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 work at Bon Appétit magazine and for his popular cookbook, The Cook You Want to Be.

Andy's first job as a teenager was at a famous restaurant called Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. He later moved to New York City to study at New York University and work in restaurants there. In 2013, he started working in media, writing about food. He joined Bon Appétit in 2015 as a senior food editor. He also became a popular presenter on their YouTube channel.

Andy left Bon Appétit in 2021 to write his cookbook, The Cook You Want to Be, which came out in 2022. This book shares recipes and stories from his life. It even won a special award called the James Beard Award.

Andy's Early Life

Andy Baraghani was born on November 27, 1989, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. His family is Iranian American, and he spoke Persian at home. His parents moved from Iran to Berkeley in 1977.

When Andy was little, he loved to try different foods and play with a toy kitchen. As a teenager, he got his first job at Chez Panisse, a well-known restaurant. He started as an intern and then became a line cook. He learned a lot about cooking techniques from Alice Waters, who he calls his "culinary idol." By the time he finished high school, he had worked in three different restaurants.

Andy's Career Journey

Starting as a Food Writer

While studying food studies and cultural anthropology at New York University, Andy worked as an editor for a food magazine called Saveur. After graduating, he worked in several New York City restaurants, including Frej, Corton, and Estela.

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 (2015–2021)

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.

When Bon Appétit started making more videos in 2016, Andy began appearing on their YouTube channel. He cooked alongside other popular chefs like Molly Baz, Sohla El-Waylly, Priya Krishna, Brad Leone, and Claire Saffitz. In April 2016, Andy was one of seventeen chefs who helped run a special pop-up restaurant in Manhattan for four days, organized by Google.

In 2019, Andy and Molly Baz gave cooking demonstrations at the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco. In early 2020, Out magazine featured Andy in an article.

In June 2020, there were discussions about fairness and equality in the workplace at Bon Appétit. The editor-in-chief left after an old photo caused controversy. Staff members spoke up about needing fair treatment and pay for everyone. Andy posted a statement online where he talked about the workplace culture and apologized for ways he had affected coworkers. He continued to work at the publication for another year. He explained in 2022 that leaving was a big decision for him due to financial reasons. He left Bon Appétit in August 2021 to focus on writing his cookbook.

After Bon Appétit (2021–Present)

Andy Baraghani's cookbook, The Cook You Want to Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress, was published in 2022 by Lorena Jones Books. The cookbook includes recipes and stories about his childhood, his travels, and his career.

The Mercury News described the book as having "a wide range of veg-forward, flavor-packed and often unexpected dishes." It also features dishes from his childhood, like aush reshteh (a stew) and chelo (pilaf) with tahdig (scorched rice). In 2023, the book won him a James Beard Award in the general cookbook category.

In an interview in 2023, Andy mentioned that he was planning to write his second book. He also said he wanted to start a project to create city guides for different places around the world.

Andy's Personal Life

Andy Baraghani lives with his husband, Keith Pollock. They met in 2017 when they both worked for Condé Nast. Keith has worked as an executive for Architectural Digest and West Elm, which sells home goods. After being friends, they started dating. Keith proposed in March 2023, and they got married in New York just over a year later.