Going on Tour with Wishbone Kitchen: Cocktails, Cookbooks and Vintage Outfits
Four cities, eight coordinating looks, and thousands of loving fans 👩🍳🎤🎀📚
Hello Big Silly Gazette readers! It’s me, your host— Natalie Shine.
Since our last installment of the Gazette, I’ve been basking in the glow of our wonderful 1 year Big Silly celebration, co-hosting a sold out book tour (read more in today’s Issue) and watching Overcompensating (and all of the TikTok edits that come with it).
Pop Culture News of the Week (niche)
I refer to something on my FYP as it ‘came across my desk’, I’ve been keeping a folder just for you:
🦋 What I would do to experience Britney Spears’ 2002 restaurant NYLA (New York, Louisiana). This bistro located in the Dylan Hotel on E. 41st opened and closed the same year, but that doesn’t mean its interiors and logo are near perfection in my eyes.
💜 Addison Rae’s debut album has been on top to bottom repeat in this household! I love watching her twirl around in dance-friendly Christian Louboutin heels.
⭐ Campaigning for Jessica Simpson’s ‘Public Affair’ to be the next pop-revival of the summer (also on repeat in this household) As a matter of fact, play this song while you scroll through the rest of the newsletter, please.
XO (BOOK) TOUR LIFE 📚🎤
When you think of a book tour, you might not think of live cocktail demos, pop-culture trivia and chaotic audience interactions— but that’s exactly what transpired on Meredith Hayden’s debut cookbook tour.
My aim for the tour was to add a certain ✨Big Silly Sparkle✨ to these shows. Of course, there are recipes to dissect, kitchen secrets to divulge, but what I wanted to highlight was my friend and superstar Meredith in new ways. She’s hilarious, whip-smart, and our on-stage banter felt like a shimmering game of mental ping-pong.
On each stop, the cocktails grew stronger, the crowds laughed louder and I remembered how much fun it is to perform for a live audience.
There’s nothing like the rush of being in the stage Wings again. Nestled in heavy velvet curtains, peeking out into the audience and soaking in their excited pre-show murmurs– the silent screams and jumps of glee before we take the stage. I mean, C’MON!
From a young age, I’ve loved to perform.
Before I was a fully-baked adult and co-hosting this book tour, I was 8— dressed in my Nutcracker costume looking for my family from the wings.
Suddenly I’m 15, competing in Tennessee for the Destination Imagination Global Finals with paper mâché beavers and an assemblage of homemade props.
Before I get into the tour recap, I want to say one thing I know for sure – the closer you get to your love and joys of childhood interests, the more the world seems to sparkle.
NOW LET’S GO ON TOUR!
If you haven’t read BST-fave Emily Sundberg’s coverage of the book tour, check it out here!
We kicked things off in Brooklyn, Meredith in Oscar De La Renta, and I in a 1980s shocking pink Mugler set from Vintage Grace. At the opulent head of First Unitarian Church, curled up in giant red velvet thrones (is that the right word?) we sipped on Cucumber Melon Spritzes and dove into the stories and inspiration of her debut book. I ran through the literal pews quizzing guests on WBK Trivia, before returning to our seats and quizzing Meredith on Pop Culture Trivia (heavy on the Bravo topics).
One day and an Amtrak adventure from NYC to D.C. later , we found ourselves in our nations capital– our biggest venue on the tour and our first run with “madonna mics” allowing us to be handsfree was a game-changer…
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Minutes into the show, I prompted Meredith with an “F, Marry, Kill” lineup (herb edition: parsley, chives and cilantro) and while Meredith whipped up our ice cold dirty martinis with blue cheese-stuffed olives and pondered her response, a cork goes flying.
* The crowd erupts in laughter *
What was that? An unruly audience member? The holy spirit? The pure juju of the performers who graced the stage before us? One of my favorite memories of our time on stage, check it out below:
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
WISHBONE AND BIG SILLY HEAD WEST ✈️
And just like that, I packed up my polka-dot power suit and hopped on an early AM flight to San Francisco, it was time for our West Coast stops!
COMMUNITY IS EVERYTHING 👯♀️👯♀️👯♀️
The most important part of Big Silly, is and always will be the community. There’s a stamp-of-approval, a cone of pink, pop-culture safety that comes with rallying an online-first community IRL. I loved seeing this for the tour– thousands of girls in breezy linen dresses no matter the weather, meeting each other in the stands and parsing through the pages of their new culinary bible (let it be known that I always encourage a sartorial prompt for any in-person event).
I have so many dreams for engaging the Big Silly community, because at the end of the day it’s exactly what I wish I had when I first entered the ‘adult world’.
🔮🚨MANIFESTATION ZONE🚨🔮
✨A nation-wide Zillennial entertainment tour for the girls, gays and theys. A place to meet, connect, play trivia, and party…✨
Test yourself with one of my trivia Q’s I asked the crowd on tour 👇
Lastly, a TikTok deep dive on my tour looks below 👡👗👛🎀
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Thank you so much for being a part of the Big Silly community, follow us on IG for news about upcoming seasons and special announcements, and keep tabs with me on IG and TikTok <3
See you in the next Issue!
Love,
Natalie
❤️🫶❤️