When chefs and life partners Rita Sodi and Jody Williams opened their Greenwich Village restaurant Via Carota in 2014, they had no idea what was to come. They didn’t know folks would one day clamor to get in, The New Yorker would christen their spot “New York’s Most Perfect Restaurant,” or that their Insalata Verde would become the ne plus ultra of simple green salads. But just as Rita and Jody fell in love with each other, their fans fell in love with their restaurant. The two catalog all that is special about their spot in the new cookbook, Via Carota: A Celebration of Seasonal Cooking from the Beloved Greenwich Village Restaurant, and they join host Kerry Diamond to talk about it. 

Find out how Rita and Jody met, their different paths to the kitchen, and what’s next for their lovingly tended restaurant group, which also includes Bar Pissellino, The Commerce Inn, I Sodi, and Buvette. 

Also, catch Rita and Jody in person at Cherry Bombe’s 2nd Annual Cooks & Books festival in conversation with Ruth Reichl. It’s taking place Saturday, Nov. 5th, at the Ace Hotel Brooklyn. Click here for tickets and to reserve a personalized copy of their books. Cooks & Books is taking place the weekend of Nov. 5th and 6th and features talks, panels, and demos with your favorite chefs and authors. General public tickets go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 11th, at 9 a.m. EST. 

Radio Cherry Bombe is recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Our theme song is by the band Tra La La. 

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More on Rita: Instagram, I Sodi NYC
More on Jody: Buvette NYC, Buvette cookbook
More on Via Carota: Via Carota restaurant, Via Carota cookbook