Christianne Ricchi – Community-Minded Chef and Restaurateur

Our Town with host Andy Ockershausen - Homegrown History

Christianne Ricchi on memorable encounter with Shimon Peres at Ristorante i Ricchi's ~ "Now picture this. These are 12 Israelis. They're sitting at a long table and they were all sitting on their elbows hunched forward talking about world peace. . . Only I can serve them. I go to the bar, I get 12 of my best long-stemmed crystal cordial glasses. . . We fill to the brim with limoncello . . .I go with the tray and I take one glass and I bend over to put it in front of . . .the prime minister. With that, the tray in my left hand starts to teeter. . ." Christianne Ricchi - Owner of Ristorante i Ricchi on 19th Street (right) and Andy Ockershausen (left) in studio A Ockershausen: This is Andy Ockershausen. This is Our Town and I have a very, very, very, very, very wonderful opportunity to talk to a gorgeous young lady. Young girl I would say in the old days but now a young lady. Christianne Ricchi. She's born in New York City, a shock to me when I found that out, Christianne. You went to Italy in the summer to study painting and she went back to Florence for 17 years. She came to DC to Our Town in 1999 ... '89, to open i Ricchi. I used to pronounce that "Eye Ricky." Christianne Ricchi: Now you . . . A Ockershausen: i Ricchi. The wonderful and talented Christianne Ricchi. Welcome to Our Town. Christianne Ricchi: Oh, thank you Andy. I am so happy and flattered to be here, I can't tell you. You know I admired you forever. i Ricchi - It's about the people . . . and, of course, the food! A Ockershausen: You're such a big part of Our Town. You, you talk about your food. What you have done with your restaurant, to me, is you've made it more than a place to eat. It's not a food place, it's a people place and that is so evident to your customer base that I know about. Christianne Ricchi: Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way because that's exactly what we're trying to do. I was having a conversation with a customer of mine yesterday who'd just gotten back from Italy and the first thing he said to me was how wonderful and warm and hospitable the Italians were. Then he went on to talk about how beautiful it was and how great the food was and I said to him, "That's exactly what we're trying to do here on 19th Street." It's not a new concept but it's something that we've had at the heart of our business for the last 28 years. A Ockershausen: Christianne, because it's still a people business, you've made it that way. Food business, yes, but people come first and food comes second. Now, everybody doesn't have that. Five Guys doesn't do it that way. Christianne Ricchi: That's something that has always been important to us. In our little Trattoria, the place that I fell in love with back in the '70s, in Cercina outside of Florence, was the center, the focal point of the community. That's where people came, we had a little store, they bought their bread in the morning. They came and had dinner. The men came and played cards and smoked cigars after dinner. We were the focal point of the community and that's what I'm trying to do with i Ricchi on 19th Street. A Ockershausen: You bring that atmosphere with you but I always thought there was an Italian background. I was shocked to know you were a New Yorker and I've known you for as long as you've been here and to find out you ... Then you went back and went to the Florence area and you were a big part of it, and there'll never be another restaurant like yours, I don't think. I don't know of another Italian restaurant that has that atmosphere and your fire's burning in there all the time. That's you. Christianne Ricchi: Yeah, and our business, the restaurant business is changing. A Ockershausen: Oh my. Meeting the Challenges in Restaurant Industry and Community Head On Christianne Ricchi: It's changed over the last five to eight years in Washington, oh my goodness. Our industry has always been difficult. It's always been competitive, but now more than ever,