amazing feats of Patrick O'Connell and his Inn at Little Washington.

O'Connell holds an undergraduate degree in drama from the Catholic University of America. He has won numerous awards including Outstanding Chef in America in 2001 and Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region in 1993, both awarded by the James Beard Foundation. He was also one of the original inductees into "Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America." The Inn has won the Mobil Travel Guide’s Five-Star Awards for its restaurant and accommodations for 14 years. ^[3]

[edit] Works

• O'Connell, Patrick (2004). Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine: The Inn at Little Washington, photographs by Tim Turner, New York: Bullfinch Press. ISBN 0821228455. 

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Patrick O'Connell. Author Spotlight. Random House, Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
• The Chefs: Patrick O'Connell. Chef's Story. KQED San Francisco. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.