Patrick O'Connell and the Paul Newman Diversion

Patrick O'Connell has spent nearly five decades building The Inn at Little Washington into one of America's most celebrated restaurants. At the age of 80, he is finally sharing his story in the memoir, Main, Middle & Gay. In this conversation, he shares the childhood experiences that shaped his lifelong pursuit of beauty, opening a restaurant as half of a gay couple in rural Virginia, finding his place among the misfits and oddballs who gravitate toward restaurant work, earning the trust of the legendary food writer Craig Claiborne, hosting guests including Paul Newman and Barbra Streisand, and why he believes the highest form of hospitality is healing. Visit foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans for more Episode Art Courtesy of Food & Wine /The Inn at Little Washington Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices