What Meredith Hayden of Wishbone Kitchen Learned in Her 20s Before Turning 30

Meredith Hayden.
Credit:

Home Chef

NEED TO KNOW

• Meredith Hayden is entering a new decade.
• After a transformative year in 2025, the viral private chef looks ahead to 2026, including her upcoming 30th birthday.
• In an interview with PEOPLE regarding her meal kit line with Home Chef, Hayden shares her plans and aspirations.

Meredith Hayden, better known to her online followers as Wishbone Kitchen, is marking the start of a new year and a new decade. The private chef has gained widespread recognition through her social media platforms, first for showcasing her culinary experiences with Hamptons clients, then for her viral recipes, and now for her growing lifestyle brand.

After publishing her own cookbook, Hayden continues to engage her audience through her popular YouTube cooking series, “Dinner with Friends,” which garners hundreds of thousands of views. As the new year begins, Hayden’s collaboration with Home Chef is a significant development, as she shares eight of her favorite summertime recipes with home cooks.

Addressing perceptions of meal kits, Hayden reflects on her college experience as instrumental in shaping her views on meal preparation. “College was my first time using a meal delivery service, and I really appreciated how simple it made everything,” she noted.

Wishbone Kitchen Meredith Hayden.

Home Chef

Emphasizing the accessibility of meal kits, she stated, “They are an amazing way to get people into the kitchen and try new recipes. It removes that barrier to entry and makes it much more approachable.” She aims to infuse warmth into winter months with a selection of bright, summery meals, including mahi mahi tacos and hot honey butter-roasted chicken.

As 2026 unfolds, Hayden anticipates her milestone 30th birthday on January 17. “I’m taking a two-week international trip to Japan,” she shares, recognizing that she often shies away from traditional New Year’s resolutions. Instead, she prefers to focus on personal growth. “I think you should look at it as, ‘How can I improve my day-to-day?'”

Wishbone Kitchen Meredith Hayden.

Home Chef

The previous year was significant for Hayden, as she released her first cookbook, *The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook*, which became a *New York Times* bestseller. Furthermore, she was recognized as a Time100 creator and continues to enhance her social media presence, boasting 3.7 million followers across Instagram and TikTok.

Currently, Hayden is developing her Hamptons home, which she purchased in October 2024. “I feel lucky that the house came with a kitchen suitable for hosting,” she remarked. Acknowledging the demands of her work, she also values her personal spaces, striving for a balance between hospitality and personal retreat. “When I’m recipe developing, my room is my safe space where I can just take a beat and escape,” she explained.

As she transitions from her 20s, Hayden expresses a sense of self-reliance and pride in managing her high-maintenance lifestyle. “I am a high-maintenance person, one might say, but I’m maintaining it myself,” she concluded.