Rita Sodi opened I Sodi in 2008, a classic Tuscan restaurant inspired by the small family farm where Sodi grew up, north of Florence. I Sodi’s understated, utterly traditional Tuscan cooking has garnered extensive acclaim from such publications as The New Yorker, Saveur, Grub Street, Time Out, Serious Eats, Food & Wine, The Village Voice, New York Magazine, and The New York Times. In 2014 Sodi and wife Jody Williams created Via Carota, deemed “New York’s most perfect restaurant” by The New Yorker. Via Carota earned Sodi and Williams the James Beard Award for Best Chefs, NYC. More recently, the chefs opened Bar Pisellino, a timeless Italian bar dedicated to the art of drinking, and The Commerce Inn, an American tavern celebrating old New York. Together Sodi and Williams wrote Via Carota: A Celebration of Seasonal Cooking, a critically-lauded, bestselling cookbook, and launched Via Carota Craft Cocktails, award-winning, ready-to-serve cocktails inspired by the beloved restaurant. The New York Times has called Sodi and Williams “one of the great partnerships in the New York restaurant scene.”
At Sodi’s family farm in Barberino de Mugello, green olives are harvested and pressed at the local frantoio every autumn. Sodi ships the bright-green extra-virgin oil to her kitchens in New York, showcasing its clean, bright aroma in classic Tuscan preparations.
• JODY WILLIAMS •
Jody Williams established Buvette Gastrothèque on Grove Street in early 2011. Buvette has since become a beloved neighborhood gem for eating and drinking well at any time of day. In 2014, Williams and wife Rita Sodi created Via Carota, an Italian osteria equal parts inventive and nostalgic. Deemed “New York’s most perfect restaurant” by The New Yorker, Via Carota earned Williams and Sodi the James Beard Award for Best Chefs, NYC. Just across Grove Street, Bar Pisellino is a morning-to-late, classic Italian bar dedicated to the art of drinking. The chefs’ latest collaboration is The Commerce Inn, an early American tavern and cookery. The Commerce Inn celebrates old New York in a storied space that has welcomed guests for almost a century.
Williams is the author of Buvette: The Pleasure of Good Food and co-author of Via Carota: A Celebration of Seasonal Cooking, a critically-lauded bestseller. Williams’ cooking has been praised in such publications as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, Condé Nast Traveler, Bon Appétit, Travel + Leisure,Gourmet, Elle, The Wall Street Journal, Time Out, and New YorkMagazine. In 2022 Williams and Sodi founded Via Carota Craft Cocktails, award-winning, ready-to-serve cocktails inspired by the beloved osteria. Each of Williams and Sodi’s restaurants are steps away from each other, creating an enchanting culinary enclave in the beautiful, historic West Village.
