Taavo Somer

The Path

The first move at Freemans set a standard for the kind of dining room Taavo Somer would keep returning to: specific, self-possessed, and tuned to New York rather than to any generic idea of style. By 2010, Peels extended that line of thinking into a different kind of room, one that favored brightness, movement, and everyday ease over formality. In 2012, the opening of Isa with chef Ignacio Mattos added another layer to that sequence, keeping the work grounded in the same city while widening the range of settings and collaborators.

The Work Today

Peels remains the clearest expression of that practical, democratic instinct. The room was conceived as bright and approachable, with large windows, diner-style seating, and a relaxed feel that avoided preciousness. Taavo Somer’s own line about locavorism makes the point in blunt terms: "Everybody talks about being a locavor, but then they don’t think twice about wearing a shirt made in a sweatshop in China." The room gave that kind of thinking a physical form, translating attitude into layout, light, and a dining room that did not ask for ceremony.

In Their Words “Everybody talks about being a locavor, but then they don’t think twice about wearing a shirt made in a sweatshop in China.” “In my mind, we’d serve pasta and roast chicken and it would be awesome.”