Jody Williams (chef) facts for kids
Jody Williams is a well-known American chef and television personality. She was born around 1963 in California. Jody is famous for her delicious Italian-inspired food and for appearing on TV cooking shows.
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Jody Williams's Life and Career
Jody Williams grew up in California. She first learned to love food service by helping customers at her father's hot dog stand. This stand was located in a busy area called Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco.
When she was 24, Jody moved to New York City. A year later, she traveled to Italy with another chef, Kathy Casey. There, Jody learned all about Italian cuisine and how to cook amazing Italian dishes.
Early Cooking Jobs
After returning to the U.S., Jody became a chef at several Italian restaurants in New York City. She worked at a place called Tappo, which means 'cork' in Italian. Later, she was the chef at Morandi until May 2008. She also worked at Gottino, a restaurant known for its wines, until May 2010.
TV Appearances and Restaurants
Since September 2009, Jody Williams has been a judge on the Food Network show Chopped. This is a popular cooking competition series.
Today, Jody runs several successful restaurants with her business partner and wife, Rita Sodi. They own Via Carota, a popular Italian restaurant in New York City's Greenwich Village. In 2021, they also opened Commerce Inn. Jody also operates Buvette, a restaurant with locations in New York City, Paris, Tokyo, and London. She even wrote a cookbook called Buvette: The Pleasure of Good Food.
Personal Life
Jody Williams went to Centre College. She lived in Greenwich Village when her restaurant I Sodi first opened. This is how she met Rita Sodi, and they got married in 2015.
Awards and Special Honors
Jody Williams has received important awards for her cooking.
- In 2013, she won the French Le Fooding Award. She received this award after opening her Buvette restaurant in Paris.
- In 2019, Jody won the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef in New York City. This award is one of the highest honors for chefs in the United States.
