Meals on Media
Wishbone Kitchen's Meredith Hayden
Interview by Brian Bushard
Photography by Emma Fishman
In just five years, Meredith Hayden has gone from private chef to perhaps the most popular celebrity chef and lifestyle influencer today, her generation’s Martha Stewart. At just 29, Hayden—known for her social media brand Wishbone Kitchen—has released a New York Times bestselling cookbook, has cooked for a live audience on late night television and has amassed a following of over 4 million people on TikTok and Instagram, starting from the small account she created to document the daily grind of her life as a private chef for designer Joseph Altuzarra at his house in the Hamptons during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hayden, who grew up summering on Nantucket with her family, hosts the popular YouTube series “Dinner with Friends.” She released her first cookbook, The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook, over the summer, and continues to reach millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram with her recipes. She sat down with N Magazine to spill the beans on her new book, the role of social media for celebrity chefs, the food trends she’s looking forward to and her favorite restaurants on Nantucket.
What is your connection to Nantucket?
HAYDEN: My parents visited Nantucket for the first time before my brother and I were born. They went with friends and fell in love with the place. In 1997, I was a year and a half, and they rented their first Nantucket house for a few weeks with my cousins. We rented every summer from ’97 until 2004, so growing up, Nantucket was synonymous with summer for me. In 2005, my parents bought a house in the same neighborhood that we grew up renting, and we’ve been there ever since. I have spent many summers working there full time and lots of time during the offseason.
Where on Nantucket did you work?
HAYDEN: I worked at the Lilly Pulitzer store, and before that, I worked at The Pearl. I was a hostess there, and I was an intern at BlACKbook.
How would you describe Nantucket’s food scene?
HAYDEN: Just off the bat, Nantucket has the most amazing food community. The chefs out there are so talented, it’s insane. You’re getting such creative and delicious interpretations of so many different cuisines. Growing up, we didn’t go out to dinner at those amazing restaurants too much. We stuck to cooking at home a lot, so when I think of the Nantucket food scene in terms of my childhood, I think of grilling on the beach and picking up seafood from Sayle’s, but now I look forward to visiting The Nautilus every summer or The Pearl. All of those restaurants are just so incredible.
You’ve been a private chef and you’ve worked in restaurants, but you’ve made the jump to YouTube, TikTok and beyond to the point where your career has really exploded. What was the impetus to launch a lifestyle brand?
HAYDEN: As a chef, most career paths don’t offer a ton of flexibility when it comes to your personal life. You’re often working nights, weekends and holidays, and I just knew that down the line, when or if I wanted to start a family, I wanted to be able to be home more than a restaurant chef or a private chef would be. I was raised by a stay-at-home mom. She’s fantastic. So I always kept that in the back of my mind as I started navigating the food media space, because that was the only job that I could think of that would provide me the kind of flexibility that I wanted, while still allowing me to cook and express myself creatively. I started posting on TikTok because I wanted to promote my private chef services. But it blew up so quickly that I just skipped that step.
How have TikTok and Instagram changed the game for celebrity chefs?
HAYDEN: It gives the power to the creators, rather than large media conglomerates. You no longer have to be chosen by a food magazine or a television show to have a platform and to share what you’re passionate about. You can create that platform for yourself. I think that creative freedom has allowed so many amazing and talented people to come out of TikTok that we might not have gotten to meet if it weren’t for the app. That’s been my favorite thing—the democratization of the media.
What is your approach to cooking?
HAYDEN: I always like to say that it’s food that’s as much fun to make as it is to eat, which can mean different things to different people. I always say to people that if you’re not enjoying yourself while making a meal and serving a meal, the people you’re serving it to will know. Save everyone the trouble and make a menu that you’ll feel the most confident and the most at ease preparing, and not trying to whip out some super fancy recipe to impress people. Now, as somebody who’s a trained chef, I often enjoy making those super fancy recipes as a weekend challenge in the same way someone might enjoy a jigsaw puzzle. I have a ton of fun doing those really complicated recipes, but I don’t think by any means the average home chef should be forcing themselves to make those kinds of things.
How have you incorporated Nantucket into your recipes?
HAYDEN: The cover shot [of The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook] was actually taken in my parents’ house on Nantucket. We had shot a bunch of the recipe photos in a studio in Brooklyn in the spring, and I remember thinking that the photos didn’t feel like me enough, because they were all taken inside with very specific lighting that didn’t necessarily give you that outside summer vibe. Then we did a second photo shoot over in the Hamptons and captured a lot of the more outdoor-forward shots there, and we still didn’t feel like we got the cover. So we did a third shoot at my parents house to save money. Those photos that we shot in the Hamptons and on Nantucket really make the book feel whole, because they really depict what I think of when I think of summer and what my experience has been.
What’s a good recommendation for a winter meal?
HAYDEN: I really love going to Via Mare during the offseason. It’s so cozy there. Whenever I’m in town during the offseason, I really load up on chowder. I don’t really do chowder during the summer. And scallop season is in the winter, so that is something to look forward to. Stroll is also my favorite weekend on Nantucket, so all the fun, festive beverages that everyone comes up with for Stroll is definitely something to be excited about.
Do you have a comfort food?
HAYDEN: Spaghetti and meatballs.
Are there any food trends you’re expecting?
HAYDEN: Soup has been really taking off, and I think soups and stews are going to continue. I feel like a pot roast could totally go viral or be a trend these days, which is so not sexy, but I stand by it.
Do you think there are any hidden gems on Nantucket or restaurants that fall under the radar?
HAYDEN: One of the most popular questions people ask me is when they’re going to Nantucket for a bachelorette party, where should they go for a big group dinner? While I love all the restaurants on Nantucket, I do think they are very expensive, and sometimes it can be stressful when you’re on a group trip. I always tell people my favorite place to bring friends for a big group dinner is the Lobster Trap, because it’s so low key, but you’re getting the quintessential New England meal, where you get the steamed lobster or the clambake. My family also loves picking up from Sayle’s Seafood or any sort of seafood takeout, where they prepare it for you.
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