‘No harm in trying’: Celeb chef Hayden Quinn on side hustles

As the cost of living continues to rise, side hustles have become more popular than ever, and celebrity chef Hayden Quinn is diving into the trend with multiple ventures of his own.

As the cost of living continues to rise, side hustles have become more popular than ever, and celebrity chef Hayden Quinn is diving into the trend with multiple ventures of his own.

While side hustles are all the rage, Quinn – who rose to fame on MasterChef in 2011 – has so many projects on the go that he can’t keep up.

“My wife says I’m not allowed to take on anything else,” Quinn confessed to Confidential. “I struggle to keep focused on one specific thing and I like to keep busy, so I enjoy building businesses and seeing small things get bigger.”

celebrity chef Hayden Quinn has a number of side hustles from his show Taste of Australia, to competing on Dancing with the Stars. Picture: Rohan Kelly

Although Quinn’s main hustle remains his role as a chef, his other ventures are varied, ranging from his show Taste of Australia, to competing on Dancing with the Stars, to random creative projects like shooting pet food commercials. He’s also a co-owner of alcohol brand Hard Fizz, a venture he shares with his closest friends.

Nothing has ever been linear for the cook, who has worked as a lifeguard, travelled and worked overseas, and considered careers in marine biology and firefighting.

“The most important thing is that they all tie back to what I love to do,” Quinn said.

Celebrity chef Hayden Quinn says he is good at multi-tasking. Picture: Jack Clemens

“You can’t put all your eggs in one basket. Even if you have a full-time job, a side hustle or a few things on the go help keep the bills paid.”

With so many projects on the go, Quinn admits that he doesn’t have a set schedule.

“It’s all a bit chaotic,” he said.

“It depends on what email pops up in my inbox. It’s a little all over the place, but I’m fine with that. I’m good at multi-tasking, and I enjoy that.”

While the side hustle lifestyle has its perks, it doesn’t come without its challenges, particularly when it comes to taking breaks.

Hayden Quinn, who is a co-owner of Hard Fizz, encourages anyone to give a side hustle a try. Picture: Supplied

“The beauty of working for yourself is the flexibility — you can sneak away when needed — but when I go on holiday, it’s not really a break,” Quinn said.

“I always have my laptop, always have my phone. There’s never a day where I’m not checking emails or doing some kind of work.”

Hayden Quinn says the beauty of working for yourself is the flexibility it gives you. Picture: Supplied

Still, Quinn encourages anyone to give a side hustle a try.

“There’s no harm in giving it a go. You won’t know what you’re capable of unless you try.”

Originally published as ‘No harm in trying’: Celeb chef Hayden Quinn on side hustles