Since Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives first aired in 2024, cast member Whitney Leavitt has gone from strength to strength: growing her already formidable social media presence, making it to the semifinals of Dancing With the Stars, signing on to the holiday rom-com All for Love, and, now, preparing for her Broadway debut as fame-chaser Roxie Hart in Chicago next month. Now that Midas touch is extending to someone in her orbit: her private chef, Keegan McManus.
Billed as the Happy Chef on his social media accounts, McManus—who tells SELF he earned the nickname at culinary school on account of his constant “big smile”—rose to new heights of digital fame earlier this month when he announced he was working with Leavitt. Recounting his ascent in a mid-January Zoom call with SELF, he comes across as grateful but grounded. “I’m really so glad that it’s getting as big as it is,” he says of his online presence (which now numbers close to 200,000 followers on Instagram alone). “I love keeping people company, even if just through social media.” Then he breaks into a huge grin—a gesture that instantly suggests the source of his moniker.
With Leavitt busy readying herself for opening night on February 2, she can’t possibly have much time left over to sleep, let alone feed herself (or her family, which includes her husband, Conner, and their three kids). That’s where McManus comes in: Slicing, dicing, chopping, mincing, and julienning with the speed and precision of a trained expert, he churns out healthy, nutritious meals at a breakneck pace: vodka pasta, Asian braised short ribs, you name it.
Cooking for a celeb might sound like it’s all glitz and glamour, sure—but it certainly isn’t easy. Below, McManus walks through an average 24 hours in his life as a private chef to the stars.
SELF: To start, I wanted to ask you a little bit about yourself and your trajectory thus far. How did you get here?
Keegan McManus: Well, I’ve been cooking since I could walk and talk. It’s always been my favorite passion—cooking with my family, my grandmother, my siblings. With my siblings, I always wanted to watch Barefoot Contessa at TV time. When I hear Ina Garten’s voice, I’m like, I wish that could be on my Hatch. She is just perfect and so soothing and someone that makes everyone feel confident in the kitchen, which is something that I’m so inspired by.