Main, Middle & Gay: A Chef Finds His Place in the World Against All Odds

PRE-ORDER ONLY

RELEASED SEPT. 15, 2026

New!

As many regulars already know, we live and have had a successful business in Little Washington, VA, for over 30 years, just steps away from the Inn at Little Washington. We know Patrick, his kindness and generosity, and of course his exemplary food and ambiance at the Inn. We highly recommend this book if you want to know who he is, why he is obsessed with his creations, and what has made him the person he is today.

The chef and founder of the Michelin-starred restaurant The Inn at Little Washington gives us an inside look at the tumultuous joys and struggles that have brought him to his special place at the intersection of Main, Middle, and Gay.

World-renowned chef Patrick O’Connell has been recognized as a pioneer of American cuisine; his internationally acclaimed restaurant in the Virginia countryside, the Inn at Little Washington, is Michelin-starred and a Relais & Châteaux hotel. Named for the three historic streets in the little town where O’Connell’s life and career have taken root, Main, Middle & Gay chronicles O’Connell’s winding journey through the rough-and-tumble restaurant world.

Growing up gay in the 1950s and working as a paperboy and a cook at a hamburger joint, O’Connell found his place with other misfits in the addictive restaurant scene, where he learned to be nimble and grew up fast while working long hours and late nights with colorful characters. He lived free-spirited on farms with friends and traveled Europe, teaching himself to cook along the way. When he opened his restaurant in an old abandoned garage, he had no idea it would grow to the heights it has achieved today.

In his first-ever memoir, O’Connell shows us the evolution that has led the Inn at Little Washington to become a global destination for foodies and travelers alike.