Patrick O’Connell (born October 9, 1945) was an American

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

and proprietor of the Inn at Little Washington, a country inn and restaurant in the town of Washington, Virginia.

Early life and education

O'Connell was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in the nearby suburb of Clinton, Maryland. He was not classically trained as a chef but worked after school at a neighborhood restaurant in his hometown.{{cite web , title = Patrick O'Connell , work = Author Spotlight , publisher = Random House, Inc. , url = http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=22474&view=full_sptlght , accessdate = 2007-10-17 O'Connell holds an undergraduate degree in drama from the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

and he studied at George Washington University.

The Inn at Little Washington

{{main, The Inn at Little Washington Along with his now former business and romantic partner, Reinhardt Lynch, he began a catering business in 1972 in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. In 1978, O'Connell and Lynch opened the Inn at Little Washington in an abandoned

gas station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

. The restaurant opened first for friends and acquaintances on January 28, 1978, then officially to the public on February 1, 1978. Three weeks after opening, a food critic for '' The Washington Star'', John Rosson, visited the inn for dinner. In April 1978, Rosson's article was printed, proclaiming O'Connell's Inn at Little Washington as "the best restaurant within 150 miles of Washington D.C." The Inn has won the Mobil Travel Guide's Five-Star Awards for its restaurant and accommodations for 14 years. In 2018, the Inn received a three-star rating from the Michelin Guide. The ''

International Herald Tribune The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France for international English-speaking readers. It had the aim of becoming "the world's first global newspaper" and could fairly be said ...

'' rated it as one of the ''Top Ten Best Restaurants in the World''. The Zagat Survey for Washington, D.C. rated it number one in all categories for 14 consecutive years.

Awards and recognition

O'Connell was one of the first American chefs courted by the France-based Relais & Chateaux. He is recognized as one of their "Grands Chefs" (formerly the designation was "Relais Gourmands" referring to establishments of two Michelin Star quality or better). He has been called "The Pope of American Cuisine". 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. In 2019, he was awarded their Lifetime Achievement Award.{{cite web , title=Patrick O'Connell and the Giving Kitchen will be honored at this year's Beard Awards , url=https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2019-lifetime-achievement-winner-and-humanitarian-of-the-year , website=JBF , accessdate=26 April 2019 He is a member of the American Culinary Federation and was inducted into the ACF Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2019, O'Connell was awarded the National Humanities Medal.{{cite news , last1=Heil , first1=Emily , title=Patrick O'Connell to receive National Humanities Medal from Trump , url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/patrick-oconnell-to-receive-national-humanities-medal-from-trump/2019/11/18/28e07634-0a3d-11ea-97ac-a7ccc8dd1ebc_story.html , newspaper=The Washington Post , date=November 18, 2019

Works

* {{cite book , last = O'Connell , first = Patrick , others = photographs by Tim Turner , title = Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine: The Inn at Little Washington , publisher = Bullfinch Press , year = 2004 , location = New York , isbn = 0-8212-2845-5 , url-access = registration , url = https://archive.org/details/patrickoconnells00ocon

Notes

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References

* {{cite web , title = Patrick O'Connell , work = Author Spotlight , publisher = Random House, Inc. , url = http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=22474&view=full_sptlght , accessdate = 2007-10-17 * {{cite web , title =The Chefs: Patrick O'Connell , work =Chef's Story , publisher = KQED San Francisco , url =http://www.chefsstory.com/thechefs_patrickoconnell.html , accessdate = 2007-10-17 {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Patrick Living people American chefs American male chefs People from Washington, Virginia American restaurateurs Catholic University of America alumni George Washington University alumni 1945 births People from Washington, D.C. James Beard Foundation Award winners National Humanities Medal recipients