Talking Shop is our series where we talk to interesting people about their most interesting buys.
If you’re craving an authentic Philly cheesesteak but you’re in California, why should you settle for an alternative? That was Joe Ariel’s inspiration for Goldbelly. Ever since he started the company in 2011, he and his team worked to create a destination where you can shop from eateries nationwide and have your all-time favorite dishes (or wishlist menu items) delivered to your door.
Ariel’s been running Goldbelly for over a decade, and as the CEO he still gives the final approval for every item that’s sold online. “Everything has to go through my belly,” he says. Naturally, he has a few favorites, like Ina Garten’s bake-at-home cookie dough, Cream’which ice cream sandwiches and Russ & Daughters’ smoked salmon medley. But other than the tasty food he’s constantly trying, he has a handful of all-time favorite products. I talked to the CEO about all of them, including his go-to travel outfit and the aftershave he buys from Italy.
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Ariel’s morning routine starts with a workout, breakfast and a black cold brew — not iced coffee. “Just a coffee poured on ice is not the same as a cold brew,” he says. “Stumptown’s cold brew in the glass bottle is the gold standard if you’re getting it from a grocery store. We’ll order every one they have in the store, like 25 bottles, and clear them out so we have them in the fridge. The cold brew is smooth and it almost has a caramel tone. Something about the glass bottle makes it taste different than when it’s in a carton.” When he’s grabbing a cold brew from a local New York City shop, however, Irving Farm is his favorite.
“I wear these sneakers every day. I actually have hundreds of pairs of sneakers to be honest, but this pair is my go-to,” he says. “They’re just the most comfortable shoes ever. Literally, I have 20 pairs of this exact sneaker. I think they’re kind of cool, although my wife says they’re not. I wish On came out with other ones that were as comfortable as this particular shoe, and that they had more than three or four colorways.”
“I love the smell of this body cream,” says Ariel, who always keeps it at home. “It’s fresh and lemony, but it’s not overpowering. And, of course, its smell reminds me of my favorite pizza topping. I also like that it’s thick and creamy, but not oily.”
“Eight Sleep is unbelievable mattress equipment,” says Ariel. “This is a totally life-changing device. It changes temperature as you sleep based on if you’re snoring too much, if you’re too hot, if you’re too cold. It lets each side of the mattress have a different temperature, too. My wife makes it freezing, and I’m the type of person who has three blankets, a hoodie and pants in the middle of summer.” Ariel has used the Eight Sleep device for about a year and a half, and when he’s not sleeping at his New York City apartment, it’s the number one thing he says he misses.
“I like to play chef. I’m not a trained chef, and the last thing I want to do is be in there grinding for hours,” says Ariel. “But I like to do a little bit — I like to smell the smells and feel like I’m participating in making the yummy stuff.” One of Ariel’s favorite kitchen tools is this chef’s knife from Shun. It’s made in Japan and has a sharp stainless steel blade that he says can cut through anything.
“I’m known for a few things, but pizza was not one of them. It was more of a cue from my wife to get into the pizza game because she loves pizza,” says Ariel. “Gozney’s pizza oven is really good for amateurs — it’s easy to use for people who are not pros. It’s a lot of fun, and it involves some work, but the pizza is done in a minute, which is really cool. You can have people over and you’re literally popping out fresh pizza.”
Ariel travels frequently to meet with eateries that are already on Goldbelly and scout out new additions. Over time, he’s nailed down a specific outfit to wear on his journey. “It’s always comfy pants, like these from Lululemon,” says Ariel. “They’re not dressy looking, but they’re not sweatpants either. They do feel like sweatpants though.” He pairs the Lululemon pants with his favorite On sneakers or Crocs, restaurant merch from Goldbelly eateries and what he describes as a “causal but fancy fitted Moncler jacket made from a comfy material.”
“I’m known for Crocs,” says Ariel. “I used to be ridiculed for this, but now everybody’s wearing Crocs. It’s cool, but I was rocking them in the pandemic era. I’ll do socks with Crocs, too, especially on the plane. Sometimes I’ll pack the Crocs and bust them out on the plane.”
Ariel always has a pen and notebook with him to jot down thoughts or sketches — he even had it with him when we talked over Zoom. He gets generic notebooks from pharmacies like Walgreens or CVS, but is loyal to Lamy’s Safari Ballpoint Pen. “On the weekends sometimes for fun, I drift into little creative shops that sell notebooks, art equipment and pens. I found Lamy’s cool, playful pens at a little shop in the East Village, and it’s all I like to use now,” says Ariel. “It’s not fancy or anything, but it feels premium for the price.”
“I discovered this aftershave in Florence a few years ago and now I use it every day,” says Ariel. “It reminds me of the smell of Tuscany and definitely some nostalgia from my trip to Italy last summer. Santa Maria Novella was founded in 1221 by Dominican friars in Florence, who cultivated medicinal herbs in their convent’s gardens. It’s one of the oldest perfumeries in the world.”
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I’m a reporter at NBC Select who writes our Talking Shop series, interviewing people like Chace Crawford, Dorinda Medley, Miranda Kerr, Tiler Peck and Sara and Erin Foster. To write this piece, I interviewed Goldbelly CEO and founder Joe Ariel about his all-time favorite products.
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