Chef Andy Baraghani on Working at Chez Panisse and Opening His First Restaurant

Ina talks to James Beard Award-winning cook and author Andy Baraghani over a glass of wine at her kitchen table in New York City. They talk about his new restaurant, Ditto, how it got its name from a scene in “Ghost”; and the day he walked into Chez Panisse, résumé in hand, determined to get into the kitchen (he was a teen). They also talk about what it was like becoming the internet’s crush, why you should season at the beginning, middle, their favorite salts, and their most frequented restaurants in Paris. #HappyHour #HappyHourwithInaGarten #InaGarten #barefootcontessa #podcast #cocktail #cooking SUBSCRIBE ► Subscribe to Happy Hour with Ina Garten for new episodes every Wednesday: @happyhourwithina LISTEN ► Subscribe to Happy Hour on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... ► Subscribe to Happy Hour on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3W0BltH... FOLLOW THE SHOW ► Happy Hour on Instagram: Instagram: happyhourwithina ► Happy Hour on TikTok: TikTok: happyhourwithina ► Happy Hour on Substack: https://happyhourwithinagarten.substa... ► Happy Hour on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... ► Ina on Instagram: Instagram: inagarten ► Ina on Facebook: Facebook: InaGarten 0:00 Intro 1:22 Andy’s career and how he became an internet boyfriend 3:26 No one can say anything bad on Ina’s Instagram. 4:45 Why Andy changed his mind about opening his first restaurant 6:01 How Ditto, the restaurant, got its name 7:33 Travel, Paris, and cooking inspiration 9:39 The Fisher-Price kitchen that started it all 11:05 Growing up with supportive parents 12:24 Finding himself through food 13:01 Walking into Chez Panisse at 16 14:19 What Andy learned at Chez Panisse 17:12 The corn soup he still makes the Chez way 18:28 The power of showing up and asking 19:57 Why skill is hard to fake in a kitchen 21:38 The cookbook detail Ina and Andy love most 23:08 The meaning behind The Cook You Want to Be 23:50 New York’s new restaurant wave 24:56 The flavors that define Persian cooking 26:31 Learning Persian recipes from his mother 27:24 Ina and Andy’s favorite Paris restaurants 29:53 Andy’s favorite salts and why salt changes everything 30:45 The secret to Zuni Café’s famous roast chicken (salt) 32:19 New Year’s eve at Ina’s with her lemon capellini 34:00 The “sliding doors” moments that changed Andy’s life Host: Ina Garten Executive Producers: Jenna Weiss-Berman, Suzie Lechtenberg, Ali Jaffe Ramis, and Deborah Davis Contributing Producer: Kate Tyler Senior Producer: Justine Daum Producer: Jules Natt Video Editor: Tim Fernandez Associate Producer: Mica Pollan Bahn Sound Recording: Joe Plourde Camera Operators: Joe Valenzuela and Zoe Gregoric Music by Pink Martini Special Thanks to Cinematographer Dion Beebe Happy Hour with Ina is made by Good Wait Productions. This is a Vox Media podcast. About Happy Hour: Beloved hostess Ina Garten welcomes listeners into her New York City apartment for Happy Hour with Ina Garten. Every Wednesday, she sits down with people she’d like to meet from the worlds of culture, food, art, sports, and entertainment for the kinds of conversations you would love to overhear at a great dinner party. Warm, funny, personal, and often unexpected, Happy Hour mixes in-depth conversation with stories, recipes, and, of course, cocktails. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink, and join the conversation. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. About Ina Garten: Ina Garten is a New York Times bestselling author of 14 cookbooks and a memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, and host of the James Beard and Emmy Award Winning shows Barefoot Contessa and Be my Guest. She lives in East Hampton and New York City with her husband, Jeffrey. Her 14th cookbook, Simply Ina, is on sale October 20th.