- Andy Baraghani, a senior
food editor at Bon Appétit, joined many of his high-profile colleagues in denouncing the publication's workplaceculture that current and former employees called "toxic" and "racist." - In an Instagram post, Baraghani admitted to being "too focused" on his career and carving out a path within a "f----- up system" while his colleagues struggled to secure similar opportunities.
- He also addressed the situation surrounding compensation for video work on the Bon Appétit YouTube channel, revealing that he had secured a contract for additional compensation in January of 2020.
- Baraghani said he'd "had conversations" with his colleagues and apologized for the ways in which he'd hurt them or undermined their work.
- Ultimately, he wrote, he wants to "be open" and move towards an inclusive future at the outlet.
Following a deluge of accusations of unfair treatment at Condé Nast's food publication Bon Appétit, yet another personality associated with the brand is condemning the company's "toxic" culture. Andy Baraghani, a senior food editor at Bon Appétit, took to social media to apologize for his role in the work environment and to voice his intentions to "move forward" towards a more inclusive workplace.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Baraghani said that the emerging stories from Bon Appétit employees spurred him to "re-examine" both his workplace behavior and privilege.
"I am a person of color, and I am gay, but I have benefitted in ways that my that my non-white counterparts have not," he wrote. "I've been wondering, how could I have amplified the voices of my BIPOC colleagues more? And how will I advocate for them better as we move forward?"
Baraghani added that one of his goals since joining the publication has been "adding representation to [Bon Appétit's] pages" through spotlighting members of the "BIPOC and LGBTQ+ family" and sharing his own stories as a first-generation Iranian-American.
The post also shed light on the situation regarding editors' compensation for video work on Bon Appétit's popular YouTube channel.
When he began appearing in Bon Appétit's YouTube videos three years ago, Baraghani explained, there were "no talks" of additional compensation or contracts for the extra work. Video appearances, he said, were "an expected part of the job." In January 2020, however, he secured a contract to receive pay for his video appearances — after "months of negotiating."
Baraghani also admitted to being "too focused" on his own path and navigating "a f----- up system within Condé" rather than advocating for his colleagues who had to "work harder to be given the same opportunities."
Baraghani added that he'd spoken with those colleagues — specifically, with one "former coworker" who he did not name — and taken "full responsibility" for his behavior that "undermined their work and hurt them."
"My apologies won't undo that pain but I promise I will be a part of those conversations happening now to ensure no one has to feel that way in our workplace again," he wrote.
While it's unclear what incident and coworker Baraghani was referring to, Bon Appétit staffer Alyse Whitney took to Twitter days earlier to accuse him of attempting to shelve her profile of the "Queer Eye" star Antoni Porowski.
"this was the second time that andy used his popularity to sway editorial decisions and undercut my work," Whitney said of the incident.
Baraghani concluded his post by voicing his desire to "be open" and "to listen."
"I know that the team we have right now is aligned in moving forward to a more meaningful, more inclusive, and equal next chapter," he wrote.
Baraghani's apology follows an upheaval at the publication after high profile employees made — or were the subjects of – accusations of discrimination.
Over the last week, the publication has witnessed the resignation of its editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport after a photo of his offensive Halloween costume from 2004 surfaced on Twitter, the re-surfacing of offensive Tumblr posts and Vine videos from drinks editor Alex Delany, the unearthing of tweets from Condé Nast executive Matt Duckor that contained homophobic and racist jokes, and Duckor's subsequent departure from the company.
Additionally, 14 former and current employees of the company told Business Insider's Rachel Premack that they felt personally and professionally "slighted" while at the company, ultimately describing the workplace as treating people of color as "second class" to their white colleagues. BIPOC employees, they said, received contracts that were inferior to their white colleagues' contracts and were excluded from "professional and social groups."
Bon Appétit YouTube video favorites Sohla El-Wayyly and Christina Chaey said in their respective Instagram stories that they had never received additional compensation for their video work at the company, alleging that white editors, however, were paid for their appearances.
A spokesperson previously told Insider that the company is "dedicated to creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace."
Later in the week, a representative from Condé Nast told Insider that "it is simply not true" to suggest that employees are not paid for their video appearances.
"As full-time employees," the representative said, "they are paid a salary and receive benefits."
On June 11, Bon Appétit issued a statement about the outlet's plans to "take ownership" of its mistakes and change its culture.
"This is just the start," the statement read. "We want to be transparent, accountable, and active as we begin to dismantle racism at our brands."
Read more: