1 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: On this episode of Newtsworld. There's a magical place in 2 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Little Washington, Virginia, where my wife Clifton and I have 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,639 Speaker 1: been going for years. It's called The Inn at Little Washington. 4 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:22,080 Speaker 1: It's an extraordinary place to visit, with both a restaurant 5 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: and a beautifully designed boutique hotel. The Inn a Little 6 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: Washington opened in nineteen seventy eight in a former garage 7 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: with a staff of three by my guest chef, Patrick O'Connell. 8 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: Patrick has a unique story. He's a self taught chef 9 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: who pioneered a refined, regional American cuisine in the Virginia 10 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:51,319 Speaker 1: countryside just outside of Washington. Today, Patrick and the Inn 11 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: of going on to enjoy worldwide recognition and regular host celebrities, politicians, 12 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: culinary enthusiasts all come to visit. In two thousand nineteen, 13 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: he won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the James Beard Foundation. 14 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: In November two thousand nineteen, he received the National Humanity's 15 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: Medal from the President of the United States. He's the 16 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: author of three books, The Inn of Little Washington, cook Book, 17 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: A Consuming Passion, Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine, The Inn 18 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: of lit of Washington and The Inn of Little Washington 19 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: a magnificent obsession. In two thousand nineteen, The Inn of 20 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: Little Washington became the first and only three Star of 21 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: Michelin restaurant in the Washington d c Entropaudaria. It is 22 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: also the longest tenured Forbes five Star and Triple A 23 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: five Diamond restaurant in the entire world. Patrick's went a 24 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: great friend acclose to me, and we love being with him. 25 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: We love his food, we love the ambiance he creates, 26 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: and we've learned to love him as a good friend. 27 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: So I'm particularly delighted that this holiday season he would 28 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: take some time not only to talk about his life 29 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: and career in the culinary world, but also to talk 30 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: about the unique experience he offers guests at this time 31 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: of year with Christmas. At the end, Patrick, thank you 32 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 1: for joining me. Thank you so much, Nude. It's a 33 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: great pleasure and honor to be with you, and I 34 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,959 Speaker 1: look forward to answering whatever questions you come up with 35 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: about life here in Little Washington. Well, let's start back 36 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:41,640 Speaker 1: at the beginning. You were born in Washington, c. You 37 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: grew up in Clinton, Maryland, which is in Prince George's County, 38 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: just southeast of Washington. What was your childhood like? Well, 39 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: it was a very different era all those years ago. 40 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: Clinton actually was a crossroads in tobacco country that resembled, 41 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: oddly enough, little Washington. When I first came here. It 42 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: had an old fashioned general store with a wood floor, 43 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: and life was simple. I kind of leave it to 44 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: beaver Osi and Harry at existence. And my parents were 45 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:16,919 Speaker 1: not particularly well off. They had six children, a small 46 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: brick rambler with two bedrooms and one bathroom. But we 47 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: may do. We were resourceful. My mother was a wonderful hostess. 48 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: My grandmother, who lived in the Midwest in Wisconsin, was 49 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 1: a fabulous homemaker and cook. But as a little boy, 50 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: I always thought she had to be a magician, because 51 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: she was capable of making something out of nothing. She 52 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 1: had a tiny little kitchen garden, and she'd step out 53 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: from her kitchen and fill her apron with a couple 54 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: of rotten apples and some strawberries and some rhubarb, and 55 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: she'd come back in and she'd make pies and delicacies 56 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: for a dinner for twelve out of what had fallen 57 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: on the ground in the backyard. So I thought she 58 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: had a magic wand somewhere, and I wanted to learn 59 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: how to use that magic Wand only later did I 60 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: realize that cooking is magic. Cooking is an art of transformation. 61 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: And that's when I really got hooked on the idea 62 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: of magically taking something very simple and turning it into 63 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: something else that pleased people. Well, the chef part of 64 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 1: you is clearly a magician. But what's equally amazing to me, 65 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: and I think to Calista, is that there's a part 66 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: of you that takes that magic and applies it to 67 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: the inn itself and to the surrounding buildings and now 68 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: increasingly that whole small community in little Washington. And I'm curious, 69 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,280 Speaker 1: I'd noticed that you got your undergraduate degree in drama 70 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,359 Speaker 1: from Catholic University of America. To what a cent Do 71 00:04:55,400 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: you think studying drama also affected how you resent and 72 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 1: how you shape things? Well, it probably is the one 73 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: element that most distinguishes me and the end from all 74 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: of the restaurants and all other chefs, because I tend 75 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: to factor in the entire experience. I tend to get 76 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: in the mind of the guest and experience everything they're 77 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 1: seeing and feeling as they might be, so we go 78 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: beyond the plate of food. I often say that the 79 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: food is allure to kind of seduce them into the 80 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: entire environment. And the idea is that it is every 81 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 1: night a play, just like a long running show on Broadway. 82 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:48,599 Speaker 1: But the difference is that it's improv every night it's different, 83 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: and each guest is the star of their show. And 84 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: so we create a real sanctuary and a refuge from 85 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: reality where they can indulge in the fantasy of their lives, 86 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 1: be anybody they want to be, anywhere they want to be, 87 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: and we will be there with them. On occasion, I've 88 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:17,680 Speaker 1: had the great opportunity wants to actually have the table 89 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 1: in the kitchen, and other times just to sort of visit. 90 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: You're sort of an impresario with your own team. When 91 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:28,279 Speaker 1: you walk in that kitchen, you are exuding leadership and 92 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: exuding a commitment to quality. How much of that is 93 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: self aware and deliberate and how much of it do 94 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:40,279 Speaker 1: you think is just your personality? Well, what I love 95 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 1: most is that every member of the team is part 96 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 1: of the cast. They are invited to be part of 97 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 1: that experience and the lineup that we have when somebody 98 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:56,599 Speaker 1: walks into the kitchen kind of illustrates that every one 99 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:01,480 Speaker 1: of them is part of the play, and they love 100 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: that because they're not just cooking. They're not just a 101 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: one dimensional sort of component. We never want any of 102 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: our staff to underestimate their own importance to the success 103 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: of what we're trying to do, so I always say, 104 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: if they walk through the room here, they either bring 105 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: it up or bring it down. There's no neutral They're 106 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: all contributors in someone's life's dream or magical moments or 107 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: peak life experience. So when they see it happening, it 108 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 1: takes a while to convince a young person that we're 109 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: not just serving plates of food to people. It's far 110 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: more than that. In its ultimate potential, it is a 111 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: kind of a healing experience. It gives them a place 112 00:07:53,920 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: to go to to escape all of the harsher unpleasantness 113 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: that seems to be all around us in the real 114 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: world and kind of recapture a blissful state. And once 115 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: they've seen that, they can go to that spot and 116 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 1: they can return to it in their mind again and again. 117 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: So it's indelible the experience that we try to provide. 118 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: So I have actually broken it down into five stages 119 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: for the staff to understand that the guest experience with 120 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:34,559 Speaker 1: us can begin twenty years before they actually arrive, if 121 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 1: they've always dreamed of coming, if it's been on their 122 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: bucket list, as they call it, and then we track 123 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: each phase of their experience through five stages while they're here. 124 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:51,320 Speaker 1: And that was an inspiration that came from a book 125 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Coobler Ross wrote, oddly enough, on death and dying, 126 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,840 Speaker 1: the Five Stages of Dying, and it was a universe 127 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: process that no one had ever stepped back and examined 128 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 1: from that perspective, because everybody's death adverse, no one wants 129 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 1: to think about it. But by breaking it down, she 130 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: illustrated that every person, rich or poor, young or old, 131 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:24,960 Speaker 1: when faced with that universal process, goes through distinct stages 132 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: or phases. So I have them up on the wall 133 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 1: in the kitchen to remind us all the time. The 134 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: final one is evaluation, which continues for months and years 135 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: after they've left the restaurant, where people ask them what 136 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: was it like? Would you do it again? Was it 137 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: worth it? And if we hear on their way out 138 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: they're planning to bring their parents or dear friends or whatever, 139 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 1: or they're planning their next visit. We feel that we've 140 00:09:55,760 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 1: succeeded in that final phase of evaluation, so we a wait. 141 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 1: Both psychologically and scientifically. What I was able to do 142 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 1: over these many years is kind of fuse the disciplines 143 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:17,679 Speaker 1: of theater, psychology and the culinary arts into one unique 144 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: blend of something very different than you usually expect to 145 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: find at a restaurant. I think Chliss and I've been 146 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 1: coming for about twenty years and you've just explained part 147 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 1: of it. Because I've always thought you would be an 148 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 1: extraordinary trainer on management, because it's not just managing, but 149 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 1: it's leadership to get people to rise above their expectations 150 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: and to get them to live better. I'm curious, because 151 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: I know you had some turnover with COVID, what percent 152 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: of the people you hire in the end just can't 153 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 1: do this? Because you get out of everybody that I've 154 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: ever encountered at the end, you get a remarkable level 155 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 1: of attention and performance and positive vibration, and out of 156 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: the next hundred people, what percent do you think can 157 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: actually achieve that and what percent just won't quite get there. 158 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:13,439 Speaker 1: That's a fascinating question. I should add that I'm right 159 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,880 Speaker 1: in the middle of writing a management book as we speak, 160 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: and I kind of never really dwelt on the idea 161 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 1: that I was a manager so much as I was 162 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: a transformer. So the way I regard people is the 163 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:37,080 Speaker 1: same way I regard everything I do. How can this 164 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:44,640 Speaker 1: individual be transformed into something more than they think they are, 165 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:49,120 Speaker 1: and how can they go to the next level. So 166 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:54,320 Speaker 1: the minute one of our staff realizes that by joining 167 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:59,200 Speaker 1: our culture here and being part of this team, they 168 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: will gain traits, characteristics, and skills that they can use 169 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 1: in any arena that they enter, and it will serve 170 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 1: them personally. It will not only make them a more 171 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 1: skilled individual, but it will enhance any career they may 172 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:24,360 Speaker 1: choose if they decide to get out of the hospitality business. 173 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 1: But by emphasizing their importance, I think that that's probably 174 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: the key I always say to them. Might take many 175 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:38,079 Speaker 1: references from film and theater, so I say, Okay, when 176 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,960 Speaker 1: you go to a movie, you want to be swept away, 177 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 1: you want to be engrossed and hop into the film. 178 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: But if anything prevents you from doing that, it's often 179 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:57,240 Speaker 1: a character who is annoyingly miscast or whose accent is 180 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:03,160 Speaker 1: not believable. So any actor can ruin a film, any 181 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 1: bus boy can ruin a dining experience, any rudeness can 182 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:13,679 Speaker 1: ruin somebody's three nights stay with us so they realize 183 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: that they make it or break it. So back to 184 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,080 Speaker 1: how many would not be able to do it. I 185 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:25,679 Speaker 1: never give up on anyone, and I've had some wonderful miracles. 186 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 1: So it really comes down to how much time do 187 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 1: I have to devote to helping them through their transformation. 188 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 1: It's really therapy for them. You know. One of the 189 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 1: people I've watched you grow and I've been frankly amazed 190 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: by it over the years is Cameron, who when we 191 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 1: first met him was the cheese person with Farah the 192 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 1: cow and everybody listening to us now go to the 193 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:53,280 Speaker 1: end to find out exactly what I'm referring to. But 194 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: then Cameron grew also, and you've invested in him to 195 00:13:56,960 --> 00:13:59,480 Speaker 1: go and to learn how to be the equivalent of 196 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: a T. Samelier and he does this amazing tea service. 197 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 1: But he has a personality. I've watched him blossom as 198 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: he's had children and he's grown up. He's not the 199 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 1: person he was when I first met him, probably ten 200 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,719 Speaker 1: or twelve years ago. He definitely is not. He's one 201 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 1: of the kind still. Well, he's a perfect illustration in 202 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: that we actually invite people and give them an opportunity 203 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: to be who they are and draw out their inner 204 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: talents and inner self. So instead of finding a person 205 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: who will fit into a certain niche, I relate to 206 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 1: it the opposite way. A person comes along who wants 207 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: to be here, who is unique in some way, who 208 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: I feel could be a contributor. How can we create 209 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:56,240 Speaker 1: a role that that person can inhabit that they will 210 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 1: succeed in. By the way, I was downtown a couple 211 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,240 Speaker 1: of months ago, somebody came up to me and they said, 212 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 1: you know, Patrick, I love your restaurant, but I have 213 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:06,200 Speaker 1: to confess, and I hope you won't be offended. But 214 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: the only real reason we go there is for Cheese Whiz, 215 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,720 Speaker 1: which is Cameron's nickname for the cheese and the cow. 216 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:20,720 Speaker 1: And I said, well, that's wonderful. I don't care why 217 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 1: you come, as long as you come. So he's become 218 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:27,880 Speaker 1: kind of a headliner. And the odd thing is that 219 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:30,400 Speaker 1: it took a while for him to find his niche, 220 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: so it took a while for me to find my niche. 221 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:37,280 Speaker 1: But when you find your place in the world or 222 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: your niche, you can flourish. So it's really about helping 223 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 1: each individual find what their niche is, what their contribution 224 00:15:49,400 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: can be, and how to maximize it the search for 225 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: your natche. After you go to college, you and Ryan 226 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 1: hart Lynch came out to Little Washington and started really 227 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: a catering business in a garage, if I remember correctly, 228 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: an old farmhouse with a wood burning stove and an 229 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:38,160 Speaker 1: electric frying pan. I should add that it was the sixties. 230 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 1: Those things happened then they might not ever be able 231 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: to happen again. But yes, we catered out of the farmhouse. 232 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 1: The farmhouse had no heat. It had a little spring, 233 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: and the pipe to the spring would get a walnut 234 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:56,280 Speaker 1: stuck in it and there would be no water. So 235 00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 1: we did most of our bathing in the river, and 236 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:03,600 Speaker 1: we washed the dishes for the catering company in the river. 237 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:07,880 Speaker 1: How did you come to pick Little Washington? I mean, 238 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:11,439 Speaker 1: if you draw a circle around Washington, you see there 239 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:14,640 Speaker 1: are hundreds of little places. You somehow found what has 240 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 1: become a magic little town. Well, it goes back to 241 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,360 Speaker 1: finding your place in the universe. So I really believe 242 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: in the theory that everyone has a unique geographical spot, 243 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:32,160 Speaker 1: a physical spot in the world the universe where they belong. 244 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:36,119 Speaker 1: And most people, of course don't live that way. But 245 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:39,640 Speaker 1: the idea is that if you find that spot that 246 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:44,639 Speaker 1: feels absolutely right for you, everything will fall into place. 247 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: So as soon as I came out to the country 248 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:51,000 Speaker 1: and bought this little piece of land that was really 249 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 1: just kind of a mountain shack, I felt totally at 250 00:17:56,359 --> 00:18:01,239 Speaker 1: peace and my priorities shifted. Living in the city, I 251 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 1: was interested in so many things I could barely walk 252 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:06,719 Speaker 1: two blocks down the street without getting distracted. I think 253 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: they call it attention deaf as a disorder now, but 254 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:13,360 Speaker 1: then it was just a myriad of interests. But when 255 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,760 Speaker 1: I came out to the country, life became very simple. 256 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 1: You first had to stay warm and dry, and secondly, 257 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: you had to find something good to eat. As soon 258 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:29,440 Speaker 1: as I came here, I realized that cooking is what 259 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,920 Speaker 1: I loved to do, and that was my passion, and 260 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:38,440 Speaker 1: that as that grew, I had to find a bigger audience. 261 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:42,040 Speaker 1: So the catering was the beginning, and then we rented 262 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:46,960 Speaker 1: for two hundred dollars a month. This rather forlorn garage 263 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:51,640 Speaker 1: in the very center of little Washington, and then it 264 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:57,920 Speaker 1: all started. The fun never stopped. You're largely self taught, 265 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:00,719 Speaker 1: but for rememur cract. We chatted about this recent You 266 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: did spend a little bit of time with Francois Herringer 267 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 1: when he was still downtown. I did, and he was 268 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: a marvelous teacher. Well, we wanted to see what a 269 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:13,479 Speaker 1: country restaurant was like, knowing it would be very different 270 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:17,760 Speaker 1: from a downtown restaurant, and Francois and his son Jacques 271 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 1: had just achieved at that time an incredible success out 272 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: in Great Falls with Lobarrochet Francois, and prior to that, 273 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: I had only learned from books, particularly Juliet Child's books, 274 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:37,160 Speaker 1: and they were a great inspiration for me. But seeing 275 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:40,600 Speaker 1: Francois was what we call him the biz a lifer. 276 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: He'd been downtown for many years and he stayed in 277 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:50,200 Speaker 1: the kitchen until he was ninety one, and that's an inspiration. 278 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:55,959 Speaker 1: His passion really really won me over and inspired me. 279 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: And I saw ingredients there that no one else was 280 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: using at the time, brains and kidneys and sweetbreads and 281 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: frog's legs and for a kid living in a shack. 282 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,919 Speaker 1: That was really exciting. So that was better than any school. 283 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 1: It was short lived because our opportunity after a year 284 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:21,320 Speaker 1: to open here surfaced. We actually left sche Francois because 285 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:25,159 Speaker 1: we got a call from John Warner, who had just 286 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 1: married Elizabeth Taylor, and he wanted us to do a 287 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: big party in Middleburg for her arrival in the social 288 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,680 Speaker 1: scene at Middleburg. And so we had more or less 289 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:40,880 Speaker 1: abandoned the catering company, but I thought for that we'll 290 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 1: quit our jobs and reopen, and we did, and it 291 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: was worth it. So say that alone gave you bragging rights. Absolutely. 292 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: I'm doubly impressed, though, because when you do open the 293 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 1: restaurant in January of seventy eight, in the middle of 294 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 1: one of the worst blizzards in a decade, you immediately 295 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 1: get a rave review from the Washington Stars food critic 296 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: who says the inn a little Washington quote, the best 297 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: restaurant within one hundred and fifty miles of Washington, DC. 298 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:15,600 Speaker 1: How could you jump start at that level of elegance 299 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:21,320 Speaker 1: and quality. We didn't have quite the volume, of course, 300 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: that a downtown restaurant would have before that review, but 301 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 1: it was truly a jump start. In fact, you know, 302 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,360 Speaker 1: the old saying is there's only two problems you can 303 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,600 Speaker 1: have in the restaurant business, not enough business or too 304 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:37,520 Speaker 1: much business. And we went from not enough to too 305 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:41,679 Speaker 1: much in one review. So it was a kind of 306 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: a nightmare, really, because I'm sort of reclusive in a way. 307 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:50,320 Speaker 1: And that Sunday when it came out, we opened at 308 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:54,959 Speaker 1: four pm and eleven am, the front porch was filled 309 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 1: with people trying to get in, and they kind of 310 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:03,000 Speaker 1: darkened the windows like a cloud, and then some of 311 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: them began throwing themselves against the side of the building. 312 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:10,119 Speaker 1: And then somebody found in the junkyard alongside the restaurant 313 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 1: a small wooden door that had only a little dead 314 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:17,440 Speaker 1: bolt securing it, and they began throwing their bodies against 315 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:21,119 Speaker 1: this dead bolt, and I went out into the dining 316 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:23,479 Speaker 1: and was horrified. I thought they're going to burst the 317 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 1: door down before noon. Then they came to the back 318 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,000 Speaker 1: door and we had only a little screen door, and 319 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:33,360 Speaker 1: he started hollering in the door, what time are you opening? 320 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: Had the soft shell crabs come in yet? And I thought, 321 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:41,520 Speaker 1: what has happened in my life? And I just started 322 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:44,919 Speaker 1: working faster and faster and faster, and I really felt 323 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: as if for the next ten years I didn't come 324 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 1: up for air. I just put my head down. But 325 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,119 Speaker 1: you did take a month off at the end of 326 00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 1: that first year and went to France to sort of 327 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:01,359 Speaker 1: check out the greatest restaurants in France. Yes, And that, 328 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 1: of course was the smartest thing we ever did, and 329 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,919 Speaker 1: something I would recommend to anyone in our business or 330 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,520 Speaker 1: wanting to go into it, is get some reference points. 331 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:14,960 Speaker 1: Find out not only who your peers are, but who 332 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:20,439 Speaker 1: you aspire to become. Like. So, David Brinkley came to 333 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:24,679 Speaker 1: dinner one Sunday and we had planned this trip and 334 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:28,760 Speaker 1: he had as his guest the then editor of Food 335 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:32,119 Speaker 1: and Wine magazine, and we told him we were planning 336 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:34,760 Speaker 1: a little trip to France and he said, well, I 337 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: worked there. This was Bill Rice at that time. And 338 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: he said, let me write a few letters of introductions. 339 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: Are you going to Paul Bocou's Yes, Are you going 340 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:47,800 Speaker 1: to George Blancs Yes. So he had a little note 341 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:50,920 Speaker 1: to each of these people, the Twagro Brothers, for example, 342 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:56,360 Speaker 1: and we went to the greatest three star Michelin restaurants 343 00:23:56,400 --> 00:24:01,680 Speaker 1: in the world, particularly those in the country side. Of course, 344 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:05,360 Speaker 1: we were driving one hundred and fifty dollars Dodge Dart 345 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:08,919 Speaker 1: at the time, and every single meal costs more than 346 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:12,879 Speaker 1: our car, and we spent the entire profits of the 347 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:16,480 Speaker 1: first year dining. And we'd get up from one three 348 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:20,200 Speaker 1: star experience and drive three hours to the next one, 349 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 1: And on the way to the airport, my partner at 350 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:28,520 Speaker 1: the time realized that I only had boots. I didn't 351 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:32,359 Speaker 1: have any real shoes, because who needs real shoes in 352 00:24:32,359 --> 00:24:35,040 Speaker 1: the country if you work in a kitchen. So we 353 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: had to stop and get me some real shoes so 354 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: I could go in these fancy restaurants. But what we 355 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 1: were so touched by was we were received with such kindness, 356 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: with such warmth, and all we had to do was 357 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:52,439 Speaker 1: say we were culinarians, and their arms were open, we 358 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,520 Speaker 1: could see anything we wanted. We were welcomed into the kitchen. 359 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 1: The greater the restaurant, the less snobby and self centered 360 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:04,359 Speaker 1: it was. And that really stuck with me. So every 361 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:07,160 Speaker 1: time I greet a very young person or somebody coming 362 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 1: to their first Michelin three star restaurant, I'm immediately taken 363 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:17,679 Speaker 1: back to seeing myself as pretty much a penniless startup, 364 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:23,199 Speaker 1: trying to get inspiration, and it really set us on 365 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:27,520 Speaker 1: the path. We continued that every single year, and it 366 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 1: became a measuring stick for what was going on in 367 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:34,879 Speaker 1: France where they were versus where we were. At first, 368 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,439 Speaker 1: of course it was like flying to Mars, but then 369 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:41,480 Speaker 1: every year the gap between how far ahead they were 370 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: and what we were doing would narrow, till finally, after 371 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 1: all these years, Michelin came to America, and then Michelin 372 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:52,880 Speaker 1: bestowed the third star on the end of the Washington 373 00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 1: and it was sort of a completion of a circle. 374 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: It was so miraculous and dreamlike and still is well closet. 375 00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 1: I had the great experience several times going to Talivan 376 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:12,280 Speaker 1: in Paris, and they adore you. I mean, I walk in, 377 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:15,639 Speaker 1: we chat about you, and they clearly are emotional, and 378 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 1: they're bonding with you and with the n Well, it's 379 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:22,239 Speaker 1: a small circle of the world's great restaurants. And I 380 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 1: was just over about two weeks ago to a gathering 381 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,760 Speaker 1: which is called La grand Table du Monde the Great 382 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:33,440 Speaker 1: Tables of the World, and they're only about one hundred 383 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:37,440 Speaker 1: and twenty chefs, most of them Michelin three stars so 384 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 1: there's a kind of a bonding regardless of what country 385 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:45,160 Speaker 1: you're coming from when you reach that level. And oddly enough, 386 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:49,120 Speaker 1: we share many of the same clients. They have Americans 387 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: there who will talk about us, and we have French 388 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: and English people and all nationalities coming here. So it's 389 00:26:55,840 --> 00:27:20,679 Speaker 1: a family, really an international family. You know. Part of 390 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 1: what makes the End unique, in addition to an extraordinary restaurant, 391 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:30,240 Speaker 1: is that you've reached out, that you met Joyce Evans, 392 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 1: who's a London based stage and set designer, and the 393 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 1: two of you reimagine the Inn and it makes the 394 00:27:39,119 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 1: End not just a place to have dinner. But I 395 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,520 Speaker 1: would say to any of our listeners, if you have 396 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 1: an opportunity to stay at the End, that it is 397 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,080 Speaker 1: an artistic experience, just like the dinner will be. It's 398 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: truly remarkable what you've done to redesign the End. Well, 399 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 1: thank you. Joyce was a true godsend and is an 400 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:04,480 Speaker 1: actual magician. We call her our fairy godmother. Sometimes we 401 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 1: were working with a local architect here who was very 402 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:11,600 Speaker 1: well traveled and lived in the next town, and he 403 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:14,639 Speaker 1: had gone to school at the Royal Academy, so he 404 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:18,280 Speaker 1: drew the blueprints for the initial transformation of the old 405 00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 1: garage into a grander restaurant with rooms above, and I said, 406 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: in what color do you imagine all of this would be? 407 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:32,560 Speaker 1: I wanted to look as if it's been here for 408 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,439 Speaker 1: a long long time. And he said, well, white, and 409 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 1: I said white, just white. And he said, well, if pushed, 410 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:43,760 Speaker 1: I could go to putty. And I said, I just 411 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:47,080 Speaker 1: don't think that's going to work. And he said, well, 412 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 1: if you insist, I have a friend who's absolutely mad 413 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:53,800 Speaker 1: in London. I went to school with her. If you like, 414 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,760 Speaker 1: she's a real artist, and I will send her a 415 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,880 Speaker 1: blueprint and see if she has any thoughts. Within day, 416 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 1: is this incredible? Watercolor came back imagining the front lobby 417 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:10,360 Speaker 1: and entrance of this two story entryway, far grander than 418 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:13,719 Speaker 1: any wild fantasy somebody might have been able to have, 419 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 1: and we realized that she worked much like an architect. 420 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:26,160 Speaker 1: She didn't make rooms pretty, she reconceptualized them, and she 421 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:30,720 Speaker 1: gave them a narrative and a story so much much 422 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:32,959 Speaker 1: later we found out that she'd worked with a famous 423 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 1: architect who was a dear friend of Prince Charles in England, 424 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 1: and he had done all the private apartments, and she 425 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: had done all of his renderings, and Joyce had done 426 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:49,240 Speaker 1: the interiors for them, So she was channeling not only 427 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: another era, but a kind of aristocratic sensibility that almost 428 00:29:56,360 --> 00:30:00,040 Speaker 1: didn't exist at the time in America. So we we 429 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:07,160 Speaker 1: really stepped into a kind of history book and we 430 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: began to connect and see what we were doing in 431 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 1: a sort of perfect alignment. So what we were creating 432 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: was the sense of a private home in the country, 433 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:25,840 Speaker 1: not a hotel, not a restaurant, but more like an embassy. 434 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: So the success of each project here is if it 435 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:36,400 Speaker 1: feels as if it's always been the way it is, 436 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:42,480 Speaker 1: and that's where Joyce is truly talented in giving something 437 00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:48,080 Speaker 1: an established look. We do things like we soak fabrics 438 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:51,440 Speaker 1: in tea, We lay tapestries for the summer in the 439 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 1: backyard to age. We beat walls with wire brushes and 440 00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:01,480 Speaker 1: sandblast them all to give them the sense of age. 441 00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 1: We brought in a floor that she found that's four 442 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:08,280 Speaker 1: hundred years old from a chateau in France for the 443 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:14,240 Speaker 1: living room. So we've had so much fun creating this madness, 444 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:18,920 Speaker 1: this exuberant stage set, and it just goes on and on. 445 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 1: She's ninety one now and we still talk. The genius 446 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:28,920 Speaker 1: that she brought to that is comparable to what you 447 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:32,000 Speaker 1: bring to the kitchen. Well, that was her goal, Newton, 448 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:35,040 Speaker 1: and she said, I want to give you and help 449 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:40,680 Speaker 1: you achieve a set worthy of your cuisine. And I 450 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 1: think she's been more than successful. I often say I'm 451 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:46,640 Speaker 1: going to have to up my game if she keeps 452 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 1: upping hers. Well, I think you banished that one of 453 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:53,960 Speaker 1: the places where your game is I think pretty close 454 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,560 Speaker 1: to a league by itself. You have a wine cellar 455 00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:01,440 Speaker 1: with more than fourteen thousand bottles from all around the world. 456 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:05,080 Speaker 1: That's a fairly extraordinary collection, I must say, of course, 457 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:08,080 Speaker 1: and I've never been stumped trying to find something nice 458 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 1: to drink there. Well, when we're fortunate enough to have 459 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:17,040 Speaker 1: had the Wine Spectator's Grand Award for about eighteen years, 460 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 1: and there are fewer than eighty restaurants in the world 461 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:25,920 Speaker 1: that have sellers that received that award, and the credit 462 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:30,600 Speaker 1: goes completely to our summiliers and the wine team here, 463 00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:36,320 Speaker 1: who are passionate about what they do. And we have 464 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:41,600 Speaker 1: over the years acquired other restaurants full sellers when they 465 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:45,480 Speaker 1: have closed at auctions, and that sort of thing. But 466 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:51,440 Speaker 1: when we started, our county was dry. We could serve 467 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:54,680 Speaker 1: only beer and wine, we had no spirits, and we 468 00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: actually had to create a referendum put it on the ballot, 469 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:01,400 Speaker 1: and we were the only quality, fine place in our 470 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:04,000 Speaker 1: county and the only one to have ever applied for 471 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 1: a liquor by the drink license. So that was a 472 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:10,920 Speaker 1: colorful chapter, changing our entire county from dry to wet 473 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:14,760 Speaker 1: to benefit the restaurant. Prior to that, people would pull 474 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:18,480 Speaker 1: up in their cars and not get out, and we'd wondered, 475 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,800 Speaker 1: why aren't they coming in? They were having cocktails and 476 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:27,320 Speaker 1: Dixie cups. Our first wine list, with Virginia's laws at 477 00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:31,120 Speaker 1: the time being so difficult, it was about four or 478 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:36,840 Speaker 1: five wines. So again, watching that list evolve has been 479 00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 1: like something coming full circle. Well, I can testify personally 480 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 1: that if people go to the end now, you will 481 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:48,959 Speaker 1: not get your drink in a Dixie cup. So let 482 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,600 Speaker 1: me come to the sort of Pierce rests tell us 483 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:56,680 Speaker 1: about Christmas at the end. Well, each season has its 484 00:33:56,720 --> 00:34:01,240 Speaker 1: own character and charm. People always say, well, when should 485 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 1: we come? Well, at least four times a year, I say, 486 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 1: but there's something about Christmas here that takes you back 487 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,799 Speaker 1: in time more than any other season of the year. 488 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:16,880 Speaker 1: It's partly because the town dates from the seventeen hundreds, 489 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:23,000 Speaker 1: and these charming little clapboard buildings with shingled roofs and 490 00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:27,799 Speaker 1: smoke spiraling out of all the chimneys, the fragrances, and 491 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:33,600 Speaker 1: the freshness of Christmas, the simplicity and the kind of 492 00:34:33,640 --> 00:34:38,440 Speaker 1: antithesis of today's commercial Christmas in a shopping mall, So 493 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:42,080 Speaker 1: you feel as if you've gotten a little time machine 494 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,200 Speaker 1: and gone back to the era of Dickens. And you 495 00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:48,439 Speaker 1: walk around the streets and now you get a hot 496 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:51,840 Speaker 1: chocolate if you're walking around from our new little pastry 497 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:56,480 Speaker 1: shop in bakery, and you feel there in the eighteen hundreds, 498 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:00,200 Speaker 1: and a smile just comes to people's faces. And then 499 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:03,680 Speaker 1: they come in and we have wonderful delicacies on the menu. 500 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:07,759 Speaker 1: You know, we have black truffles that time of year always, 501 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:13,560 Speaker 1: and we have chestnut soup and oyster stew and venison 502 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:17,560 Speaker 1: right now with huckleberries and roast pheasant with black truffles. 503 00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:21,880 Speaker 1: We have wagoo beef with bone marrow custard. And we 504 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:26,440 Speaker 1: have this sense of going to grandmothers as one guest said, 505 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:31,399 Speaker 1: if grandmother was the fifth Duchess of Bedford, and as 506 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:35,080 Speaker 1: if you've gone to a wonderful, wonderful house party with 507 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:40,160 Speaker 1: friends in the country, and really as if you've gone home. 508 00:35:40,719 --> 00:35:43,919 Speaker 1: So we try to convey the sense that to all 509 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:47,800 Speaker 1: of our guests that they've found a home in the country. 510 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:51,919 Speaker 1: Many come back at Christmas time year after year after year, 511 00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:54,719 Speaker 1: and we watch their children grow up, and then we 512 00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:59,239 Speaker 1: watch the next generation emerge, and it's very, very rewarding 513 00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 1: to know this generation from infancy into becoming engaged and 514 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:11,040 Speaker 1: returning year after year for the tradition of Christmas here. 515 00:36:11,719 --> 00:36:14,640 Speaker 1: It is delightful for the staff to We have five 516 00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:20,040 Speaker 1: florists this year working on the decorp and this year 517 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:24,440 Speaker 1: we added a giant tree in our conservatory at twenty 518 00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:29,439 Speaker 1: four foot tree in a glass enclosed winter garden where 519 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:33,000 Speaker 1: guests can sit or have tea in the afternoon or 520 00:36:33,160 --> 00:36:37,200 Speaker 1: breakfast in the morning, and some go to midnight mass 521 00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:41,279 Speaker 1: at the local little church. Directly across the street is 522 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:45,319 Speaker 1: the Episcopal Church, and the bells are ringing, and the 523 00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:48,720 Speaker 1: fragrance of smoke is everywhere in the air, and there's 524 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:54,320 Speaker 1: wood fires going in all the public rooms and now 525 00:36:55,040 --> 00:37:01,239 Speaker 1: in our new Patio's cafe as well, so people just 526 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:06,200 Speaker 1: feel they don't know where they are, and we say 527 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:11,320 Speaker 1: that's good. Yeah, you create an alternative reality. That's it exactly. 528 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,560 Speaker 1: I couldn't have said it better. And I would say, 529 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:19,279 Speaker 1: as a relatively consistent guest that for both Collistotomy and 530 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 1: for her girlfriends, because we always bring them there for 531 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:26,520 Speaker 1: her birthday, there is this magnificent sense that you sort 532 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:30,439 Speaker 1: of unwind, you know, and you just relax. And we're 533 00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:33,440 Speaker 1: going to put on our show page a link directly 534 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:36,840 Speaker 1: to the website so that those who have been intrigued 535 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:40,160 Speaker 1: by this can check in and make reservations and come 536 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:42,759 Speaker 1: see for themselves that what you and I have been 537 00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:45,960 Speaker 1: talking about is real and that it's remarkable. But I 538 00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:49,040 Speaker 1: cannot end without asking, I'm going to put a bit 539 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:52,880 Speaker 1: in here. When your management book comes out, I would 540 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:57,600 Speaker 1: love to do a podcast of Patrick O'Connell on creating 541 00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:02,759 Speaker 1: a transformational management approach that grows people on. I talked 542 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:04,400 Speaker 1: to you about this years ago, and I'm thrilled that 543 00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:07,240 Speaker 1: you're doing it, and I do think it's a book 544 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:10,600 Speaker 1: that will help a lot of people do a dramatically 545 00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:14,560 Speaker 1: better job of leading their teams. Thank you so much, 546 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:20,240 Speaker 1: and you've just given me the title nude. I love it. Listen, 547 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:22,720 Speaker 1: we look forward to seeing you in the very near future. 548 00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:25,560 Speaker 1: I wish you a wonderful Christmas. I know it's going 549 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:27,400 Speaker 1: to be a busy one. I will wish you a 550 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:29,840 Speaker 1: happy New Year, and I suspect, knowing you, it will be. 551 00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:32,520 Speaker 1: And we will be down as soon as we can 552 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:35,160 Speaker 1: and come and see you again. We wish you and 553 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:38,160 Speaker 1: Callista delicious new Year, and all your listeners as well, 554 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:40,600 Speaker 1: do come and see us. Thank you so much for 555 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:47,640 Speaker 1: this wonderful opportunity. Thank you to my friend Anne guest 556 00:38:47,880 --> 00:38:51,120 Speaker 1: chef Patrick O'Connell. You can learn more about the End 557 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:55,600 Speaker 1: of Little Washington on our show page at newtsworld dot com. 558 00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:59,959 Speaker 1: Newts World is produced by Gingwich Sweet sixty and iHeartMedia. 559 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:04,600 Speaker 1: Our executive producer is Debbie Myers, our producer is Garnsey Sloan, 560 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:08,640 Speaker 1: and our researcher is Rachel Peterson. The artwork for the 561 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:12,440 Speaker 1: show was created by Steve Penley. Special thanks to the 562 00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:16,000 Speaker 1: team at Gingridge three sixty. If you've been enjoying Newts World, 563 00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 1: I hope you'll go to Apple Podcast and both rate 564 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:22,040 Speaker 1: us with five stars and give us a review so 565 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:25,640 Speaker 1: others can learn what it's all about. Right now, listeners 566 00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:28,400 Speaker 1: of newts World can sign up from my three free 567 00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:33,239 Speaker 1: weekly columns at Gingridge three sixty dot com slash newsletter. 568 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:36,120 Speaker 1: I'm Newt Gingridge. This is Newtsworld