The review proclaimed The Inn at Little Washington the best restaurant in a 150-mile radius of D.C. O'Connell and Lynch did have to hire someone to answer the phone. For the next 15 years, O'Connell and Lynch closed the Inn every January to tour Europe. That kind of relentless passion helped The Inn at Little Washington receive the first perfect score in the history of the Zagat rating system. The James Beard Awards selected it as Restaurant of the Year and named O'Connell Best Chef of the Mid-Atlantic region in 1993. Even after 24-years, there are still challenges.
Nobody is at our Inn because they thought they'd stop by for a nosh.
At the conclusion, Dr. William Travis, dean of academic affairs, presented O'Connell with the Escoffier chair. Jesse Miller and Kimberly Brown, sophomores, were recognized as Young Culinarians. Chef O'Connell also graciously invited each of the award winners to a dinner for two at the Inn. A Consuming Passion followed. The University's College of Culinary Arts opened in 1973 and is the largest food service educator in the country today.