‘The Inn’ 30th Anniversary in 30 Days: A Culinary Milestone

In exactly 30 days it will be exactly 30 years since the start of The Inn at Little Washington began, which means on April 9th there will be a gala 30th Anniversary Party for the restaurant and it’s unique proprieter Patrick O’Connell.

O’Connell describes the restaurant, located in Washington, Virginia, rougly 65 miles out from Washington DC as a concept that simple was “just a hideaway in the country owned by two people who like to entertain a lot”. He also started ths little restaurant in this little hamlet (at the time of populaton 300) with a simple little idea: “We try to convey a sense of place at The Inn by making use of the abundance of wonderful products from our region, which the French call a “cuisine de terroir.” We try to elevate these fine, earthy ingredients and use them in unique and interesting new ways while still preserving the soulful flavors and memories we associate with them. Most of my favorite dishes are the simplest and depend on a few ingredients of the finest quality.”

So as he quietly pursued his own thing, it was way ahead of the artisan and organic movement. Among the restaurant’s many awards (honestly this go on for ages, so here’s but one) The Inn was the first establishment in the Mobil Travel Guide’s history ever to receive 5 stars for its restaurant and 5 stars for its accommodation. And it’s now had that 14 years in a row.

About the party, the Anniversary celebration will take place on April 9th with a gala dinner for 500 guests at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington D.C. It will be a gala and a charity event with proceeds going to Five and Alive, a program dedicated to improving the health of children five and under in more than 30 countries. Tickets begin at $575 for the cheapie plan and a corporate sponsorship for a table is $25 grand. An original film will premiere highlighting the unique and remarkable history of America’s culinary rebirth via culinary pioneers.

Among those who will be attending are Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Robert Mondavi, Jacques Pepin, Paul Prudhomme, Wolfgang Puck, Martha Stewart, Charlie Trotter, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Tim and Nina Zagat. Yes … this may be one of those rare events where a list of who is not attending would be shorter!