The Best Thing I Bought This Year
From a non-stick frying pan to an iconic granola.
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The Deligram shines a spotlight on the many incredible food artisans in New York–and beyond–with a little help from our friends, of course. In lieu of a gift guide, we asked a few of our friends to share the single best item they purchased this year with their hard-earned cash. Without further ado:
Beverly Nguyen, Stylist and Founder of Beverly’s Shop
The Buy: The iconic granola from Café Cluny in the West Village
“One of the owners of Café Cluny and The Odeon (my second home in New York), Judi Wong, is a woman I'm lucky to call a friend. She’s the best at everything she does and her places are true New York community institutions. She put me up to the granola and I never looked back. I buy it regularly for myself as well as for others. At the moment I’m eating very simply because I have zero time to cook. The granola checks all the boxes–sweet, crackle, nourishing–all over a bed of oat milk and bananas, or just on its own is easily as fabulous, there’s rolled oats, toasted almonds, dried cranberries, dried apricots, walnuts, all sorts of seeds (pumpkin, flax, sunflower…), honey, and I love the touch of sweet cream butter in it… yum!!!!”
Jason Stewart, Co-host of the podcast How Long Gone
The Buy: De Buyer non-stick frying pan
“I already have everything I need in the kitchen, but non-stick pans don’t last forever, and I’m always looking for something between the disposable cheapies and the expensive All-Clad types that feel foolish to invest in. After a trip to The River Cafe in London this summer, I saw a set of these pans in their gift shop and was drawn to their fun handle colors, but I was impressed by their heavy weight and surprisingly affordable price tag. Instead of packing my carry-on with frying pans, my wife suggested we wait until we get home, and she surprised me with a set for my birthday. You might even get lucky and be able to match your Le Creuset colorway.”
Camari Mick, Pastry Cef at Raf’s and The Musket Room
The Buy: For The Culture Cookbook by Klancy Miller
“I bought it] to learn and support the black women in the food industry, and I love that it’s not only recipes but stories and educational anecdotes from different, similar lenses in the food industry. We have come such a far and long way and it was beautiful to see these stories come collectively together.”
Rachael Petach, Founder of Current Cassis
The Buy: The Fahari Bazaar Maasai Shuka, which is a multipurpose large textile that comes in these visually outstanding colorways that are almost a trick to your eye
“I have it in the red/blue and have been using it daily in various ways - everything Fahari makes is brilliant from clothes to home goods. The shuka can be a tablecloth, a wrap, a picnic blanket, a throw–whatever you need.”
Joshua Glass. Founder and Editor in Chief of Family Style
The Buy: Sleepytime Tea by Celestial Seasons
“I wake up everyday at 5 AM and chugs upwards of 4-5 cups of coffee a day (sue me), before drowning my night with an extra-dirty martini...or three. I needed a ‘ healthy’ way to fall asleep and keep the racing thoughts at bay. Nothing else makes you feel both geriatric and like a child. Get you a beverage that does both!”
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An enthusiastic selection of stories about food makers, founded by Anna Polonsky from Polonsky & Friends and Teddy Wolff. Edited by Sarah Leon.
Photos courtesy of the subjects/brands.