Patrick O'Connell

Formal study at Catholic University of America preceded the restaurant work that defined Patrick O'Connell's career in Washington, Virginia. In 1978, the craft took institutional form when he became founder, co-owner and operator at The Inn at Little Washington, guiding the property from 1978–2007. The shift narrowed the ownership structure without moving the work. As chef and Sole Proprietor of The Inn at Little Washington, Patrick O'Connell has kept the restaurant as the single site for his Refined American cuisine.

Refined American cuisine remains the operating discipline at the restaurant Patrick O'Connell founded, with the current role keeping him directly tied to the house, its standards, and its continuity. The Half Pound Ovoka Farms Beef Burger with Tomato-Jam, Crispy Onions, and Comté Cheese shows the same attention to components at a familiar scale. Of that burger, Patrick O'Connell has said, "The bread, the pickles, the lettuce, the way the beef is prepared. This is just one of the best burgers ever."

Industry recognition includes the Lifetime Achievement Award (2019), marking Patrick O'Connell's long service to a restaurant model built in one place over decades.