Wishbone Kitchen’s Meredith Hayden on Her New Book, Cooking in Style, and Being a Chef in the Digital Age

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Wishbone Kitchen’s Meredith Hayden on Her New Book, Cooking in Style, and Being a Chef in the Digital Age"

Let's Get Dressed hosted by Liv Perez delves into the intersection of fashion and culinary arts in this engaging episode featuring Meredith Hayden, the chef, content creator, and newly published author behind Wishbone Kitchen. Released on May 12, 2025, this episode offers listeners a deep dive into Meredith's inspirations, challenges, and insights into being a modern chef in the digital era.

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1. Introduction and Guest Background

Liv Perez warmly welcomes Meredith Hayden to Let's Get Dressed, highlighting Meredith's impeccable taste both in fashion and in the kitchen. The episode sets the stage by mentioning Meredith's highly anticipated cookbook and her journey as a chef navigating the digital landscape.

Notable Quote:

"If there is anyone who we all know has impeccable taste both on and off the table, Meredith Hayden."
— Liv Perez [01:26]

2. Personal Style and Its Influence on Cooking

The conversation begins with a light-hearted exchange about Meredith's appearance at the Tory Burch show and an iconic moment involving Martha Stewart. This segues into a discussion about Meredith's personal style—favoring comfort and practicality due to her active lifestyle as a chef and dog mom.

Notable Quotes:

"I don't have the liberty of the patience to scour thrift stores and eBay for the perfect pair of upcycled denim."
— Meredith Hayden [04:37]

"I wear the same stuff every day... just throw them on. Don't think about it."
— Meredith Hayden [10:36]

3. Meredith's Wardrobe Essentials

Meredith elaborates on her go-to wardrobe staples, emphasizing denim and cotton T-shirts for their durability and ease of maintenance—crucial for someone frequently encountering stains in the kitchen and playful antics from her puppy.

Notable Quote:

"The main point of consideration when buying something I want to wear daily is, is this going to survive multiple rounds in the washing machine?"
— Meredith Hayden [06:00]

4. Integrating Personal Style into Culinary Presentation

Drawing parallels between fashion and cooking, Meredith discusses how her approach to simplicity serves as a foundation, allowing her to infuse personal touches—akin to accessorizing an outfit—in her recipes and table settings.

Notable Quote:

"When I'm cooking, I'll start with something that's really simple, whether it's a roast chicken or pasta. But there are all these fun little secrets in the recipe that make it a bit more me."
— Meredith Hayden [12:43]

5. Designing the Tablescape

Meredith shares her philosophy on table design, favoring natural fibers and white linens to create a versatile backdrop that allows colorful elements—like flowers or vibrant dishes—to stand out. She recounts a creative last-minute decision to incorporate dahlias into napkin rings, adding a personal and spontaneous touch to her setup.

Notable Quote:

"Flowers would be my tennis necklace for a tablescape because it always just adds so much life to a table."
— Meredith Hayden [16:08]

6. Inspirations and Influences

The discussion shifts to Meredith's inspirations, both from the culinary world and beyond. She mentions Stanley Tucci as a favorite non-chef chef for his passionate and whimsical approach to cooking, and discusses the impact of familial history on storytelling through food.

Notable Quotes:

"Food and fashion are two mediums that are so visual. It's fun to see brands like Loewe celebrate things like tomatoes."
— Meredith Hayden [22:57]

"Food is now making its way into mainstream pop culture in a way that it really wasn't before."
— Meredith Hayden [23:44]

7. Navigating the Digital Landscape as a Chef

Meredith candidly discusses the challenges and rewards of building a digital presence in a field traditionally dominated by brands like Martha Stewart. She shares her struggles with being taken seriously while maintaining her personal flair and femininity in a male-dominated industry.

Notable Quote:

"In a male-dominated space like food, I struggled early on to sort of lean into myself while still being taken seriously at work."
— Meredith Hayden [29:54]

8. Embracing Authenticity and Community

Highlighting the importance of authenticity, Meredith explains how shifting her content to reflect what she personally enjoys—like vlogs—led to her first viral video. This move fostered a genuine connection with her audience, emphasizing the value of sharing one's true self over adhering to trends.

Notable Quote:

"If you're feeling like you're in a rut with content, just think about what content you like to consume and then go for that instead of keeping these like barriers on what you think you should be posting."
— Meredith Hayden [32:33]

9. The Future of Food Media and Personal Aspirations

Meredith expresses her disillusionment with mainstream food shows prioritizing views over quality, motivating her to create her own content on platforms like YouTube. She emphasizes the importance of a direct and meaningful connection with her audience, free from the constraints of traditional media.

Notable Quote:

"What I love about being a digital creator is being able to make whatever I want. And so long as people are interested, that is all that matters."
— Meredith Hayden [35:25]

10. Launching Her Cookbook

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing Meredith's new cookbook, Cooking in Style. She shares her motivations for the book, aiming to offer simple, home-cooked recipes inspired by family traditions rather than overly complicated dishes meant to impress. Meredith highlights the book's aesthetic, featuring beautiful watercolor illustrations and vintage-inspired designs to make it a delightful experience even for those who may not cook frequently.

Notable Quote:

"I wanted the book to be beautiful... it was meant to be a fun book to flip through and look at, even if you had no intention of actually recreating the recipes."
— Meredith Hayden [43:07]

11. Overcoming Industry Challenges

Meredith reflects on the skepticism surrounding digital creators and female-led industries, addressing the prejudice of being labeled "just an influencer." She underscores the importance of focusing on her passion and community support rather than seeking external validation.

Notable Quote:

"I am like, the more people who I'm gonna let people think that way, I'm not gonna waste my breath trying to convince people otherwise."
— Meredith Hayden [32:08]

12. Future Projects and Personal Growth

Looking ahead, Meredith discusses her aspirations to continue creating cookbooks and expanding her knowledge in areas like gardening and sewing. She acknowledges the setbacks caused by health issues but remains committed to her current path, emphasizing resilience and continuous learning.

Notable Quote:

"I just want to keep doing what I'm doing right now. But even better."
— Meredith Hayden [48:45]

13. Lightning Round: Personal Favorites

In a fun concluding segment, Meredith shares her personal favorites, including the Polo Bar as her favorite restaurant in New York, spaghetti and meatballs as her favorite dish, Adidas Gazelles as her current favorite shoes, and watermelon vodka lemonade as her go-to summer cocktail.

Notable Quote:

"It's such a quality experience to be able to sit down with a book and, like, not have a million things popping up on the screen."
— Meredith Hayden [41:43]

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Conclusion

This episode of Let's Get Dressed offers a comprehensive look into Meredith Hayden's life as a modern chef who seamlessly blends her passion for cooking with her unique personal style. Through candid conversations and insightful reflections, listeners gain valuable perspectives on navigating the culinary world in the digital age, the importance of authenticity, and the joy of creating beautiful, accessible cookbooks. Meredith's journey serves as an inspiration for aspiring chefs and digital creators alike, showcasing the power of staying true to oneself while embracing the ever-evolving landscape of food media.

Final Thoughts:

"I am so excited to get back to YouTube. It's really such a special place."
— Meredith Hayden [35:47]

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*For those interested in exploring Meredith Hayden's recipes and experiencing her culinary style firsthand, her cookbook Cooking in Style is available for pre-order and is set to release on May 6th.

Transcript

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[Liv Perez]

Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of let's Get Dressed. It's your host, Liv Perez. I hope you're all having an amazing start to your week. I am leaving on my big trip to Japan tomorrow. It's my first time. I'm going with Alex for a few days and I'm so excited. Make sure that you're following me on Instagram, TikTok all the things.

[Unknown Speaker]

Of course.

[Liv Perez]

I'm going to be sharing so many.

[Unknown Speaker]

Fun moments from the trip.

[Liv Perez]

And then follow me on substack too because I'm going to be sharing whatever we loved the most on there at the end of the trip. I cannot wait. And I've said this before, but if you guys have recs, please send them my way. I'm just so excited to explore Japan for my first time. But before I leave, I have to give you guys the ultimate parting gift. And that is today's episode. If there is anyone who we all know has impeccable taste both on and off the table. Meredith It's Meredith Hayden. Today I'm joined by the chef, content creator and newly published author behind Wishbone Kitchen to talk about her very much anticipated cookbook which raise your hand if you literally pre ordered it last year, because that is me. We also talk about how personal style influences her cooking and her go tos in the kitchen closet and beyond. She also shares her thoughts on the state of food media, what it means to be an influencer in 2025, and of course, Martha Stewart. I hope you guys love today's episode. Let's go get dressed with Meredith Hayden.

[Unknown Speaker]

Welcome.

[Meredith Hayden]

We're here.

[Unknown Speaker]

Welcome. We're here. You came a far way to come on this podcast.

[Meredith Hayden]

Oh, such a long journey. I'm so brave.

[Unknown Speaker]

Such a long journey. Walked all the way here from a few blocks away.

[Meredith Hayden]

There you go.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm so happy to have you on the podcast.

[Meredith Hayden]

I'm so happy to be here, truly. Long time coming.

[Unknown Speaker]

A very long time coming. And I knew when the book was coming out, I was like, yep, gotta do it. It's our time.

[Meredith Hayden]

Totally.

[Unknown Speaker]

Do you remember the last time we saw each other?

[Meredith Hayden]

Was it the Tory Burch show?

[Unknown Speaker]

It was, but it was a very.

[Meredith Hayden]

Specific moment when you were matching Martha.

[Unknown Speaker]

I had a really. Yes, but I had a very. That was such a conflicting moment for me because it was like you were standing next to me, and then Martha Stewart walks in the room and I.

[Meredith Hayden]

Was like, fuck, something's happening.

[Unknown Speaker]

I feel like I'm in. I'm in the presence of, like, culinary royalty and I don't know where to look. And if somebody asked me if this was like, my Avengers, I'd say yes. If someone asked me to choose, I'd rather, like, jump off the cliff. No, it was crazy.

[Meredith Hayden]

I was fully oblivious that she was even standing right there.

[Unknown Speaker]

You. It's so funny.

[Meredith Hayden]

You were.

[Unknown Speaker]

Because I. I really like, like, introducing people and I really, like, like, putting people together. It's actually one of the reasons why I started the pod. Oh, my God, I love that in that moment, I was like, wait, Meredith's standing.

[Meredith Hayden]

Where is she?

[Unknown Speaker]

I was like, have they met? I should have assumed. Obviously, you guys have met. But I was like, wait, like, I should grab her. Like, wait, what? And then the moment flew by so fast. And it's one of those things that keeps me up at night.

[Meredith Hayden]

Well, she was like, queen, love the dress. Was it a dress or was it the jacket? It was just.

[Unknown Speaker]

It was a jacket. And she wore it as a jacket. I wore it as a dress. And I said to her, I was like, martha, I would take this off, but I'm naked underneath. And she was like. She, like, kind of winked at me. And I was like, oh, my God, this is our moment.

[Meredith Hayden]

No, that was iconic.

[Unknown Speaker]

I know. I really wish I took a picture. I am not a. I have a picture. What?

[Meredith Hayden]

I have a picture.

[Unknown Speaker]

I mean, you have, like, a video from afar.

[Meredith Hayden]

It's like you're standing there going like this. And she's, like, in the background on that step and repeat.

[Unknown Speaker]

And you're like, no, stop. I'm double thumbsing up.

[Meredith Hayden]

It could be projecting. Cause that's something I would do.

[Unknown Speaker]

I would do. No, that's something I would. In every picture, I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

I'll have to pull it up.

[Unknown Speaker]

Fantastic. Yeah, fantastic. Okay, well, I'm glad to see you back here. Tell us what you wore to POD today. We always answer. We always open up with that.

[Meredith Hayden]

Okay. I wanted to go a little comfy and cute. We've got Levi's, 5, 01-90s on the bottom.

[Unknown Speaker]

The best jeans, the perfect, most iconic jean of all time.

[Meredith Hayden]

I don't have the liberty of the patience to scour thrift stores and ebay for the perfect pair of upcycled denim. So this is my cheat code for that.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, of course.

[Meredith Hayden]

And then this is, like, a little sweater jacket from FAI Love and then some little loafers.

[Unknown Speaker]

And these Mimi loafers are seeing the street for the first time.

[Meredith Hayden]

Seeing the streets for the first time. I'm out and walking, and they're just so happy to. This is probably, like, the last few weeks. I can wear them before it gets too hot.

[Unknown Speaker]

But I'm a believer in loafers in the summer.

[Meredith Hayden]

Even these, like, dark chocolate brown.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. I am, like, very passionate about not paying attention to seasonal.

[Meredith Hayden]

Well, you live in California, so you can do that.

[Liv Perez]

True.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes. But even then, like, being here, if it's 80 degrees or whatever, like, I'm still wearing a burgundy. I'm still wearing a brown.

[Meredith Hayden]

Okay, then, yeah. I would wear these. You would give me permission to wear these in the summer.

[Unknown Speaker]

I would wear them with, like, a cute linen short and a T shirt.

[Meredith Hayden]

Perfect.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. That's where I'm at these days. Seriously, you wear so many hats every day. When I'm following you on Instagram, I'm like, how do you do all the things that you do in a day?

[Meredith Hayden]

I don't know.

[Unknown Speaker]

Dog mom. Most importantly, we love our dog moms.

[Meredith Hayden]

There we go.

[Unknown Speaker]

Steph, content creator, what are you putting on every day to, like, tackle all the things?

[Meredith Hayden]

I feel like I gravitate to a lot towards a lot of denim because it's one of the few things that gets better with washing. Like, the main point of consideration that I have. When buying something that I want to wear on a daily basis, is like, is this going to survive multiple rounds in the washing machine? Because I'm always staining my clothes when I'm cooking. The dog's always, like, throwing up and doing insane things.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, you have a puppy still. Still considered a puppy?

[Meredith Hayden]

She's a puppy. She's six or seven months old. But yeah, a lot of denim and a lot of, like, cotton T shirts. Whether it's a plain white tee or I love, like, a heavyweight cotton long sleeve, whether it's striped or printed. But that's like, my uniform most days. Even when I was a chef, I didn't wear, like, a formal chef coat or chef pants. Cause I was like, okay, it's not that serious. So, yeah, jeans and a T shirt has been my uniform. And then in the winter, obviously, throw a sweater on. But 90% of the time, that's what I'll be wearing.

[Unknown Speaker]

I always wonder if you've had, like, one of those Charlotte Yorke moments where she's in the kitchen in that gorgeous Prada skirt and her daughter comes up behind her and puts the paint on her. I wonder if, like, anything's ever been lost to the cooking.

[Meredith Hayden]

You know, dribbling things on suede is a nightmare. A nightmare. But it happens often. I mean, yeah, that's happened several times. I, like, can't even remember a specific example, but I usually what I'll do is I'll throw on, like, a big, baggy T shirt if I'm hosting people for a dinner party or something. Like on New Year's Eve, I did this. I.

[Unknown Speaker]

By the way, your New Year's Eve outfit was so cute.

[Meredith Hayden]

Thank you.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's ingrained in my brain. The red tights, little hot pant.

[Meredith Hayden]

Me and my four best friends and their boyfriends in my house. And we were going to go cute and comfy and, like, just do jeans or whatever. And I was like, can we actually, like, dress up? Yeah. I'm, like, kind of bored. So I got everyone on board to dress up for no reason. All the guys were like, what are you guys wearing anyways? It was time for me to cook the steak, and I didn't want my outfit to get all, like, gross and smell like meat. So I just throw on a huge, baggy, oversized cotton T shirt.

[Unknown Speaker]

There you go.

[Meredith Hayden]

And it's my, like, protective layer.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's genius.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah. Cause an apron, there's too much that's still exposed. Yeah, but with a baggy T shirt, you can cover almost your whole Outfit.

[Unknown Speaker]

Where are you getting a lot of your good tees?

[Meredith Hayden]

Oh, my God. I mean, most of them are, like, old T shirts from Nantucket and, like, beach vacations when I was a kid. I love a souvenir tee. Like the one I wore on New Year's, I think was my Justin Bieber purpose tour. Wow. T shirt. Deep cut, 2018.

[Unknown Speaker]

Okay.

[Meredith Hayden]

But yeah, I love a souvenir tee.

[Unknown Speaker]

Me too. I really. I am waiting for that era to come back where we were in, like, the souvenir tee band tee era, and they were all vintage. There's literally a store in LA that just sells iconic vintage tees. And I feel like there was a point in time where people were there, like, every weekend.

[Meredith Hayden]

I love ebay as well. Like, I recently got a really cute Hooters shirt from ebay. It's really cool.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm obsessed with you. What compelled you to buy a Hooters shirt?

[Meredith Hayden]

I literally just searched Hooters shirt and then I found one where, like, this guy was wearing a scuba mask. And yeah, it was like a beachy Hooters shirt.

[Unknown Speaker]

Perfect.

[Meredith Hayden]

I was like, okay, perfect.

[Unknown Speaker]

Keep it on brand.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. I actually feel like. One comment I see on your Instagram often, not to sound like the ultimate creep.

[Meredith Hayden]

No.

[Unknown Speaker]

Is that you have epic jewelry on all the time.

[Meredith Hayden]

I wear the same stuff every day.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, your summer jewelry is really on point. Like, you've always got, like, a great kind of necklace situation on. Where are you getting a lot of those?

[Meredith Hayden]

So there are these two necklaces that I used to wear every single day. I'm currently not wearing them because they're tangled and I, like, can't take the time.

[Unknown Speaker]

Someone needs to invent the necklace detangler.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

My best friend and I, when we were younger, thought about doing it, and then I remember there was a company that came out with, like, this little contraption that sits in the back of your neck and just holds.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yes. I keep telling myself I want to get that.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

But I, again, can't take the time to find out. No.

[Unknown Speaker]

But I want something more seamless.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yes. It feels a bit.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

I also feel like it would be heavy.

[Unknown Speaker]

Heavy in the back. Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

I don't know, but it's like a dainty thin gold chain with a single diamond in the center. I think it's from Zoe Love. And I bought it for myself, like, four years ago. And then I also have a similar necklace from them that has a wishbone on it.

[Unknown Speaker]

Cute.

[Meredith Hayden]

And so those were my go to jewels. And then I've been Wearing these, like, little silver hoops that I got in, like, a PR mailer from Madewell.

[Liv Perez]

Oh, no way.

[Unknown Speaker]

Those are great.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah, they're just like, throw them on. Don't think about it.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

But usually in the summer, I definitely gravitate to, like, a. A dangly or a pearl dangly situation.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. I mean, I think about that picture. There's a picture of you with spaghetti vongole, and you're wearing, like, an epic.

[Meredith Hayden]

The clam shirt.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, the clam shirt, for one, is like, you can never get rid of that. I know that needs to be passed down for generations, but, like, I think you were also wearing, like, an incredible pearl necklace.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yes. That was J. Crew.

[Unknown Speaker]

I love that you just said that.

[Meredith Hayden]

Because J.

[Unknown Speaker]

Crew jewelry does not get the hype.

[Meredith Hayden]

No, I love it. They. It was, like, one of their big, chunky pearl statement, and I got it for a trip to the Bahamas, and I wore it with, like, all of my beach looks, and I was, like, obsessed with it. I did not wear it enough last summer. I can't wait to bust it out.

[Unknown Speaker]

During the Jenna Lyons J. Crew era, J. Crew jewelry was, like, my constant gift for everyone. It was the top of my wish list. I remember it was, like, very bobbly, but it was like, this was also, like, Gossip Girl era. We were wearing a little like. Like, peplum skirt, like, top with, like, the big.

[Meredith Hayden]

Or remember the. The necklaces that looked like Peter Pan.

[Unknown Speaker]

Collars, obviously, and then they tied in the back. Yeah. I had so many of those.

[Meredith Hayden]

So good.

[Unknown Speaker]

Maybe we should bring those back.

[Meredith Hayden]

We could.

[Unknown Speaker]

We could. I mean, maybe not the Peter Pan, but, like, I did love how fun it was. Like, it was jewelry that made it seem like it was part of the shirt.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yes.

[Unknown Speaker]

Right?

[Meredith Hayden]

Yes.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. Miss those.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know. My one thing is I can't do a heavy necklace, so I don't know if I can go back to the bobble. Bobble necklace.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's just uncomfortable for you.

[Meredith Hayden]

Oh, my God. That's kind of my problem with clothes and getting dressed in general is if something's uncomfortable, and I'm going to feel it, whether it's, like, digging into my neck or digging into my side, I'm going to be in a bad mood for, like, the rest of the day.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. I mean, I would totally understand how for a chef, comfort is key.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

Like, you have to be in that all day, every day.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

It sucks.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm curious for you how your personal style kind of spills over into the way that you cook, whether it's like how you set a table or, you know, how even you're just cooking for your everyday life at home.

[Meredith Hayden]

That's so funny. And I've tried to use this analogy in the past with other things, and I'm not sure other people have really understood what I'm talking about. So I'm curious if you'll feel what I'm saying, since my sense of style and what I wear a lot is, like, jeans and a white tee. I recognize that pattern with a lot of other things I do where I start with a really simple base, and then I like to have fun with the accessories. So when I'm cooking, I'll start with something that's really simple, whether it's a roast chicken or a pasta. And then, like, to the blind eye, it looks really simple. But then there are all these, like, fun little secrets in the recipe that kind of make it a bit more me. And I've had that sort of approach with interior design since I've been furnishing the barn. I've noticed, like, I do love loud prints and loud colors, but when it comes to the bones of the house and the bones of the furniture, I really do gravitate towards simple textures and simple colors and then go crazy with the pillows and other sort of accessories.

[Unknown Speaker]

I would love to know what your go to apron is. I feel like you have some cute, chic ones.

[Meredith Hayden]

Oh. Oh, my gosh. Well, La Double J makes some really fun, like, loud prints that I like to do from Feeling Sassy. But my go to are usually just like, the plain ones from Williams Sonoma. They have just, like, the plain striped ones.

[Unknown Speaker]

You love a stripe.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know.

[Unknown Speaker]

And I love that for you. I know.

[Meredith Hayden]

I really do. And I think it's because I usually am wearing jeans and a white T shirt. So I like to incorporate a pattern that's a bit subtle. Cause especially if I'm not wearing makeup and I haven't, like, brushed my hair, I can't pop on a double jean. Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

You really have to dress up for the moment.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know. So my more casual aprons are usually the Williams Sonoma ones.

[Unknown Speaker]

So you've hosted some pretty incredible dinners. And let's dress a table the same way that maybe we would, like, dress a look like.

[Meredith Hayden]

Okay, yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

Tell me what's going down on the table. Like, what is your blue jean of a table? What's your, like, tennis necklace on a table?

[Meredith Hayden]

Okay. Fun. I think if it's, like, a gorgeous wood table, I would go bare table, no tablecloth. But if we're going tablecloth, white linen, and then chargers. I really like doing a natural fiber charger. So whether it's rattan or some sort of, like, woven situation with, like, a little bit of texture, I always do white plates. Unless I'm, like, going funky crazy. But a white plate, dinner plate, salad plate, and then the napkin on top.

[Unknown Speaker]

Okay.

[Meredith Hayden]

I like to do a pop of color with a napkin, whether it be a fun napkin ring or a printed napkin, or on my cover, I did plain pink linen napkins with a napkin ring. And I stuffed dahlias into the napkin rings. So cute. It was like a very last minute sort of call because we had all these dahlias on the table and in a vase, but they were covering the food. But we still wanted the pop of color from the flowers, but we didn't want the height. So I, like, ripped them out of the vase and shoved them into the napkin rings, and it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the COVID It gives such a nice pop of color. So I think maybe flowers would be my tennis necklace for a tablescape, because it always just adds so much life to a table.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. I also love that you had that last minute moment. I find sometimes when I'm hosting, it's like those little last minute things that bring in the personal touch to it. Like, you have an idea of what you want it to look like. But, like, I remember last time I hosted, I was like, I need a color. And I went on my street and, like, pulled a few flowers from the neighborhood and was like, yeah, that's gonna work.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know. And the best part about sticking with, like, natural fibers and white linens for the base is that you can. Whatever you find outside or whatever you find at the grocery store, whether it's some really beautiful citrus that you want to put in the middle of the table, it will all sort of go because you're not working with anything that's fighting the food. And I always love making such colorful food anyway, that I want that to be the color.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. You want that to be the literal centerpiece.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yes.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes, 100%. I am a tableware hoarder.

[Meredith Hayden]

Same.

[Unknown Speaker]

Like, I don't need a big house in my life, but I need a kitchen with a lot of cabinets for my tableware. I just, like. I collect it as I go. There's this one brand out of Austria that I'm obsessed with.

[Meredith Hayden]

What is it?

[Unknown Speaker]

Grimmonder, Somat Ceramic.

[Meredith Hayden]

I need to look it up.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. I actually found it when Alex and I got engaged. The hotel we stayed at had these, like. They're all of their plates for the restaurant were these, like, alpine white plates with, like, alpine flowers on them and then a hunter green rim.

[Meredith Hayden]

Gorgeous.

[Unknown Speaker]

And I bought the whole thing to, like, remind me of my engagement. Corny.

[Liv Perez]

But it was so cute.

[Unknown Speaker]

And I used them every day. I love that. But where are you shopping for all of them? Because I feel like every time I see your tables, I'm like, oh, my God.

[Meredith Hayden]

I feel like I. I also get inspiration from restaurants.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

My wine glasses are inspired by a restaurant where I was like, these wine glasses are amazing. So I looked them up and ordered them. But one of my current faves right now is Rebecca Udall. I don't know how to pronounce it, but they're in the UK and they have the most darling tableware. They call the plates crockery.

[Unknown Speaker]

Love.

[Meredith Hayden]

It's, like, so. So chic. Yep. But it's never in stock. I literally finally just was able to order the plate set that I've been wanting for six months, and it's just like, white with a little cute sort of ruffle detail.

[Unknown Speaker]

Cute. I love it. Like a ruffled doily plate.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah. Like super sweet. Love saber or sabre, however you pronounce that for flatware.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's where my forks are from. I love them.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

What else? Julisca, which is, like, kind of like a classic. Classic. She's so classic.

[Unknown Speaker]

So classic. Everyone loves a jaliska on their wedding registry. They're everywhere.

[Meredith Hayden]

I got the puro set, and I just love it.

[Unknown Speaker]

I wonder how fashion inspires food for you, because I know your first job was with Joseph Altazara Legend. We absolutely love Altazara under this podcast roof. So I wonder if there was ever a time where just being in that environment inspired how you cook.

[Meredith Hayden]

Well, it's so funny. When I started working for them, I was still working at Conde Nast, and I had no idea that Joseph was in fashion. And it wasn't until I was. No. I know. I, like, am very respectful of people's privacy to a fault where I'm like, I love that. I'm not Googling you. I'm not gonna stalk you. I'm just working here, and I show up, I do my job, and then I go home. I don't need to find out everything about you guys. I remember one day at work, they were like, we're not gonna be in town next week because we're heading off to Paris for Joseph's show. But we'll text you when we're back. And at the time, I was prepping my boss for Paris Fashion Week, so.

[Unknown Speaker]

I was like, wait, why would Joseph have a show?

[Meredith Hayden]

Have a show in Paris next week? Oh, my God. And then I, like, went home and Googled that night. And then the next morning, I told all my friends at work, and they were like, you're so dumb. You should, like, of all. Like, you should have known that. And I was like, okay, well, whatever. But I don't know if I feel like I've always really loved plating food and having fun with making it beautiful on the plate. When I was little, I used to tell my mom, I don't want to be a chef. I don't want to work in a restaurant. I just want to be the one who makes the food look pretty, which is so funny.

[Unknown Speaker]

I think that's so cute.

[Meredith Hayden]

I just have so much fun, like, playing with it. So I don't know if it's really a direct correlation to fashion in terms of just like, I like working with my hands, and I like creating things, and I've always just enjoyed that part of food and fashion, being able to see something come to life in that way. But, yeah, that's a little funny tidbit about working for Joseph.

[Unknown Speaker]

I mean, iconic in my mind, I actually think the first time we didn't meet, but I remember seeing you at.

[Liv Perez]

His show a few years ago, and.

[Unknown Speaker]

I had followed you, too, and I was like, wait. I was like, this is. I was trying to do detective work and figured it out and was like, wow, that's pretty epic.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

No, he's literally the nicest person I've ever met in my life.

[Unknown Speaker]

That tracks. Yeah, he seems it. And the fact that at the end of every show, he brings his daughters out.

[Meredith Hayden]

Oh, my God.

[Unknown Speaker]

It just melts my heart. Like, it's just one of those things I look forward to every season.

[Meredith Hayden]

Well, I mean, I might be speaking out of churn or embellishing. I can't really remember for sure, but I'm pretty sure the first time it happened, it wasn't planned.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, yeah. She just ran up out of her.

[Meredith Hayden]

She just ran out.

[Unknown Speaker]

But she was super young.

[Meredith Hayden]

She was super young.

[Unknown Speaker]

Four, right?

[Meredith Hayden]

Two or maybe four, I don't know. But it was. Yeah, it wasn't planned. And now it's become sort of a tradition, which is so funny, because the first time it happened, it was a bit of, like, a panic, but it was adorable. And. Yeah, no, that's. It's so cute that they do that now.

[Unknown Speaker]

Again, the best things happen in those spontaneous little moments. So sweet.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

What do you think about fashion's kind of, like, weird obsession with food right now? I feel like we have, like, buttercore. There was, like, strawberry makeup last summer. The tomato Loewe bag, which I know you loved because you're a big tomato person. Like, what do you think about all of that?

[Meredith Hayden]

I feel like it's really a sign of the times in terms of people's, like, exhaustion with things feeling artificial. I don't know.

[Unknown Speaker]

Ooh.

[Meredith Hayden]

Like, I think that there's a correlation between these organic textures and inspiration from things that organically exist in nature and bringing those into fashion. You know what I mean? Like, it feels a bit more grounded.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes. I think. I think about, like, what trended last year. Like, cottagecore, like, coastal grandma. Like, all these things that feel really, like, relatable almost and grounded that it makes sense that food has become the.

[Meredith Hayden]

Thing where it's so tangible. I really don't know how to articulate my thoughts with this phenomenon, because you're not the first person to ask me this, but I don't know. I think it's amazing. I love it. I've always seen parallels between food and fashion because they're two mediums that are so visual. So it's kind of like the pendulum's always swinging. This isn't the first time, it's not going to be the last. But it's so fun to see brands like Loewe celebrate things like tomatoes.

[Unknown Speaker]

I mean, that was epic. I loved it.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. And then they had, like, the heels.

[Meredith Hayden]

With the splattered egg like a massive tomato at a show recently.

[Unknown Speaker]

I also think, like, I think about what I have been consuming a lot of in the past year. And, like, it's a lot. Like, I love your content. Like, I love Nara Smith's content. Like, I think food has really taken this, like, front and center moment that feels fresh and different.

[Meredith Hayden]

Well, it's funny you say that, because food has always been front and center to me.

[Unknown Speaker]

Right.

[Meredith Hayden]

And so it's so funny to hear other people in other industries say that. Cause I am like, wait, it's been like this the whole time?

[Unknown Speaker]

You're like, I've been here.

[Meredith Hayden]

I'm confused. But it's so true. I mean, food is now making its way into mainstream pop culture in a way that it really wasn't.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

A few years ago, even people like Martha Stewart are being celebrated in a way that I don't feel like she was celebrated during her prime.

[Unknown Speaker]

Agree.

[Meredith Hayden]

So, yeah, it's Just really exciting to see because I'm like, hello.

[Unknown Speaker]

Ooh, is there a chef you love to follow? I wonder, like, who's on your radar right now?

[Meredith Hayden]

Yes, I have a long list I'm trying to think of. Like, I mean, I love a Stanley Tucci moment. Like, I love a non chef chef who just, like, is filled with personality and doesn't follow rules and just kind of, like, cooks from their soul. And in a very, like, whimsical kind of way.

[Unknown Speaker]

He's so passionate about it.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know, and it cracks me up because, like, sometimes I get really passionate about certain dishes or certain foods, and I'm like, oh, my God, it's not that serious. But then when I see him talk about food, I'm like, well, maybe it is serious.

[Unknown Speaker]

No, it's very serious for me and for you too. But, yeah, I love seeing how. And then there's that guy who makes fun of him. Matt Friend, I think.

[Meredith Hayden]

Oh, my favorite, the spoofs.

[Unknown Speaker]

That stuff kills me, too.

[Meredith Hayden]

Good.

[Unknown Speaker]

And now I can't watch Stanley Tucci without thinking about it. No, I know.

[Meredith Hayden]

I'm like, this would make a perfect spoof.

[Unknown Speaker]

Perfect.

[Meredith Hayden]

He's like a walking embodiment. He's like a caricature of himself.

[Unknown Speaker]

That guy eats so much pasta.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm pretty jealous.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's a pasta for lunch every day.

[Meredith Hayden]

Did you read his memoir?

[Unknown Speaker]

No.

[Meredith Hayden]

He has, like, his. He has, like, strong familial ties to Italy, and he, like, document or he recounts this time where he lived in Italy with his parents when he was growing up. And I'm like, just so jealous.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. I think for me, that's what draws me to food. Or is that familial history that can tell a story through food?

[Meredith Hayden]

Totally.

[Unknown Speaker]

Did you see the new Anthony Perowski show on National Geographic? I think he basically takes different celebrities every episode and has done a lot of prep work in the beginning to kind of trace their ancestry through food and then takes them to the place of their family history and eats food.

[Meredith Hayden]

And I need to check that out.

[Unknown Speaker]

Like, incredible conversation around food and their family and culture. Florence Pugh is on it.

[Meredith Hayden]

Oh, so fun. Yeah. She's a great non chef chef to follow.

[Unknown Speaker]

Also a great non chef to follow.

[Meredith Hayden]

She's hilarious.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, it's fun.

[Liv Perez]

While we're talking about east coast summer, I have to share with you guys the number one place that I've been shopping for all things summer wardrobe and honestly makes the best pieces. And that's Jenny Kane as my listeners. You guys get an exclusive 15% off your first order if you use my code. If you're looking for those essentials, essential summer pieces, like the perfect white dress, a great sandal, a great beach bag, or of course, the beloved beach sweater, that really cozy thing that you have in your tote after a long day by the ocean that you just throw on over your swimsuit and it feels like a warm hug. You'll find it all at Jenny Kane. A few pieces that I can't recommend enough. The first one is the peninsula dress. If you're going on vacation or you have upcoming pool days, this is just the perfect white poplin dress. There's a beautiful stitching on it, too, and it's casual enough to go from the farmer's market to dinner on vacation. And then, of course, I love the Chloe crew neck. This is my beach sweater. It's a striped crew neck that comes in a lot of different colorways. I have it in navy and white and then also white and black. And it's one of those pieces that I just wear time and time and time again and cannot wait to bring out when summer comes around. You guys can find your new spring and summer uniform at Jenny Kane I. Our listeners get 15% off your first order when you use the code live at checkout. That's 15% off your first order at J-E n n I k a y n e dot com. Using the promo code LYV let get in dress be one less thing to worry about.

[Unknown Speaker]

Let's talk about your cookbook.

[Meredith Hayden]

Okay.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm so excited for you, and I've gotten a sneak preview of it. To me, it feels like an ode to east coast summer, which, if you've lived on the east coast, is something that feels really tangible, like, it's something that I actively crave and think of. And so I love that you've, like, distilled it down into this book.

[Meredith Hayden]

Thank you.

[Unknown Speaker]

What did you want to accomplish with your first cookbook?

[Meredith Hayden]

Well, I feel like it's funny, similar to the food comment. East coast summer is all I know, and I didn't really realize how different it was from or how identifiable it was. But I'm really glad that you picked up on that. A lot of the inspiration from the book came from family recipes and just, like, family stories. There was a part of me when I first started writing the book where I was really preoccupied with, like, what would impress other chefs, what would impress other people in the food industry. This is my debut cookbook. I really want people to take me seriously. And I started trying to come up with all these fancy recipes that are, like, complicated and use niche ingredients to kind of like prove, like, I know what I'm doing, I know my stuff. But time and time again, I just kept going back to these simple dishes that I actually make for myself at home. And that's where I landed with the tone of the book was simple home cooking that is just naturally inspired by my life. I feel like some chefs, they take their food direction so far away from what they grew up with, like, kind of in spite. And whether that's because they grew up with food from cans and, like, they're kind of rejecting that sort of mindset, which I think is totally valid. But I was lucky enough to have a mom who loved to cook growing up and was just very much like a Rachael Ray Martha Stewart mom. So she was really my muse for this whole book and that. And then also just produce is always something that I go back to when I think about seasonality and what I want to make the front and center of a dish. I think it's really fun to play with vegetables that way.

[Unknown Speaker]

I love that. That just, like, sparks a lot of inspiration for me because I think when I think of produce, I think of just so much color.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah, I love that. Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

I also really related to what you just said about, you know, going off and doing this kind of big thing that feels like your debut and wanting to impress the other people in your field. I think it's really hard to be a creative on Instagram these days. Oh, my God. You are just inundated constantly by other things and the idea of what you could or should be.

[Meredith Hayden]

I think also in a male dominated space, like food, I struggled early on to sort of lean into myself while still being taken seriously at work and, you know, going into a restaurant, working as a line cook, but then also wearing earrings and wearing makeup and wearing lip gloss and wanting to talk about Bravo and Kardashians was sort of my first battle at not losing myself in a space that doesn't typically favor femininity. And again, while I was first posting on Instagram, first posting on TikTok, I hid myself a lot. For that reason. I worked with this private chef agency that told me, oh, we see you working really well for bachelorette parties. You know, we have some really high profile clientele that might not be a good fit for you, so we think you should stick to, you know, doing these lunches and bachelorette parties, which, to be fair, is true to some sense. Like, I Am so much fun at a bachelorette party. Like I would imagine, like, hire me for your next party. But I just, there was always that, like, unspoken, you're too much to be taken super seriously in this field. And instead of resenting that, I just found a way to make that a strength rather than a weakness. And that was through social media. And now I have an army of girlies who think and feel and are passionate about the same things that I am. So I'm glad that I was able to like, get over that eventually. But there's always gonna be in the back of my mind someone saying like, oh, she's just an influencer. Oh, she like. But at the end of the day, that's them projecting. It's nothing to do with me. So just gotta keep your head down.

[Unknown Speaker]

It is really tough. I will say, like, even from personal experience to if you, if you do something online, doesn't matter if you're really good at it or excel in the field, people will still say, she's just an influencer.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah. As if that's a negative. I'm like, you guys, I always like.

[Unknown Speaker]

Come back with that and be like, of course the female led industry is the. We're just influencers.

[Meredith Hayden]

Totally. I honestly am like, the more people who I'm gonna let people think that way, I'm not gonna, you know, waste my breath trying to convince people otherwise. But it is such an amazing industry and jokes on them, jokes on them.

[Unknown Speaker]

How did you get over that? I feel like there's a lot of people that feel that way. It's like I have this, this personality or this thing and like, it's just gonna be too much. I just, I shouldn't do it.

[Meredith Hayden]

So I had filmed my first viral video October 2021. And it was a vlog of me out in the Hamptons catering for this really fancy family in this amazing compound in the Hamptons. And I documented the whole weekend I filmed it and I never posted it. Cause I was like, oh my God, who cares? This is like the stupidest thing ever. I'm not going to post this. So I kept posting just recipe videos that was kind of like what I was originally posting on social media for the first year. And then I had seen a piece of advice. Have no idea who said it, but it really stuck with me. And it was like, if you're feeling like you're in a rut with content, just think about what content do you like to consume and then go for that instead of keeping these like barriers on what you think you should be posting, think about what you want to be watching and then see how you can kind of make that your own. And I found myself watching a lot of vlog content and so I was like, okay, well I have a vlog that I filmed and edited that I've never posted, so I guess I'll just post it and see what happens. And I posted that in March 2022 and that was my first viral video.

[Unknown Speaker]

I really like the follow. What you like to watch yourself. Yeah, like, I think that's a great kind of rule of thumb if you're feeling lost and don't really know where to start.

[Meredith Hayden]

Because I think there's. Sometimes we get too rigid with what we think we should post, whether it's, oh, Alex Earle was really successful with her Get Ready with Me videos. So I should be posting Get Ready with Me videos.

[Unknown Speaker]

Right.

[Meredith Hayden]

Or I was looking at a lot of other food creators who are getting a lot of success on TikTok and they were posting these super high def, super like sort of really well lit, like really high produced food videos that are using these super fancy cameras. They're zooming in, they're getting all these like. And I tried to do that, but then I thought, you know, there's always gonna be someone with a nicer camera. There's always gonna be someone with like a more eye grabbing recipe. I can't depend on food video trends to continue my relevance. I really need to find what makes me special. And it just turned out to be me. Myself was kind of what made my account stand out from everyone else. Like, imagine if I was still only just posting food and like never showed my face or talked to camera.

[Unknown Speaker]

When I do post podcast videos with people or like interviews with people who are on Instagram, I go back to the beginning and yeah, you were very much just posting plates.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

And I remember seeing the first day in the life you did and there were like thousands of comments on it and I was like, yeah, there's a very strong desire online to just get to know people in a deeper way.

[Meredith Hayden]

Just in a human way. It doesn't have to be so manufactured. I think people really do gravitate towards that kind of humanity. Especially now where people are really sensitive to like things feeling manufactured and things feeling too incredibly. Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

And I think you've done a great job of connecting with your audience in different ways. I wonder for you, you know, having your sub stack, you have your YouTube channel, you have dinner with friends, which we all love. What is it like being in the Food space right now, like, it's so different than it was when we were growing up, like in the Martha world. Digital has changed everything. So what is that like for you now?

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah, I mean, I think, like, the media space is in a really weird place right now where everything to produce on a professional level is so expensive. And so all of these production houses, whether it's producing shows or movies, are so reluctant to take chances and are kind of stuck in this formula of food competition shows. They know it works. So we're just gonna keep doing that and repackage that a million different ways. And like, who cares if anyone's actually learning? Who cares if it's even a good show as long as it's getting viewers and we're generating ad revenue? So that's kind of made me really jaded towards pursuing a real cooking show on television because I don't like any cooking food shows right now. Yeah, it's not that I don't like any. There's definitely, like, exceptions, but just overall, I don't love what these shows are prioritizing and that's views and clicks and like, rage baity sort of content. And so what I love about being a digital creator is being able to make whatever I want. And so long as people are interested, that is all that matters. And so that was kind of my mindset going into YouTube was I don't wanna wait for a big company to give me a platform to have my own TV show or have my own cooking show. I'm just gonna make it myself. And it's been so much fun. I, like, am so sad that my leg has taken me out of YouTube for the time being, but I'm just so excited to get back to it. It's really such a special place.

[Unknown Speaker]

I firmly believe that YouTube community is the most engaged and cares the most about the person that they're watching.

[Meredith Hayden]

Totally.

[Unknown Speaker]

They're so deeply involved. What do you think?

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah, and I think like, with TikTok, there's always that pressure of, like, keep people interested, keep them engaged, they're gonna keep swiping. You got. You gotta hold their attention. And so sometimes I feel like I can't even really get to the point in my videos before people swipe or I can't really spend time talking about something like technique driven.

[Unknown Speaker]

Right.

[Meredith Hayden]

I have to be interesting, be entertaining, whatever. But with YouTube, I'm like, okay, the people who are watching this actually want to know those kinds of things. And so it's really empowering and also fulfilling to have a kind of platform to directly connect with people who care about the same things that I do.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes. What is exciting you right now? Obviously, you have this cookbook coming out, but what's exciting you? Just in the digital space, I think every.

[Meredith Hayden]

Every week, we sort of see somebody who's considered an influencer or just a TikToker, sort of surpass that title and sort of, like, break free from that category. So you have people like Addison Rae who are able to, you know, finally evolve and graduate from her TikTok days. And so I think it's really inspiring to see people appreciate those kinds of creators in a new way. And it gives me hope that, like, one day I won't just be an influencer. Not that I am, but.

[Unknown Speaker]

I don't know. I was gonna say, girl, I don't think I. This. Look at what's in my hands. I know, I know.

[Meredith Hayden]

I don't know. It's an incredible cookbook. It's just so fun to see people who started on TikTok as well, flourish in their career and pursue passions that they've always had, like Charli d' Amelio on Broadway. It's just, like, so incredible. It just makes me more excited for the future.

[Unknown Speaker]

I mean, I have to say, I feel like you really kind of shook the ground of the industry last year when you bought your house.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know. I was saying that the other night. I realized I kind of feel like there was a weird shift in the way people viewed me when I announced that, which, I mean, whether or not that should have been necessary in order for people to take me seriously is another conversation. But I definitely noticed, like, people were like, oh, okay.

[Unknown Speaker]

And it's kind of a shame because it's kind of like people are like, oh, okay, like, you're actually making money on this thing. Yeah. You're like, yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

But again, jokes on them. It's hilarious that you picked up on that too, because especially from people who aren't in the digital creator space, they were kind of like, oh. Like, it was like. It almost legitimized what I've been doing.

[Unknown Speaker]

Right. As if the millions of views didn't already. Right.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know, but that's just the way.

[Unknown Speaker]

This industry works, unfortunately. I think I'm really excited to see where it goes in the next 10 years, but I think right now, like, we are still stuck in that antiquated way of thinking where, like, in order for you to feel that validation or almost like, legitimacy from specific peers, it took you showing. Oh, yeah, hey, like, I bought a house. In the Hamptons. And I live there now. And like.

[Meredith Hayden]

But don't worry, I won't forget who was there before.

[Unknown Speaker]

Right.

[Meredith Hayden]

The house in the Hamptons. It's always going to be in the back of my mind in this digital.

[Unknown Speaker]

World, was writing a cookbook always the aspiration? I wonder how that that balance is for you.

[Meredith Hayden]

I've always wanted to write cookbooks. I just love them so much. I love having, like, a finished piece of work, which ties back to my love of just, like, creating things and seeing them come to life. And I've always collected cookbooks, and I knew that, again, with digital kind of taking over, Getting a book deal is harder than ever these days because people don't want to take risks. They don't want to, you know, take someone who's new to the industry and take a risk on them. So I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I had so much fun writing it. I can't wait to write another one. I think that people are also sort of finding comfort in written, physical copies of work. Because nowadays, if you go on whatever blog or whatever sort of website, there's like, ads popping up everywhere, including my website, like, whatever. I'll be honest.

[Unknown Speaker]

We gotta keep the lights on.

[Meredith Hayden]

Exactly.

[Unknown Speaker]

But it's just keep the lights on.

[Meredith Hayden]

It's such a quality experience to be able to sit down with a book and, like, not have a million things popping up on the screen and like, your imessage in the corner and your email dinging and to be able to just, like, have a moment of peace with something. I started my career in publishing and I've always loved magazines. And I've always just, like, loved that about magazines is you can kind of really unplug and just like, focus on what's right in front of you. So, yeah, I am looking forward to a long career of cookbooks, hopefully.

[Unknown Speaker]

I love that.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

How did the illustrations come together for you? Because it just. This feels like you jumping off the page.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

And I want to know what that process was like.

[Meredith Hayden]

Okay. So I always knew I wanted the book to be beautiful. And especially knowing that a lot of my audience doesn't necessarily cook a ton. And I collect cookbooks and don't really cook from cookbooks a ton. So I wanted to make sure that it was a fun book to flip through and look at and experience, even if you had no intention of actually recreating the recipes. So I was scrolling on Instagram one day and I had this beautiful watercolor illustration on my Explore page. Went to this Girl's profile, you know, went to her website. She sells gorgeous prints. And I reached out to her, and I was like, would you be interested in doing the illustrations for my book?

[Unknown Speaker]

Wow.

[Meredith Hayden]

Later, we find out that she used to do the illustrations for Lily Pulitzer, which is hilarious because I worked there for four years.

[Unknown Speaker]

Fat tracks. Yeah, that tracks.

[Meredith Hayden]

And we just had so much fun making these. So the inside, I wanted to feel like it was sort of inspired by a vintage wallpaper. But then each chapter has its own little illustration. And so there are little Easter eggs, like, that's supposed to be citarella. Love. And a little seafood bar. And there are lots of bunnies, because we had bunnies visit us on set every day in the Hamptons. And I started to think of them as my good luck charm. So we were able to put a lot of personality into the book through those illustrations.

[Unknown Speaker]

How did you pick what you were gonna wear on the COVID Oh, my God.

[Meredith Hayden]

Well, that was our third time shooting for the book. It was supposed to be one photo shoot. 14 days, all of the photos done.

[Unknown Speaker]

Okay.

[Meredith Hayden]

We ended up doing a second shoot in the Hamptons. Thought we got the COVID which is the blue one on the inside. I thought that was gonna be the COVID Love this.

[Unknown Speaker]

But I love your eyes here.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know, I know. And then there's another one that was supposed to be. Anyways, I had no idea what I was gonna wear until literally five minutes before I had no idea what I was gonna wear. I pulled a bunch of looks, but it really was something that came together in the final seconds. Like, I bought those napkins the day before. Didn't know how to bring color into the. I didn't wanna go overboard again with the color of my outfit because I really wanted the food to be the color. And I remember my editor was there. Shout Out Molly. She was like, a little bit app of doing a beige seersucker against a beige wall. Cause she was like, you might just, like, blend in. But I was like, I kind of want to blend in a little bit. No.

[Unknown Speaker]

And it makes the food pop.

[Meredith Hayden]

The food jumps off the page. And that was a dress that Veronica Beard had sent me. Super random. I had brought it not to wear for the COVID but to wear out to dinner. And I ended up just loving the dress. And we tried on a million different dresses, shot a million different dresses, but that one just ended up being everyone's favorite.

[Unknown Speaker]

I also love. It's the perfect summer dress.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know.

[Unknown Speaker]

Like, this is instantly going on all the mood boards.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know, right? It's really cute.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's so good. So May 6th.

[Meredith Hayden]

May 6th.

[Unknown Speaker]

Available everywhere.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yes.

[Unknown Speaker]

So exciting. Congratulations.

[Meredith Hayden]

Thank you.

[Unknown Speaker]

To close out the show, I want to do a little lightning round with you. Okay. Best restaurant in New York.

[Meredith Hayden]

Oh, my God. I'm so bad because I don't go to enough restaurants. Everyone's gonna get mad at me. But I really do love the Polo Bar. Sorry.

[Unknown Speaker]

Come on.

[Meredith Hayden]

I have my birthday there.

[Unknown Speaker]

I would have it. It's the best restaurant for me in the world.

[Meredith Hayden]

And, like, I love it. I can't even get in there. But when I do. Love it.

[Unknown Speaker]

Love it.

[Meredith Hayden]

So good.

[Unknown Speaker]

I know. It's like a schlep to get there. I waited on hold the other day for, like, 30 minutes. Yeah. Favorite dish in the world?

[Meredith Hayden]

Spaghetti and meatballs.

[Unknown Speaker]

Your spaghetti and meatballs specifically.

[Meredith Hayden]

No, my mom's or mine.

[Unknown Speaker]

Love.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

Favorite shoe.

[Meredith Hayden]

Right now I'm still rocking the Adidas. Gazelles.

[Unknown Speaker]

Love. I'm a samba girl through and through.

[Meredith Hayden]

Samba, gazelles. I'm stuck in flats for the rest of the year, so my options are limited.

[Unknown Speaker]

Comfort is key, but, yeah, crucial.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah, crucial.

[Unknown Speaker]

Most recent splurge in your closet.

[Meredith Hayden]

Oh, my God. The Gucci trends. The Gucci trends. I can't.

[Unknown Speaker]

When you showed that, I was like, oh, my God. Good for you. Honestly, have a glass of champagne and buy it.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know. I woke up with such scaries, but she's. She's timeless. We love her.

[Unknown Speaker]

I think if you wake up with scary as it means you did the right thing.

[Meredith Hayden]

Okay.

[Unknown Speaker]

Means you did the right thing.

[Meredith Hayden]

Perfect.

[Unknown Speaker]

What's your go to cocktail?

[Meredith Hayden]

I was just saying the other day, now that we're getting into summertime, normally I would say a martini, but I really love a watermelon vodka lemonade in the summer.

[Unknown Speaker]

Bouvet with, like, watermelon chunks in it or just juice?

[Meredith Hayden]

I just juice. So the restaurant Bouvet in the West Village, I used to live on top of it, and they had these dangerous, amazing. No. Dangerous, amazing watermelon vodka drinks. I have no idea what's in them, but I think it's just watermelon juice, vodka, lemon, and sugar. And then they put a nice hunk of watermelon on the side of the rim.

[Unknown Speaker]

Love.

[Meredith Hayden]

Just, like, eat it. Love. My favorite summer drink.

[Liv Perez]

Love.

[Unknown Speaker]

What is your go to condiment?

[Meredith Hayden]

Probably hot sauce. But I also love. I'm, like, very passionate about condiments, obviously.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

I can't pick one. Hot sauce. Dijon. Sour cream.

[Unknown Speaker]

Sour cream.

[Meredith Hayden]

I love sour cream.

[Unknown Speaker]

I think it's sour cream. Favorite celebrity You've cooked for Joseph.

[Liv Perez]

Duh, duh, chef.

[Unknown Speaker]

You want to cook with.

[Meredith Hayden]

That's hard. I'll say Stanley Tucci.

[Unknown Speaker]

That would be fun.

[Meredith Hayden]

It's fun.

[Unknown Speaker]

I would tune in fun.

[Meredith Hayden]

I would say Martha, but I would be too scared.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Meredith Hayden]

Stanley.

[Unknown Speaker]

Stanley. Yeah, yeah. Favorite recipe from your cookbook.

[Meredith Hayden]

I really love the short rib bolognese, which is more of a fall wintertime dish, but it's. I love a short rib pasta, but I also love bolognese, which has, like the white wine and the sort of lighter taste, and I just combined the two. And it's also something that's like, really easy to make for entertaining because you just throw it in the oven for three hours and then it comes out amazing.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Meredith Hayden]

So, yeah, I love a hands off dish like that.

[Unknown Speaker]

Love.

[Meredith Hayden]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

I hate asking this question because you just came out with a cookbook, but what's on the mood board for your career? Like, restaurant no show? What is it like, what's the one thing.

[Meredith Hayden]

Don't quote me if I say no. No to the restaurant thing, but don't quote her. No. I just want to keep doing what I'm doing right now. But even better. I feel like every time I get my footing, I get bronchitis or I break my leg and I'm like, okay, wait. I really am trying so hard to get into a rhythm with this whole career thing.

[Unknown Speaker]

The cat of nine lives.

[Meredith Hayden]

No. Something keeps happening that throws me off course, and I'm really just trying to perfect what I'm doing right now, which is balancing writing book number two, hopefully consistently posting on YouTube, consistently posting on my website and on substack and sharing more recipes because again, I just keep getting thrown off course with injuries and illnesses.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's okay. It's giving you a little resilience.

[Meredith Hayden]

Totally. Like, we're learning a lot of life lessons here, but I think in the grand scheme of things, I really don't picture anything drastically different from what I'm doing right now.

[Unknown Speaker]

I love that answer so much because.

[Meredith Hayden]

Everyone always, like, whenever people ask that, I'm like, I don't know this, this.

[Unknown Speaker]

It makes me so happy to hear you say that. It doesn't need to be bigger than what you've already accomplished at times like, this is so much fun and reaches so many people, and it's a great job.

[Meredith Hayden]

And it's also like, when I'm going up against people like Martha and ina, who had 20 years in the industry before they started writing books, I kind of feel like I'm playing catch up where I'm like, I need to take the time to continue to learn about food and then also take on new projects like learning how to garden and learning how to sew. Because those are things I genuinely want to do. So those are kind of my priority now.

[Unknown Speaker]

I had the founder of the RealReal on the podcast yesterday and she started the RealReal at 52. Wow.

[Meredith Hayden]

So that's incredible.

[Unknown Speaker]

So much time, so much opportunity. It's. It's a long game.

[Meredith Hayden]

Exactly.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. Well, congratulations again on the book, guys. It's out on May 6th. Pre order it on Amazon like I did.

[Liv Perez]

I'm so happy for you and I'm.

[Unknown Speaker]

So thrilled we finally got to do this.

[Meredith Hayden]

I know. Finally.

[Unknown Speaker]

Thank you so much for being here.

[Meredith Hayden]

Thank you.

[Unknown Speaker]

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