Congratulations to Patrick O’Connell and the entire team at The Inn at Little Washington! This year, the three MICHELIN Star restaurant earned a Green Star presented by Illy, awarded for seriously deep commitment to sustainability. The Inn has been serving regional American cuisine utilizing indigenous products from local farmers, ranchers, and the Inn's own garden for 43 years. O'Connell says, "The importance of conscientious stewardship for our surrounding land of Rappahannock County adjacent to Shenandoah National park has become a strong movement. Our staff is working diligently on reducing plastic consumption and recycling and we continue to enhance our practices daily." Here's how they do it.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- We save all organic food trim for garden compost.
- Vegetable trim is set aside to nourish our chickens and goats on our farm
- Plastic straws have been eliminated
- We use bamboo flatware vs. plastic for any food to go, like our picnic lunches
On-Property Farm and Apiary
- We have two full-time farmers and five gardeners. In the winter, we utilize our own greenhouses for herbs and lettuces.
- Our cherry orchard supplies abundant amounts of cherries every Spring
- We have a beekeeper who takes care of our hives which supply our own honey.
- We keep Red Star chickens for our own egg production and use local eggs from neighboring farms
Local Whenever Possible, Always Sustainable
- Local pork is used for all of our breakfast meats
- In addition to produce from the Inn's garden and farm, neighboring farms and artisans supply produce in spring, summer, and fall
- Any products sourced from outside Virginia are from small, artisan-type farms of the highest quality
- Purchase seafood from sustainable sources
- Organic chocolate used in pastry from Pacari, a single-source purveyor in Quito, Ecuador
Eco-Upgrades
- Property wide changing to energy efficient LED lighting
- Replacing mechanical, thermostats and kitchen equipment with energy efficient models
Illustration by Alice Van de Walle
Hero image: Chef Patrick O'Connell. Photo by Gordon Beall, courtesy of The Inn at Little Washington
Presented in partnership with Illy
- Keep up to date on the 2021 MICHELIN Star Revelation in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and New York.
- Read more about sustainability at MICHELIN restaurants in California and around the world.
- Find every restaurant in the Washington, D.C. MICHELIN Guide.
- Download the new MICHELIN Guide app and get ready to eat well. Available now in the App Store and very soon for Android.
- Meet chef Brad Deboy of Bib Gourmand Ellē
