Gina Correll Aglietti has built a life around communing with others through food and music, and her spirit for entertaining is entrenched in her life's work as a founder of Yola Mezcal. Though Gina sees it as in part "a blessing" that socializing is so central to her life and career, it also means that seeking quietude requires focus. When moments of calm do present themselves, Gina's often found passing by the Silver Lake Reservoir, where she walks her pup Donny — a companion who "doesn't want to party." On a spring afternoon, we caught up with her to hear about how she views her home as a morphing entity, what goes into making handcrafted mezcal, and her secrets on how to throw a stellar dinner party.
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on her morning routine
I'm at odds with "routine" in general. I struggle to stick to one, but as I get older, I'm learning what works. On a good day, it's a moment of silence in the sun on my couch in the living room, a tea with lemon, some little tincture-y things I've adopted into my ritual, a chapter of something I'm taking a slow read of that's uplifting or lends peace of mind, and a walk.
on her upbringing in Ojai
Growing up, I felt more Italian than Armenian, but there was such a lack of education and knowledge of Armenian culture when and where I grew up. My father grew up in Italy, whereas my mother grew up in LA, so that plays a role, but ultimately Armenian wasn't as prominent in our home. I now have a bigger interest in it (and so does everyone with the celebration of families like the Kardashians, who I feel no kinship towards, but are nevertheless globally famous). We weren't a typical family in Ojai, and at the time, I think I wanted to fit in more. Ojai was extremely rural and had removed feeling back then. It was an absolute shock whenever we went to LA or NYC, which we did much more often than anyone I grew up around did.
Like anyone who maybe felt some alienation from their ethnic background when growing up in America, it's an interesting and more accepting time to be an "other." Now I'm so grateful for our "outside-ness."
““A combination of light, sound, and engaging with people in a disarming way is most important. Great food is, of course, a cherry on top, but it’s more important to tend to how people feel.””
on founding yola mezcal and their unique production process
My partner Yola Jimenez inherited a distillery and recipes from her grandfather. When we met, she'd been working on setting up infrastructure to be able to produce artisanal mezcal for years. Back then, it wasn't such an "industry," so it's been a journey filled with rapid transformation. Keeping everything in-house and vertically integrated is somewhat uncommon in the alcohol industry — so it's unique and time-consuming for us to have our own program. We do everything in the traditional method, from plants being ground with stone to the mezcal's eventual bottling, which is done by hand, without machinery. Many brands don't oversee their production — they buy juice that has been processed using machinery, and they have little insight into how the product is stored or handled. Our process doesn't always satisfy a bottom line, but there's a ton of love in it, and it sets a foundation for us to really stand apart someday. My job is undulating, and it's been extremely challenging and so, so rewarding.
on how music and food connected her with her business partners
I grew up entrenched in music, and I suppose it will always be part of everything I do. I love how democratic it is — food and mezcal can and should be, too. I had this footing in music, so Lykke Li and I met and fell in love, but maybe more so because we loved food and eating together. Yola, Lykke, and I bonded immensely on food and music, high and low. We always hosted dinners that ended in sing-alongs and bleeding hearts, which anchored Yola Mezcal and Yola Día and made for the beginning of our partnership. Lykke has really been my biggest cheerleader and longest collaborator.
““Mothers inspire me. I am in such awe of how much women take on and how little I really know of it yet. What a feat, everything seems to pale in comparison when I see what my friends with children are handling, especially those who are on their own — so much resilience. LA is such an unfriendly place for childrearing in some ways. I really admire the women around me doing this with grace and even sometimes without it.””
on what working in kitchens and as a stylist taught her
I think one of the biggest truths with regard to business is that time is your greatest resource. There is no better way to learn how to have a sense of urgency and solve problems quickly than by working the line in a kitchen or working on the set of a production. Both require a great level of attention, management skills, and the confidence to trust in yourself when confronted with unforeseen challenges. Cooking and styling were both things that came into my professional life that I had a very "yes" attitude towards, but never fully pursued. Both felt natural and yet a bit like training for something else.
on plans to build a new distillery
We have gone from being a small distillery over a mountain and through a stream to planning a very unprecedented project with one of Mexico's most exciting young architects, Frida Escobedo. Our new distillery will give serious thought to waste and sustainability in a way many others don't. We're also spending a lot of time working around and for the needs of our primarily female workforce — designing something with their needs in mind is yielding a very interesting and special project that we can't wait to share with them and everyone who comes.
on advice for those who want to start a business
When it comes to putting a product into the market, I would just ask yourself if we need it, if you want and need the thing you're about to create to be in existence. If you have an ounce of doubt, keep going and searching. If you have no doubt, then strap in — it's a wild ride.
““I sat across from an extremely young man who was a journalist and podcast host at a dinner last night. He had an uncanny ability to connect with everyone and somehow see a bit past the veneer of awkward dinner party chatter with each person. His age disappeared — I think that’s a quality I’m most excited by, expansion beyond physical age.””
on the role food has played in her life
Cooking, eating, and communing has been the main event throughout my whole life. With my family, everything centered around food, no matter where we were. At home, it was a constant — my parents cooking together, my mother gardening, my father rolling dough. It was just as passive and active as putting on a record and listening to it in the background or dancing to it. Constant.
I suppose that became my social language, love language, and currency. It's what I was always doing and, therefore, became how I bonded with people, my gift, and my way of getting fulfilled. But I think once I started this business and became closer to the hospitality industry, I became a bit removed from the simplicity of stirring something all day long. I cook less these days, but it's my immediate response and therapy if I'm overwhelmed or hurting, need to calm down or brighten a spirit, or want to get closer to someone.
on the past ten years
The most recent decade of my life has been really interesting in that I thought it was the highlight or the pinnacle, but now, I'm really seeing all the loss in it and how it wasn't what I thought it was while it was happening. I guess my awareness is peaking and that most likely continues to happen as we get closer to being truly present and letting go.
on her favorite books
I was told by a wise old friend that I need to revisit Moby Dick with new eyes. Ecology of Fear, because I love City of Quartz and Mike Davis. The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch. And the Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook, which I'm not really "reading," (but you know) — because someone just gave it to me, and because Alice Waters is a queen.
““My home is one of my best friends right now. It’s fully alive, and I’m grateful for all the days I share with it. It contains a mix of new, old, found, and gifted — the usual in that regard. I move things constantly. So, nothing really has “a place.” I change as I need or feel based on how the light moves, changes in the season, and what’s going on in my life.””
on her beauty routine
I make my own body and face oil with a mix of almond, avocado, castor, and essential oils, and I like Serge Lutens and Byredo perfume, Olio e Osso lip balm, Lancôme mascara, Biologique Recherche skincare, Dr Hauschka eye makeup removal, Marvis toothpaste, and Aesop mouthwash.
on her style
The way I'd like to think of my style is: an Italian man from the '40s meets a French woman from the late '70s–early '80s. I used to be quite obsessed with finding vintage things that I knew no one else could get. Like cars, everything was made in a more stylish and bespoke way in the past, and it's a surer bet you'll be buying quality. I still enjoy it when I find something special, but chasing fashion has become far less important to me. It feels vulgar and almost aggressive when I spend too much time on it. In saying all this, I'm still a sucker for Dries van Noten, Jil Sander, and old Celine (surprise, surprise). Charvet for the perfect men's dress shirt, which is my go-to.
gina’s favorite spots in los angeles
Shabu Shabu Restaurant: Kagaya
Spa: Olympic Spa
Homeware: New High Mart
Kitchenware: TOIRO
Coffee or Matcha: Kumquat
Food Market: Epicurus Gourmet
Museum: MAK Center
images by clémence polès, interview by marina sulmona