Jody Williams (born ''c.'' 1963 in California) is an American

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

and television personality.

Biography

Raised in California, Williams came to appreciate food service by assisting customers at her father's hot dog stand in

Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood and popular tourist attraction in San Francisco, California. It roughly encompasses the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square or Van Ness Avenue east to Pier 35 or Kearny Street. Th ...

. After relocating to New York City at the age of 24, she set out at 25 to prepare American cuisine across Italy with chef Kathy Casey. There, she learned about Italian cuisine. After she returned to the U.S., she became the chef of Italian restaurant Tappo (literally ''

cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

'' in Italian) in New York City, now closed. Williams was the chef at Morandi in New York City before she left the restaurant in May 2008. She was the chef of Gottino in New York City, a restaurant known for its wines, until May 2010. Since September 2009, she has appeared several times as a judge on the Food Network's competition series show ''

Chopped Chopped can have the following meanings: * Chopped and screwed Chopped and screwed (also called screwed and chopped or slowed and throwed) is a music genre and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and deejaying. It ...

''. Alongside business partner and wife Rita Sodi, Williams runs Via Carota, an Italian restaurant in New York City's Greenwich Village. She and Sodi also founded Commerce Inn in 2021. She also operates Buvette which has locations in New York City, Paris, Tokyo and London. Williams is the author of a book by the name ''Buvette: The Pleasure of Good Food''.

Personal life

Williams attended Centre College. When I Sodi first opened, Williams lived in Greenwich Village. That led to her meeting Rita and they married in 2015.

Awards and honors

Williams won the 2019 James Beard Award for Best Chef in New York City. In 2013, opening Buvette in Paris led her to winning the French Le Fooding Award.

References

Restaurant founders American women restaurateurs American restaurateurs American lesbians Chefs of Italian cuisine 1963 births Living people James Beard Foundation Award winners Judges in American reality television series People from Greenwich Village LGBT chefs Centre College alumni {{chef-bio-stub