The crème de la crème of the culinary world gathered at Monticello, the historic Virginia home of Thomas Jefferson, to celebrate another American pioneer: legendary chef Patrick O’Connell, who marked his 80th birthday on October 9.
O’Connell has secured his place among the greats of American cuisine through his restaurant and hotel, The Inn at Little Washington, which he opened in the small Virginia village of Washington in 1978. The Inn holds the distinction of being the longest-running Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star restaurant (35 years). In recognition of his efforts, the chef was honored with an officially designated “Patrick James O’Connell Day” at the birthday event.
Also during the party, a surprise video tribute to O’Connell’s legacy featured culinary icons like Jacques Pépin, Thomas Keller and Martha Stewart. “Your establishment, The Inn at Little Washington, is my favorite, favorite place to dine,” Stewart said.
After that unexpected treat, chefs José Andrés and Daniel Boulud came out and sang “Happy Birthday” and cut a stunning five-tiered, powder-blue-and-gold cake.
While there’s a celebratory air around the place today, the Inn humbly began as an auto-repair shop and gas station in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Back in 1978, O’Connell and former partner Reinhardt Lynch rented the garage that would become the home of one of the United States’ most acclaimed restaurants. In less than a week after opening, critics were raving about what would become the chef’s signature style of cuisine — strictly seasonal fare with a whimsical flair informed by O’Connell’s time spent in Europe’s most hallowed kitchens.
Over the next several decades, the chef would refine his culinary approach, ultimately creating three tasting menus that diners still enjoy today. The “Here and Now” menu features dishes like pan-seared diver scallops infused with passionfruit and ginger. The “Our Enduring Classics” roster showcases the kitchen’s signature creativity, highlighted by dishes such as an herb-crusted Elysian Fields baby lamb loin carpaccio that’s accompanied by a surprising Caesar salad ice cream. Lastly, the “Good Earth” selections elevate vegetables to haute cuisine that changes with the calendar.
The dining room at the Five-Star restaurant reflects the same careful attention to detail as the cuisine. O’Connell enlisted architect Albert Hinckley and London-based designer Joyce Conwy Evans to create an eclectic farmhouse setting of thoughtfully curated antiques and a 400-year-old floor sourced from a French chateau that has served as a wondrous backdrop for milestone meals and celebratory dinners.
Over the years, the restaurant’s popularity soared among Washington, D.C.’s elite, with notable guests including members of President Clinton’s staff, the Reagans and Queen Elizabeth II. In 1984, O’Connell made a strategic decision that solidified the restaurant’s reputation as a premier destination by opening the Inn’s first guest rooms. Over time, this evolved into The Inn at Little Washington’s 24 warmly decorated accommodations. Fittingly, each space is dedicated to a culinary icon, such as Alice Waters, Julia Child and Thomas Keller. Best of all, guests who stay overnight are guaranteed restaurant reservations.
Never one to rest on his laurels, chef O’Connell has ambitious plans for the hotel, which he announced during The Inn at Little Washington’s 45th anniversary celebration in 2023. Moving away from his usual practice of renovating historic buildings, O’Connell is preparing a new build consisting of an 18,000-square-foot spa and an infinity pool in a colonial-style structure. He’s also writing his memoir, which will arrive next year.
“If this is what happens when you turn 80,” O’Connell said at his birthday soiree, “I can’t wait to see what 90 will bring.”
