What Andy Baraghani Can’t Live Without

Now being in my mid-30s, I still have my one cup of coffee a day, but I also have tea a couple of times a day. I found this tea that is kind of perfect. It’s a mint tea, but it is very, very, very lightly caffeinated, with just a little bit of green tea. I found it at one of the most well-known tea shops in Paris. Then I realized I don’t have to go to Paris to get it — I could order it. It has some intensity, but it’s not too in-your-face. It’s subtler and more rounded because of the kind of earthiness that the green tea brings. My husband, Keith, also really likes it, so we both have become tea drinkers.

I have always been an incense person. I think it has kind of evolved from my teenage Berkeley days; what I like is a little more subtle and complex. I have a whole cabinet of candles and incense — I just love good-smelling things. If we’re having people over, I’m lighting incense, not a candle. It just does something better. My favorites are the Incausa Breu Resin and theMakko. Besides the scents, I love the shapes and the way they’re packaged; they’re all wrapped in beautiful paper.

I like a lot of iS Clinical products. I’ve always been crazy about my skin. I wash my face only at night, never during the day, and this is what I reach for. I’ve tried all different types, like oil-based cleansers, but this just feels so light. A little goes a long way. It starts out gel-like, but then with a little bit of water it becomes foamy. It just feels clean and bright and not astringent. It doesn’t feel like I’m stripping any oils away.

I just got back home, and I can’t wait to change into these. I have all the different colors. As much as I love to dress up, I also love getting into these. To me, they’re fashion. It could be ten degrees outside and I’m still wearing these inside the house. I’m never wearing sweatpants. I wear them to the gym. At this moment, I probably have six pairs, which sounds like a lot — but it’s not.

I have been saying this for years: Pay just a tiny bit more for vinegar. I think people are accustomed to doing that with olive oil but still don’t quite know how to get around vinegar. I have lots of different types, but this is the one I have been using for the longest and with the most consistency. I use both Forvm’s Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon vinegars. I treat them like you would a standard white and red-wine vinegar. There’s a residual sugar to the Chardonnay, and the Cab Sauv is bright, but it doesn’t have the lingering intensity that a lot of red-wine vinegars have. When I taught a cooking class in October, I made people try spoonfuls of this vinegar, because it should be that delicious.

Food is my greatest passion, but when it comes to design — at home or fashion — I’m not necessarily drawn to food-inspired stuff. Like I’m not putting tomato ceramics in my home. However, when I saw this ring, I was like,Oh, it’s perfect.I love sardines. I also love Bottega. I’m in my jewelry era. I have my wedding ring; I have my chain — I wanted another ring. This one is subtle; it’s true to my taste. I’ve had it for about two years and I wear it every day. I’m not precious about it.

I eat very healthy, but if I feel like I’m about to get sick — or even if it’s just fall and winter flu season — I’m taking this. I do it every day if I’m sick. If I’m not sick, I’ll do it maybe a couple times a week. It’s the only vitamin C that you can fully absorb. I take it like a shot. It’s like a gel, but I don’t even dissolve it. I just swallow it all, and then I follow up with some water. It’s not delicious. It’s not sweet or tangy or orangey or anything like that. It’s a little funky. I don’t know what is working. I mean, I know that I’m healthy — I got my lab results last Monday — but it makes me feel better and it’s just part of my routine.

Whenever I speak to [Diaspora Co. founder] Sana — when I talk to her about food, when I talk to her about her company — I am just so inspired by what she has built. The product is incredible. I started with turmeric, which is a spice that is in so much of my cooking and one that I grew up with. The first time I tried this, I thought it was incredibly delicious. It was fiery and had this gorgeous deep-red color. As someone who loves dried chiles, and has tried a shit-ton of dried chiles, this was unlike anything I had ever tried. I found myself blooming it in butter and cooking eggs in that, sprinkling it on toast or avocado, mixing it into yogurt for a quick marinade for chicken. I want everyone to try this because it’s so distinct.

I started using these a while back, maybe like ten years ago. I think I have every type they offer at this point. I’ve always had kind of old wooden spoons, like my mother’s or grandmother’s. I’ve been lucky to be able to have some of those pieces from my family, because I love old things. These Earlywood spoons are new, but the people who started this company are so thoughtful in their design. The shapes feel so unique. They are something I use every single day, and they’ve become something that I gift to other people, too.

I love wine. I’m much more likely to be drinking wine than a spirit. I just did a dinner series with Robert Mondavi Winery at Smithereens and Bridges in New York called Family Meal, and we poured this wine. The price point is high, but it’s a bigger wine. It’s powerful but still well balanced.