Patrick O’Connell, a native of Washington, DC, is a self-taught chef who pioneered a refined, regional American cuisine in the Virginia countryside. In 1978, Patrick opened The Inn at Little Washington in a former garage in the tiny town of Washington, VA.

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Patrick and The Inn have gone on to enjoy worldwide recognition and regularly host celebrities, politicians, and culinary enthusiasts. He has been referred to as "the Pope of American Cuisine" and in 2019, won the Lifetime Achievement award from the James Beard Foundation. In November of the same year, he received the National Humanities Medal from the President of the United States.