Slice of utopia: Va. food festival channels Woodstock

WASHINGTON 鈥� There鈥檚 one thing Patrick O鈥機onnell remembers from attending the legendary 1969 music festival, Woodstock聽鈥� and that is food.

鈥淗uge woks were stir-frying brown rice and veggies over giant trash cans and various communes were just passing out bowls of food, and I thought that was utopian,鈥� said O鈥機onnell, chef and proprietor of .

Forty-nine years later, he鈥檚 channeling those memories to build his own festival. Only this time around, food is the focus.

On Sept. 2, The Inn at Little Washington’s Patrick O’Connell is throwing a festival like never before. The focus will be food, but the Woodstock-esque event will also have music, bonfires, fireworks and hot air balloon rides. (Courtesy The Inn at Little Washington)

Pictured: Radish tartine with Virginia country ham and caviar at The Inn at Little Washington, a two-star Michelin restaurant about an hour outside of Washington, D.C. (Courtesy The Inn at Little Washington)

The Village Market, a weekly farmers market that runs all summer and through Oct. 30, is the latest project from The Inn at Little Washington. Pictured: Chef and Proprietor Patrick O'Connell with Joneve Murphy. (Courtesy Rachel Hayden/Inn at Little Washington) — In this photo, The Inn at Little Washington’s chef and proprietor Patrick O’Connell poses with Joneve Murphy at a farmers market on the property in Little Washington, Virginia. (Courtesy Rachel Hayden/Inn at Little Washington)

The Inn at Little Washington was awarded five stars in a 2017 Forbes travel guide. (Courtesy U.S. 太子探花) — The Inn at Little Washington was awarded five stars in a 2017 Forbes travel guide. The restaurant has also been awarded two Michelin stars, two years in a row. (Courtesy U.S. 太子探花)

Peanut-crusted softshell crab tempura, perfumed with orange and lemongrass at The Inn at Little Washington. (Courtesy The Inn at Little Washington)

The Inn at Little Washington is in the town of Little Washington, Virginia, home to about 130 residents. Innstock will take over much of the town. But don’t worry, all of the residents are invited as guests. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)

The fourth annual Chefs for Equality took place on Oct. 20 at the The Ritz-Carlton, West End in Northwest D.C. The sold-out event brought together D.C.鈥檚 best chefs and mixologist for a tasty evening to benefit The Human Rights Campaign. (WTOP/Rachel Nania) — The Inn at Little Washington’s chef and proprietor Patrick O’Connell (white top, cow-print pants) poses with alum of The Inn at Little Washington at an event in D.C. Innstock will bring back chefs from The Inn’s 40 years in business. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)

The Inn at Little Washington is located in Little Washington, Virginia. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)

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, a hybrid name that references both O鈥機onnell鈥檚 business and the famed festival, will take over the small town of Little Washington, Virginia, on Sunday, Sept. 2. There will be live music, bonfires, fireworks, and food served from booths manned by the restaurant鈥檚 alumni.

鈥淚t鈥檚 astonishing how many are making pilgrimages to return,鈥� said O鈥機onnell, who is throwing the inaugural bash to celebrate The Inn at Little Washington鈥檚 .

鈥淲e鈥檙e likening it to a very large family reunion where everyone, somehow, is connected.鈥�

Tarver King is one of O鈥機onnell鈥檚 former employees returning for the event. King, who is the current chef at , worked at The Inn from 2002 to 2003. He said his time there was the 鈥減innacle moment鈥� in his career.

鈥淚t鈥檚 where I met my wife, it鈥檚 where I really got my first experience in a five-star, five-diamond kitchen,鈥� said King, who later went on to work at restaurants in Maine and South Carolina, before returning to Virginia.

鈥淲e even moved back to this area because of our time at The Inn at Little Washington. The area was always in our hearts and we needed to get back.鈥�

King isn鈥檛 the only one who met his partner while working at O鈥機onnell鈥檚 two-star Michelin restaurant. His current sous chef at Patowmack Farm also worked, and met his wife, in The Inn鈥檚 kitchen.

鈥淓veryone meets their wife here,鈥� O鈥機onnell said. 鈥淲e have a number of couples returning (to the festival).鈥�

For Innstock, King will serve a few 鈥渉ippie-inspired鈥� dishes, including a crepe-like roll made from hemp seed, fried pork belly and pickles; and a soft serve ice cream, also made from hemp seed, and topped with granola, salted caramel and preserved fruits.

O鈥機onnell, who invited all of the town鈥檚 130 residents as his guests to the event, said other items on the festival鈥檚 menu include black truffle tacos, chicken and waffles, and glazed lamb shoulder with Moroccan carrot salad. David Shannon of Richmond, Virginia鈥檚 popular L鈥橭possum restaurant is serving escargot on a ham biscuit, and O鈥機onnell is providing picnic fare, such as barbecue, fried chicken, watermelon and lemonade. Local beer and wine will also be flowing.

The majority of festivities 鈥� a lineup that includes hot air balloon rides and roaming impersonators 鈥� will take place in the 鈥淔ield of Dreams,鈥� a 20-acre meadow owned by The Inn at Little Washington, and its surrounding streets. In true festival fashion, the returning chefs will camp overnight on the property.

鈥淭here are a lot of people who wished they had gone to Woodstock but never did. … It鈥檚 a legend, it happened once, it probably could never be replicated, and from a culinary parallel, this is similar,鈥� O鈥機onnell said.

鈥淎nd the hope is that we might continue with a different theme every year and have a Little Washington culinary festival here.鈥�

, which runs from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., are $250; the crowd will be capped at 1,000.

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