Quinn has published a number of cookbooks, served as a judge on a reality TV cooking show, hosted his own cooking and travel shows, and started several businesses.
MasterChef Australia Quinn first came to national attention during his participation in
MasterChef Australia. He appeared on
Series 3 in 2011 where he finished sixth. He then appeared on
MasterChef Australia All-Stars in 2012, where he was eliminated in the 10th round. He appeared again in
MasterChef Australia: Back to Win in 2020, where he was eliminated in the fifth week.
Taste of Australia Since 2020, Quinn has presented, written and
executive produced eight seasons of
Taste of Australia with Hayden Quinn, which is produced by Boomtown Pictures. During each
episode, Quinn visits local and native growers,
farmers, food producers,
fishers,
wineries,
artisans and small
food companies, including
indigenous Australians, often mucking-in, and cooks a dish outdoors using
local food, usually on a portable
Weber barbecue. The
series tells "a story of where our food comes from here in Australia." The series has visited communities all over Australia.
Other television Quinn hosted the six-part
The Dinner Project on
Foxtel's
LifeStyle Food during 2014. He lived with six families in Australia and developed simple and accessible meal plans that highlighted the
skills,
budget, time,
knowledge,
nutrition and ideas necessary to eat healthy food. Quinn was the host of the 13-part series
South African television program
Hayden Quinn South Africa which aired there in 2014 on
SABC 3. He toured food producers and
conservation projects across the country, highlighting
sustainable farming or
fishing practices,
environmental stewardship and
animal welfare, and cooked with local
foodies. He and
Dan Churchill co-hosted the 13-part series
Surfing the Menu - Next Generation in 2016. They travelled around the country, combining their love of surfing and of food. This was a follow-up to the earlier
Surfing the Menu presented by
Curtis Stone and
Ben O'Donoghue. In 2017, Quinn was a judge on Season 1 of the
Nine Network reality cooking program Family Food Fight (Australia). In 2024, Quinn participated in
Dancing with the Stars (Australia) with professional partner Lily Cornish. He appeared on
series 21 in 2024 where he was eliminated second.
Writing Quinn has written two printed cookbooks:
Dish It Up in 2013 and
Surfing the Menu (with Dan Churchill) in 2016. He has also written two e-cookbooks:
Hayden Cooks Summer and
Hayden Cooks with Friends. He contributes
recipes and
travel stories to
delicious magazine and to taste.com.au. Quinn has written illustrated
travel guides to five places in Australia: (
Barossa Valley,
Bruny Island,
Darwin,
Hobart and
Mudgee), and five international destinations: (
Kyoto,
New York City,
San Francisco,
Singapore and
Tokyo).
Podcast Quinn hosted a
podcast,
The Roving Mic, in 2018-2019, recorded outdoors off the beaten track.
Entrepreneurship Quinn has been a partner in Kooks Wines, a "social
winery" where 50% of profits go to
charitable causes, since 2013. Since 2014, Quinn has been co-owner with Lewis McLean and Sam Whittaker of The Cube Gym, located in
Brookvale in the
Northern Beaches of
Sydney. The Cube Gym is oriented towards building health and fitness in a positive community environment. He has a Certificate III and Certificate IV in Fitness (Master Trainer,
AIF) and a Certificate III Nutrition Coach (AIF). Quinn is co-founder with
talent manager Erin White and
art director Meg Yonson in 2021 of Studio Maybe, a
photo-video studio equipped for
food,
fashion and
e-commerce photography and
videography. TC Pro, which provides a customisable
software platform for
gyms and
fitness studios. Quinn has been a
brand ambassador for
Jeep Australia for almost 15 years. == Charitable work ==