About Our Team

Tony Conte, Executive Chef

Born and raised in New Haven, CT, Tony Conte received his A.O.S. Culinary Degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He spent the early part of his career honing his skills close to home at notable restaurants such as Sole e Luna Ristorante in Westport and then advanced to the position of executive sous chef for the Greenwich Country Club and after, the Belmont Country Club in Belmont.

Chef Conte brings a wealth of culinary experience to his new position, having worked as the executive sous chef at four-star Jean Georges. Chef Conte’s impressive resume also includes a stint as the chef de partie at JoJo, a contemporary French restaurant also owned by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and a turn as executive chef and co-owner of Pesce in Branford, Connecticut, where, during his tenure, the restaurant earned Connecticut’s Magazine’s “Best New Restaurant 2002″ and Taste of Nation’s “Golden Fork Award” Best Food in Show 2001.

As executive chef of the Oval Room, Chef Conte will carry on the restaurant’s tradition of modern American cuisine. The menu items will include roasted baby beet salad with passion fruit geleé, horseradish and ice wine mignonette; Maine Peekytoe crab salad with pickled peaches and Thai basil, caramelized beef tenderloin with cauliflower, paprika and mint and crispy Loup de Mer with zucchini, market tomatoes and balsamic.

 

Morgan Fausett, Sommelier

Morgan Fausett, a native of the Philadelphia metropolitan area in Pennsylvania, moved to Washington, DC to attend The George Washington University and never left. While studying International Affairs & German, she studied abroad in Berlin and traveled throughout Europe, where she cultivated her love for local food and wine. Upon her return from Europe, Morgan made the bold decision to become a sommelier instead of pursuing a career in international affairs.

Her husband, Chef Austin Fausett at the Inn at Little Washington has encouraged and challenged Morgan every step of the way. Ever the student, Morgan has taken many rigorous courses beyond the “standard” path to becoming a sommelier: she passed the intermediate level with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Masters Sommelier, as well as a Certified Specialist of Wine with the Society of Wine Educators. Before working at The Oval Room, Morgan was the General Manager and Sommelier at Vinoteca.

 

 

Todd Ashline, General Manager

In January 2011, Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj announced the appointment of Todd Ashline as general manager of The Oval Room. Ashline has 13 years of experience working as a restaurant director and sommelier for fine dining restaurants including Wolfgang Puck’s Spago and at Tru, a Mobil four-star and AAA five-diamond progressive French restaurant in Chicago, as well as Bistro 24 in his hometown of Phoenix.

During his tenure, The Oval Room has been named as one of Washingtonian’s “100 Best Restaurants” and it won the number eight spot on Washington City Paper’s “Most Powerful Restaurants in DC” in 2011. The Oval Room has also been awarded three-and-a-half stars (out of four) by Tom Sietsema in The Washington Post’s Fall Dining Guide in 2011 and 2012. Ashline’s restaurant credentials include certification by the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2000, and he completed the advanced course in service standards and blind tasting in 2005.