Patrick O’Connell, the acclaimed owner and chef of The Inn at Little Washington, added another doctorate to his résumé, now that the Culinary Institute of America has awarded him an honorary degree.
The degree from the esteemed culinary college celebrates the proprietor of the three-star Michelin restaurant for his “unparalleled contributions” to culinary culture.
O’Connell received the honorary doctorate, his third, at the 2024 Culinary Institute of America commencement ceremony in Hyde Park, New York, on August 8. His other honorary doctorates came from The College of William & Mary and Johnson and Wales University.
At the commencement, O’Connell, who has mentored CIA graduates over his 46-year career encouraged graduates to be their “own most severe critic” so that they can continually evolve, something he’s done throughout his career.
“The Inn has been slowly and patiently evolving over the last four decades,” O’Connell, a DC native, said last year. “Evolving is as simple as making everything a tiny bit better every day. As long as I can see forward motion, I’m happy.”
CIA President Tim Ryan gave O’Connell the Crystal Chef award and named him an International Culinary Ambassador of the Culinary Institute of America.
Others who have honorary doctorates from the CIA include Anthony Bourdain, Thomas Keller, and Daniel Boulud.
O’Connell, a self-taught chef known for his eye for perfection, was one of the nation’s first to focus on farm-to-table regional dining, a network he developed out of necessity because of The Inn at Little Washington’s location in Rappahannock County. The Inn is known not only for its world-class cuisine but for its exceptional service.
In 2019, the James Beard Foundation presented O’Connell, a three-time author, with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Feature image of Patrick O’Connell courtesy The Brand Guild
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