The Inn at Little Washington, lifeblood of a Virginia hamlet, shutters for the first time in decades

[mahatmakanejeeves]

There was a show about the owners on the local PBS station last night. I don't think it was related to this closure.

Food

The Inn at Little Washington, the lifeblood of a Virginia hamlet, shutters for the first time in decades

By Tom Sietsema
March 23, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. EDT

“We’ve never closed for any disaster or blizzard in 42 years,” said Patrick O’Connell, chef-owner of the world-renowned Inn at Little Washington, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. But there he was on Friday morning, bidding farewell to overnight guests after breakfast service and not knowing when the doors to his fantasy dining destination, the recipient of three Michelin stars, the French guide’s highest accolade, would welcome back guests.

The night before, his staff had attended to a mere 20 people — two seatings of 10 diners, the most the state of Virginia was allowing restaurants or bars to serve as the coronavirus pandemic shuts down almost every facet of life around the country. Departing guests told the chef they wanted to come back the moment the restaurant reopened, to be part of history; staff volunteered to work free, if O’Connell needed them.

“It’s kind of a very sweet funeral,” the chef said in a telephone interview from the inn, a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateaux, an association of independently owned luxury hotels and restaurants in 60 countries — most now shuttered, if not by government decree, then by the inability of patrons to reach them, according to O’Connell. “No one is unaffected” by the pandemic.

The inn is to Washington, Va., what cars are to Detroit: the engine that drives everything in the 133-resident hamlet, whose budget is basically the food and lodging taxes paid by the establishment. O’Connell has 175 employees on his payroll, only 10 of whom, mostly key managers, weren’t laid off on Friday, which happened to coincide with the staff’s last full, two-week paycheck. A partial paycheck will follow; insurance is covered through April 9. Remaining managers will work for reduced pay. Ahead of sending out the email announcing the layoffs Thursday night, General Manager Bob Fasce said, “My finger hovered over the send key.”

“The entire community is affected,” said O’Connell, listing the shops, wineries and other businesses that depend on the success of the area’s best-known employer. He’s in favor of public projects along the lines of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) to “keep people busy,” although the need for social distancing puts the notion on the back burner.

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Tom Sietsema
Tom Sietsema has been The Washington Post's food critic since 2000. He previously worked for the Microsoft Corp., where he launched sidewalk.com; the Seattle Post-Intelligencer; the San Francisco Chronicle; and the Milwaukee Journal. He has also written for Food & Wine. Follow https://twitter.com/tomsietsema

[Recursion]

1. Still haven't eaten there. Kept meaning to.

Here's hoping they come out OK on the other side

[elleng]

2. I saw that show last night;

learned a lot.
3 Michelin stars!

I've never been there, think too expensive, but interesting.

[appalachiablue]

3. Went for drinks yrs ago, realyl nice place in a lovely area