Chef William
Walden wins in the Capital Food Fight 2009!
Chef William Walden named Executive Chef/Restaurant Manager for The Goodstone Inn & Estate in Middleburg, Virginia
William Walden is the award winning Executive Chef and Restaurant Manager of The Goodstone Inn & Estate. A native Virginian, Chef Walden was born and raised in Paeonian Springs on the late Arthur Godfrey’s Estate, former home of his parents, just outside of Waterford. As a young boy, he worked for his grandmother’s grocery, McClain’s, in Lovettsville. There, he learned how to butcher fresh meats and keep his grandmother’s recipes guarded! No stranger to farming, Chef Walden is passionate about bringing the freshness of Goodstone’s Farm to its restaurant.
Undoubtedly influenced by his Aunt Marie-Claire, and his late Uncle Pierce, both of whom were from the French countryside, Chef Walden was taught to make pate a choux at the age of 6 and mastered the French language by the age of sixteen. Chef Walden has worked with some of the most famed chefs in the area including Francois Haeringer, Chef Extraordinare, of L’Auberge Chez Francois. There, Walden spent nearly 9 years in dedicated service to his mentor, mastering the refined art of French Cuisine. After several discussions with Chef Haeringer, he decided to embark on his own venture, La Fleur De Lis, located in Lovettsville, Virginia. It was there that Chef Walden delighted even the most experienced diner for over 7 years with his consuming passion for excellence. He developed a loyal following due to his unwavering passionate work ethic.
Chef Walden has come full circle and is back on a working farm doing what he loves, bringing the very freshest ingredients available to the Goodstone table providing an extraordinary dining experience for our guests. After joining Goodstone Inn & Estate in September of 2009, the talented Chef Walden won the DC Capital Food Fight People’s Choice Award in November with his delicious Rack of Lamb served over creamy polenta with tarragon jus and Swiss chard.
