Omid Afshar

Omid Afshar Persian 🧿
NYC 📍
documenting food and life

04/23/2026

When you and your Persian friends are craving some mast (yogurt), you text the group chat and make your way through NYC to find some.

04/16/2026

My friends and I were craving Persian food in NYC, so we went to one of our go to spots, Ravagh. This place has always felt like a home away from home for me in New York. It reminds me the most of the kinds of Persian restaurants I grew up going to, casual, comforting, and no frills in the best way.

There are a lot of Persian restaurants in the city that feel more upscale, but Ravagh has always felt the most familiar to me. Their fesenjoon is top notch, and their barg never misses.

One tip: never be afraid to ask if they have tahdig or if they can make some. We asked a couple of times, and they were able to give us some, which was so worth it because they have some of the best tahdig.

Address to the Ravagh we visited:

173 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016

03/31/2026

I visited a Persian winery in Napa, and what stayed with me most was the depth of intention behind it. Darioush, who grew up in Shiraz, built this space with inspiration from the Apadana at Persepolis, and that connection comes through in so many of the details. Knowing his love of wine was shaped by his father’s winemaking in Shiraz made it all feel even more personal.

It took seven years to bring this winery to life, and knowing that wine in Iran dates back over 7,000 years, with some of the earliest traces found in the Zagros Mountains, made the experience feel even more meaningful. There was something moving about seeing such an ancient part of Persian history and artistry honored so thoughtfully here.

03/27/2026

I sat down with to talk about Nowruz, what it has felt like to hold onto our Iranian culture and community right now, and the deeper reason behind everything I have been sharing here. Here is a little bit of that conversation.

From the beginning, all I have ever wanted to do with my content is show the beauty of our culture, our people, and the many layers of who we are. Club Joon started just this past November as a way for me to connect with other Iranians, to create a space where we could come together and hear the music many of us grew up with. Since then, it has already become something even more meaningful.

With everything happening in Iran, and with the continued fight for freedom, being together and not feeling alone means more than ever. Community matters deeply right now.

I am so grateful for every single person who has supported me throughout this journey. Your support has allowed me to keep sharing, keep building, and keep creating spaces where our culture can be felt, celebrated, and carried forward.

Thank you to Nightline for making space for this conversation, and thank you to all of you for every share, every message, and every time you showed up.

This has always been about one thing: showing the world how beautiful our culture is, through music, through art, and through simply being us.

03/24/2026

Nowruz Pirooz!

Keeping our Iranian traditions alive is everything to us, especially when so many of us are far from family. That is such a big part of what Nowruz is, coming together, being with the people you love, and holding onto the traditions that keep you connected to home.

This Nowruz, we gathered around a table full of love, intention, and dishes that hold so much memory. Nights like this are such an important reminder that even when home feels far away, there is still something so powerful about coming together with people who understand what this time of year means.

from & and did something really special with this dinner. They took dishes so many of us grew up eating around Nowruz and gave them their own beautiful spin. Every bite felt familiar, thoughtful, and full of care.

Here is what they made:

• Whole Grilled Branzino, stuffed with tamarind, pomegranate, herbs, onions, and walnuts, over a yogurt pomegranate barberry base, served with Sabzi Polo
• Persian Eggplant Parm, with panko, white and black sesame, tomato base, fried onions, kashk, and basil
• Tamarind Date Glazed Lamb Ribs, topped with pistachios
• Grilled Carrot Salad, with greens, pomegranate, and pistachio
• Khoreshte Aloo ba Morgh, prune stew with chicken, cinnamon, cardamom, and zereshk
• Kuku Sabzi, topped with feta and piaz dagh
• Honey Glazed Barbari Focaccia

Sending so much love to everyone near and far this new year.

03/20/2026

Nowruz Pirooz.

The Haft-Seen has always been one of the parts of Nowruz that stays with me the most. Growing up, it was something I always looked forward to seeing in the house every year. It made the new year feel real. More than anything, it always reminded me how much meaning can live inside tradition.

This beautiful haft-seen was made by

Lately, that feels even more important. There is something really powerful about holding onto the things that connect us to our culture, our families, and the versions of ourselves that were raised with these rituals. The Haft-Seen is beautiful, but it is also so much more than that. It carries history, symbolism, memory, and hope.

This time of year always brings me back to that.

Wishing everyone celebrating a beautiful Nowruz.

Haft-Seen: sabzeh, samanu, senjed, seer, seeb, somagh, serkeh.

03/17/2026

I visited a Nowruz market put on by in the heart of New York, filled with Iranian artists, entrepreneurs, and creatives sharing their work, stories, and culture with so much care.

Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is a celebration of renewal, hope, and spring, but also a reminder of home, our roots, and the power of community.

What made this market so meaningful was its intention: to uplift Iranian artists and small businesses, create space for connection and remembrance, and celebrate our culture together.

At the heart of it was the Azadi Memorial, honoring our people in Iran who are fighting for the freedom to create, to be seen, and to share their voices.

So grateful to have experienced and supported something so special. There were so many more vendors I wish I could have shown, so I’m sharing their accounts here so you can support them too.

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jewelry

03/11/2026

We’re creating pizzas inspired by Persian flavors, launching March 21 at in collaboration with and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to in Iran.

Food has always been one of the ways we as Iranians gather, connect, share stories, and keep our culture alive. It brings people to the table, holds memory, and creates space for community, and that is why we’re taking flavors and dishes that we know and love and bringing them into something you can share and enjoy in a different way.

We taste tested three pizzas inspired by flavors we know and love:

Jujeh BBQ
Mirza Ghasemi (with the Barbari Bread crust)
Gheymeh

We’d love to know which pizza you’d want to try.

About CHRI:

Since 2008, the Center for Human Rights in Iran has been one of the leading global voices promoting human rights in Iran, supporting civil society and human rights defenders, documenting violations across the country, and building international coalitions to defend basic rights and freedoms.

12/30/2025

2025 reminded me why I started documenting my Persian culture in the first place.

Thankful for every moment, every connection, and this growing community. This is only the beginning. Happy New Year ❤️

12/01/2025

My Persian aunt Vida invited me over to hang out for the day and she even sent me home with a little surprise to take back to New York.

What I love about her is that when she retired she decided to finally pour herself into her dream of becoming a painter. She had this talent in her the whole time and once she started she never stopped.
She works so hard, she can paint anything you imagine, and she inspires me to keep going after my own dreams too. It’s never too late.

If you ever want a custom painting or want to support an incredible Persian artist, reach out to her at . She is truly one of one.

11/25/2025

We hosted a Persian Friendsgiving called Shab e Merci, Night of Thanks in Farsi, and it was everything.

Chef and from and curated a delicious menu with classic Thanksgiving flavors mixed with Persian comfort dishes. We even made a stuffing with !

We served Mahiche, slow cooked braised lamb shanks, plus Baghali Polo, fava bean rice. You can actually try some of these dishes at tea house starting Dec 4. Let them cater your next event!!

Thank you for opening your beautiful home and creating a space for all of us to celebrate our culture and connect.

Happy Shab e Merci!

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