Rita Sodi and Jody Williams: Iconic Food, Life and an Empire of Community

Some restaurants feel like places. Via Carota feels like a person. Warm, unhurried, deeply intelligent, and completely unconcerned with trends. That’s not an accident. It is the direct result of two women who have spent decades building exactly the places they wanted to eat in, and refusing to compromise on a single detail along the way.Rita Sodi and Jody Williams are the co-owners of I Sodi, Via Carota, Buvette, Bar Pisellino, Commerce Inn, Officina 1397, and Officina del Bere, among the most beloved and respected restaurant and hospitality concepts in New York City. Rita came from Florence via a career in fashion and denim, with a Tuscan childhood where her mother cooked everything from the garden and nothing arrived out of season. Jody came from California via a “fend for yourself” household, a hotel steward job she did not fully understand when she applied for it, and nearly six years cooking in Italy, three in Reggio Emilia and three in Rome.They met over asparagus. They fell in love and went into business because the only way to see each other was to open a place together. And they have been building community and their lives ever since.In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Rita and Jody for a conversation as rich and layered as their famous green salad. They talk about the Tuscan food rituals that shaped Rita's entire philosophy, the Diana Vreeland quote that guided Jody's early career ("The eye must travel"), the eight tables at I Sodi whose menu has barely changed in 18 years, and what it means to ask yourself "How do we feel?" before every single business decision.They also share exclusive details about fire roasted coffee coming from outside Florence in September, a new patisserie and forno expanding Bar Pisellino, and their new Via Carota sparkling cocktail line. And they share what it means to get old with your customers, including a second generation guest who used to come to the bar as a boy with his mother.In this episode, we cover:Rita growing up in Tuscany with a mother who fed the family from the garden every single dayJody growing up in a single mom California household, fighting over fudge, and cooking her London broil on a hibachi as a kidRita's career in fashion and denim in Florence: the Big E vintage Levi's, the passion, and the pivotJody knocking on a hotel door in San Francisco and asking what a steward job actually wasJody's six years in Italy: three in Reggio Emilia, three in Rome, and falling completely in loveDiana Vreeland's "the eye must travel" and how travel shaped both of their careers and palatesHow Buvette on Grove Street started as a place Jody could sustain herself creatively with big ideas and modest meansRita opening I Sodi with eight tables and a menu that has barely changed in 18 yearsMeeting over asparagus and realizing they were going to do life together, restaurants includedVia Carota, the “green monster” salad, and building a place where they wanted to eatHow they ask "How do we feel?" before every single creative and business decisionBar Pisellino: opening with no bar stools, teaching themselves mixology, traveling the world to learnVia Carota Craft Cocktails: bottling negronis and sparkling cosmos so anyone can have their quality anywhereOfficina del Bere: the bottle shop and the Italian art of drinkingOfficina 1397: named after the year the Renaissance began and what that means to themExclusive: fire roasted wood coffee from outside Florence coming in SeptemberExclusive: a new patisserie and forno expanding Bar Pisellino with bomboloni, biscotti, and savory itemsGetting old with their customers: a second generation guest who used to come as a boyWhy they never plan, never follow trends, and always figure it out as they goWhat they are most proud of: their relationship, the restaurants, and becoming part of people's livesTheir advice for founders: be open to where opportunities take you and just go for itFind Rita, Jody, and their concepts:Via Carota: @viacarota | viacarota.comI Sodi: @isodinyc | isodinyc.comBuvette: @buvettenyc | ilovebuvette.comBar Pisellino: @barpisellino | barpisellino.comVia Carota Craft Cocktails: available online (drinkviacarota.com) and at select retailersCommerce Inn: @commerceinn | thecommerceinn.comOfficina 1397Officina del BereSubscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter!