Andy Baraghani facts for kids

'Andisheh "Andy" Baraghani (Persian: اندیشه برغانی, born November 27, 1989) is an American chef and food writer. He is known for his delicious recipes and his time as a senior food editor at Bon Appétit magazine. Andy also became popular for appearing in cooking videos on Bon Appétits YouTube channel. His cookbook, The Cook You Want to Be, won a special award called the James Beard Award in 2023.

Early Life and First Kitchen Jobs

Andy Baraghani was born on November 27, 1989, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. His parents moved to the United States from Iran before he was born. Andy grew up speaking Persian at home.

Even as a young child, Andy loved playing with food. His favorite toy was a Fisher-Price kitchen! When he was a teenager, he got his first job at a famous restaurant in Berkeley called Chez Panisse. He started as an intern and learned how to be a line cook. At Chez Panisse, he worked with Alice Waters, who he calls his "culinary idol." She taught him many cooking skills and how to think carefully in the kitchen. By the time he finished high school, Andy had already worked in three different restaurants.

Andy's Career in Food

Starting as a Food Writer

While studying at New York University, Andy worked for a food magazine called Saveur. After graduating, he worked in several New York City restaurants. In 2013, he decided to switch from working in restaurants to working in the media industry. Soon after, he became a food editor for an online publication called Tasting Table.

Time at Bon Appétit

In 2015, Andy joined Bon Appétit magazine as a senior food editor. He also helped edit Healthyish, a part of Bon Appétit that focused on healthy eating. In 2016, Bon Appétit started making more videos, and Andy became a regular face on their YouTube channel. He appeared alongside other popular chefs like Molly Baz and Brad Leone.

Andy also took part in fun food events. In 2016, he was one of seventeen chefs who ran a special pop-up restaurant in Manhattan for four days. In 2019, he and Molly Baz even gave cooking demonstrations at the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco! Andy left Bon Appétit in August 2021 to focus on writing his own cookbook.

After Bon Appétit

Andy's cookbook, The Cook You Want to Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress, was published in 2022. The book shares many recipes and stories from his childhood, his travels, and his career. It includes dishes he grew up eating, like aush reshteh (a stew) and chelo (pilaf) with tahdig (scorched rice). The book was a big success and won a James Beard Award in 2023 for best general cookbook.

Andy has shared that he plans to write a second book. He also wants to create special city guides for different places around the world.

See Also

• List of Bon Appétit personalities