It’s said that whoever gets the longer piece of a broken wishbone is said to have good fortune, or a wish granted. Perhaps that’s what happened to Meredith Hayden, a content creator who began on Tik Tok and gained popularity for “day in the life” videos as a private chef in the Hamptons for fashion designer Joseph Altuzarra.
Attracting a spotlight less than two years ago, Hayden’s Wishbone Kitchen quickly gained traction as viewers became invested in her intricate, inspiring and deliciously fresh recipes, courtesy of her $2000 grocery runs and backyard garden. While her schedule as a private chef during the “off-season” consisted of one day of meal prepping food for the family’s week, her summer schedule was drastically different, commuting to the Hamptons from New York City to cook 3 delicious meals a day for the family she worked for. Her content satiated just what the people craved – elaborate grocery runs, meals of fresh seafood and garden vegetables, lavish menus for 10-people dinner parties. It’s the dream life, truly. And her commitment to drinking at least 2 diet cokes a video is where I found a spiritual calling to hit the follow button. Hayden’s tik toks depicted a delicious world of desired luxury, yet she was just like the rest of us. Nonetheless, I, just like the others, was drawn in.
Hayden recently published a statement saying she’s taking a step back from being a private chef, as her newfound success has granted her the space to step away from the grueling 17 hour work days to pursue other dreams within the cooking world. Although her journey of writing cookbooks and creating new recipes continues to enthrall her fan base, her old content remains a fan favorite for me. A typical day in her life, during a summer out in the Hamptons, began at 6:45 am with meal prepping for the day and a trip out to the garden. In one of her more popular day in the life videos, she cooks up shakshuka and chocolate coconut overnight oats to serve at 9:30 am and quickly jumps into meal prep for lunch at 10. Each meal only seems to outdo the previous one, with lunch consisting of a lemon-grass fish sauce marinated skirt steak served with chopped vegetables, rice noodles and an elaborate dipping sauce. Lunch would take place at 1, followed by grocery shopping at 2. While days seem short with only 24 hours, Meredith Hayden sure knows how to make do, accomplishing a phenomenal day of cooking every weekend. Dinner, of course, does not fall short. A pre-dinner cheese plate, mint pesto over grilled lamb chops, fresh kale from the garden, summer rice salad, spicy tomato shrimp – need I go on? It’s clear how Wishbone Kitchen quickly grew to fame.
While Hayden’s account and profession in itself is impressive, her evolution outside of Tik Tok is even more commendable. With two self-published cookbooks and another in the works, the life of a private chef working 17 hours a day seems unimaginable. From a career in sales at Condé Nast, to a line cook at Charlie Bird, a self-owned catering business, and, finally, becoming a private chef, Meredith Hayden has been anything but ordinary, and her journey is everything inspiring we love to see on social media.
A mark of her success is baked into the form of her newly purchased home in the Hamptons. Gliding effortlessly around the kitchen she worked as a private chef in, Hayden was always one of those influencers you saw on social media and just felt they belonged in the Hamptons. Her creative commitment to hard work while maintaining a charming, down-to-earth persona is just what the Hamptons ordered. The kitchen moved with her. The luxurious lifestyle and elegant food were not only her calling, but it encapsulates who she is as a classy content creator. It was Wishbone Kitchen. And now, with her new $2.8 million dollar home complete with a magnificent kitchen, she has adopted the Hamptons life herself. Permanently moving into this new house, Hayden states she’ll only be living in her New York City apartment “part-time” as she was never quite made for apartment living.
Nicknamed “this generation’s Martha Stewart,” Meredith Hayden has come far from the private chef lifestyle of posting “day in my life” videos, becoming a pinnacle of hard work and determination in the pursuit of following one’s passion. Hamptons chef to house owner, Wishbone Kitchen has certainly seen good fortune in the wake of a simple Tik Tok account.