THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 27, 1995 TAG: 9505270453
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
Local legend is that on the night of Oct. 29, 1768, George Washington slept in Smithfield. He dined, got up early, and then went on to Williamsburg. Entries from his diary confirm it.
Since the local inn and tavern on Main Street was the only lodging available in the small town of Smithfield at the time, Washington really may have slept at what is known today as the Smithfield Inn.
If he could see it now, he probably would not recognize it. But the father of our country would certainly be impressed.
After months of restoration and renovation, the Smithfield Inn, which was built in 1752 and once had a national reputation for fine dining, will be opened today and tomorrow during Olden Days weekend.
There will be tours, ham biscuits and lemonade for all, but it's just a sneak preview.
``We probably won't open officially until around the first of July,'' said Mike Dulong, a former Navy Seal and cooking school graduate who has been hired as head chef. ``But we know everybody has wanted to get inside to see this place.''
And they should be curious.
The inn currently is owned by Joseph W. Luter III, chief executive officer of Smithfield Packing.
He brought a special interior designer to Smithfield to refurnish the inn in what is now a mix abundant with antique tapestries and rugs, imported lighting fixtures and furnishings purchased from New York to Florida.
Luter's spokesmen won't say how much the restoration and redecorating cost.
Suites upstairs have been decorated in themes like ``Egyptian'' and ``Arabian Nights.'' Banisters were covered in plush velvet.
For Dulong and his wife, Tina, the elegant, upscale bed and breakfast is ``a dream come true.''
``We heard about the inn, drove up to see it on a Sunday afternoon after church, got in touch with Joe Luter, and we were hired a week later,'' Mike Delong said. ``Something like this is the reason I went to culinary school.''
Delong, 27, has cooked at Founder's Inn and the Williamsburg Inn. His wife, 32, has a degree in broadcast journalism. He's from Boston. She was born and raised in a small town in Ohio. He'll do the cooking. She'll manage the restaurant and inn and handle public relations.
In the 50s and 60s, the inn was operated as a restaurant, and run by a local woman. It was then known as Sykes' Inn. It was listed for years in directories of fine places to eat.
Besides Washington, notable guests have been John D. Rockefeller Jr., Lily Pons and John Boles of operatic and movie fame. In 1977, Lady Byrd Johnson and her daughter, Lynda Robb, dined there.
The inn is part of a complex of buildings including what once was a billiards and gaming room.
It is now a Christmas shop on one side, a residence on the other.
Mike Delong is most excited about the kitchen, complete with a wood-burning stove, a steamer and modern gas ranges.
``I can't believe we have all of this beautiful stuff,'' he said in the kitchen this week, jumping from one gadget to another. ``Look at the bins, the cast iron skillets. This is wonderful!''
Others are likely to be more impressed with the opulence of the decor and the furnishings.
Tina Delong likes it all.
``This is more than we ever imagined,'' she said, smiling.
The inn is on Main Street, near the old courthouse, across from the Isle of Wight Museum.
KEYWORDS: SMITHFIELD INN by CNB