Cool people like cool things, which is why we asked cool person Aliza Abarbanel to come on Perfectly Imperfect & redistribute her good taste.

Aliza Abarbanel is a New York-based writer, editor, and content strategist who often covers food culture in its many forms. Previously she was the acting editor of Healthyish at Bon Appetit and has written for New York Magazine, GQ, Eater, Food and Wine, Architectural Digest, and more. This Saturday (12/11) she’s hosting a holiday bake sale with her friend Tanya Bush (aka @will.this.make.me.happy) at KIT in Brooklyn that will benefit two mutual aids: Breaking Bread NYC and EV Loves NYC. You can enter into a cake raffle to win a six-layer gingerbread cake from Sohla El-Waylly or a pistachio cake with cara cara curd from Cakes4Sport! Pre-order is preferred, but you can come early to buy limited quantities on the door. Aliza has great taste and lucky for us, she’s here to tell us what she’s been into.

Without further ado

Aliza Abarbanel (instagram, newsletter)

🎵 WBGO in the morning

My morning routine consists entirely of gulping down coffee and listening to WBGO, NY and NJ’s premiere (and only) 24/7 jazz radio station. I started the habit at the beginning of the pandemic thanks to a rec from my friend Trinity (who runs Golde with her partner Issey) and the combination of soothing jazz + energizing coffee is too good to quit. 

 🌮 NYC Mexican Food

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, so Mexican food is an instrumental part of my diet and overall happiness. Instead of wading into the endless LA v.s. NYC food debate, I just want to share some love for a few of my local favorites: Factory Tamal for unparalleled chicken mole tamales (buy an extra dozen and freeze ‘em for later), NeNe’s Taqueria for hype-proof birria, and For All Things Good for tlayudas + fresh masa to-go. 

🍾 Richard Carlson Travel Wine Cooler

Australian designer Richard Carlson’s cheerful insulated wine coolers are part of the MoMA’s permanent collection. The highly swingable handle + refillable insert are ideal for toting two bottles (or four tallboys) to picnics, but I actually use my chunky red cooler most often to keep drinks chilled and handy when I’m cooking dinner or hosting a casual hang. Coming Soon sells sleek vintage versions, but I scored mine on Etsy for $60. Set your eBay alerts now! 

🧼 Overtone Color Conditioner

I’m extremely attached to my curly hair, so when I decided to go from brunette to auburn-ish, risking my texture with bleach wasn’t an option. Starlina, my iconic hairstylist, did most of the work. Then she suggested I maintain the color with Overtone conditioner. It’s extremely hyper-pigmented—my hands/shower curtain have a perpetual faint orange tinge—but the color payoff and uncompromised hair texture is worth it. 

📚 A Stacked Library Queue

If you aren’t too precious about owning every book you’ve read, get into your local library’s queue ASAP! I always have 7-9 hold requests at my local Brooklyn Public Library location. The game is to mix hyped new releases with just-new-to-me books so I always have something to read. It took me two months to get Sally Rooney’s latest, but Glitch Feminism arrived in just a few days. You can even get cookbooks. Recent highlights: Deacon King Kong, The Plot, Black Food, Temporary.

Follow Aliza on Instagram.

Subscribe to her newsletter, Amateur Hours.

Perfectly Imperfect is a free newsletter featuring curated recommendations from real people. Subscribe for posts like these in your inbox twice a week.

Follow Perfectly Imperfect on Instagram

Join the Perfectly Imperfect Discord

Follow Tyler, Alex, & Serey on Instagram