Story By Diana Vallette • Photos By Brent Woods, Wildwoods Creative
Joanne Devito doesn’t call herself a chef, but Bodega’s menu might say otherwise. Devito was raised on Italian cooking. “Thank God,” she says, “because I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t Italian. It’s the only food you can eat every day and never get bored.”
For Devito, food is how you care for people — how you love them. When she became a certified dietary manager and worked in a hospital kitchen, she learned the other side. “For those in the hospital, it’s not just about what’s healthy,” she says. “If it tastes bad, people won’t stick to eating what’s good for them.”
During her training, she learned that food safety isn’t optional — it’s the bare minimum. Now, at 61, Devito has spent nearly four decades in restaurants, bars, nightclubs and kitchens, starting in New York and landing here in Southwest Louisiana. She’s currently the general manager at Bodega, where she’s been quietly reshaping the place into a full-blown Italian restaurant over the past four years.
“I love when people leave here happy,” Devito says. “That’s what drives me.”
Devito first started working in restaurants at age 22, first as a waitress at a lunch spot in New York and later moving into bartending at nightclubs. From there, she climbed quickly and managed clubs and restaurants in New Jersey, Staten Island and Manhattan.
She was introduced to Lake Charles by her mother, who married an ironworker from the area. At the time, Devito was working in Manhattan’s garment industry. She’d fly into Lake Charles every weekend to spend time with her mother and three sisters.
“Literally, every weekend,” she says. “I’d take a cab to Newark Airport on Friday, fly here, hang out with my family, then fly back to New York.”
In 1996, she finally moved here and took a part-time bartending job at Scarlet O’s. When Scarlet O’s ceased operations, it was officially her time.
“The owner of the building asked me ‘What would you make here if it was your place?’ And I’m like … pasta. I make my own bread, everything made from scratch.” Devito made him pizza and spaghetti and meatballs. While he was still chewing, he paid off the building’s debt, handed her the keys, and gave her six months rent-free to start.
She was 32 years old at the time. D’Agostino’s was a 240-person restaurant named after her daughter’s godfather, Jonathan D’Agostino. For years, it was the downtown spot featuring live music and often catering for icons like BB King or Hootie and the Blowfish when they performed at the Event Center. And then came Hurricane Rita.
Devito moved back to New York, running restaurants Monday through Thursday but flying to Lake Charles on weekends to cater weddings and feed her friends.
She came back to Lake Charles permanently years later as the beverage supervisor on L’auberge’s casino floor. After six months, she was asked to take over the pool and fix some of the problems they were experiencing. After one summer, executives added Jack Daniels and party by the pool to her umbrella of responsibilities. She ran that show for six and half years. At the time, the chef was Lyle Broussard (with Crying Eagle-Lakefront). “I was in charge of a huge team, probably 150 people,” she says.
Then her position was eliminated, and she took off for a year. She bought a big, old house and made rental units out of it. After Hurricane Laura, she found herself mostly retired. She wasn’t planning to return to the Lake Charles food scene, but then a friend introduced her to Bodega’s owner Larry Thomas.
Before she would agree to take the position, she stopped by, ordered a pizza and observed the staff. The food was okay, but the heart wasn’t there … yet. She watched as 19-year-old Ryan Kennedy (Larry’s grandson) carried wine cases while older employees stood by and did nothing. (Kennedy is now the 23-year-old, level-three sommelier who owns Vin Ami.)
“That’ll never happen on my watch,” she said to herself. Devito agreed to a three-month trial period and then never left.
Eventually, she told Thomas she really believed Bodega needed to become a full-scale Italian restaurant. A week later, Thomas tore out walls and installed a full kitchen. “That kind of trust … it’s amazing,” she says.
People have been trusting in her, investing in her and taking chances on her for most of her life.
“Larry is probably the best boss I have ever had. And I’ve had a lot of great bosses. When I came here, Larry was like, ‘I’m not going to make your schedule. Just do what you think, okay?'”
In Devito’s kitchen, every dish is temped, even pasta. It’s a habit she picked up while working in the hospital. At Bodega, many of their ingredients are imported from Italy, and everything is made from scratch. “It’s not about showing off,” she says. “It’s about doing it right.”
Devito credits her team constantly, especially the women in the kitchen. “They care,” she says. “That’s everything in this business.”
Her old buddy Chef Broussard trained the kitchen staff on preparing steaks and lamb. “I wanted the best, and he’s the best steak guy,” Devito says.
You’ll find her grandmother’s meat sauce on the menu, along with other dishes inspired by family. Bodega offers in-house made cannolis filled with ricotta and mascarpone, offered in pistachio, salted caramel, chocolate chip or classic flavors. The tiramisu is lighter than most, folded with fresh whipped cream.
Then there’s the fish. Red fish de-boned in house, pan seared and baked. It’s served over garlic asparagus with fingerling potatoes and a light cream sauce. Devito says regulars often order two at a time (one to take home for later). The restaurant’s well-loved a la vodka sauce is garlic, shallots, prosciutto and a shot of vodka lit on fire and smoked in the pan. Mix that with made-from-scratch Alfredo and one scoop of grandma sauce, and you’re in Italian heaven.
On a typical morning, Devito is watching her two grandkids before heading into work around 1 pm to turn on the ovens. She works 50 to 60 hours a week. On most nights, she’s the last person to leave because it’s important to her to make sure every detail is exactly right.
She says her biggest mistake was ever getting out of the restaurant business. “Serving people is my purpose,” she says. “This is how I do it.”
Death row meal? No surprise here: anything Italian. When she’s not in the kitchen, she loves taking cruises. (She’s been on over 20.)
Soon, Bodega will be adding to the menu. Readers can look forward to lasagna, veal parmesan, new salad offerings and more. Bodega is also hosting a special Valentine’s Day dinner. More details to come.
“At the end of the day, I work for God,” Devito says. “This is what I know. This is what I love.”
For more information on Bodega, visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.
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