Into the Fridge 🥛

Zoë Johnston on TMJ retainers and Greek-ish salads

Jul 28, 2026

in the words of The Cut, why is your skin so good?

Zoë Johnston 🥛

Zoë Johnston is a culinary creative and the owner of Spilt Milk Collective, a culinary production studio creating immersive experiences for gatherings rooted in food, function, and design. Originally from Maine, now based in Brooklyn, she writes a Substack named after one of her favorite things, Raw Milk. Few people are having as much fun, visually speaking, with food as Zoë, so we’re in for an especially beautiful edition of Into the Fridge today.

What is your fridge philosophy?

More is more. I want to see the rainbow and always have fresh food on hand—but waste bums me out big time, so I’m constantly playing efficiency Tetris. Food is where my dollars go, so I’m intentional about where I buy and when.

Your fridge is always always always stocked with ____.

Lemons, Castelvetranos, something leafy, butter, raw milk, coconut water, organ meat, a too-sweet creamer I can’t quit, and pesto.

Top 5 condiment picks, go.

Pickled Mustard Seed
Sunny Miso Caesar Dressing (not pictured unfortunately, please come to NY)
Lemon
Olive Oil
Does Maldon count?

Fine, I’ll open it up to pantry too. Let’s hear your favorite snacks / pantry staples:

White beans, avocado, lentils, sweet potato, garlic, shallots, rice pasta, Knead Love Bread, dark chocolate. Lots of dried herbs for herbal infusions.

A meal that’s on heavy rotation these days:

Really into a Greek-ish salad with chicken or fish plus white beans and really really good Castelvetranos (usually Frankie’s or Partanna).

Let’s go a little deeper…

What’s the mantra you keep coming back to?

Food is for fun.

What products / practices are part of your regular mental wellness habits?

I red light mask every AM, I take a bath or sauna mat most evenings, sometimes I use my Shakti mat. Love some nasal expanders. My TMJ retainers are a godsend (though unfortunately not a fix, more of a bandaid FYI).

I see my acupuncturist (Chris Chen), Therapist (AJ), Wizard (Thomas), and Functional Health Doctor (Herbal Alchemist) regularly. I exercise daily—I love yoga, heavy weights, long walks, pilates, kickboxing. I do Subagh Kriya and Qi Gong every AM. I say no a lot. I love sleep so much, at least 8 hours. I love it so much. I prioritize my friends and fam.

And your physical?

This is super tied into the mental for me so it bleeds over a bit. I don’t inject or laser or scalpel anything, but I buy whatever Gil tells me to. I go to White Rose Collective for hair and I really love a massage.

What do think is the most underrated part of wellness?

Slowing down.

And overrated?

Quick fixes—botox, GLP-1s (not medically prescribed), etc... No shade to anyone who does—I respect the hustle—I just think if you can, and most can, go the long route it’ll pay off in the long run.

Picture this: you wake up one morning and feel like shit. What’s your next move:

Go back to bed. If I can’t: shower, move, guzzle water, qi gong, somatic shaking, healthy breakfast, cry, voicenote a friend.

Give us your ride or die wellness products:

My bed. My bath. Gua sha. A whole bag of Epsom salts. Being single. Dogs.

and good outfits, I’d also add on her behalf

One thing you do everyday that makes you the most YOU version of yourself:

Voicenoting my best friends. Moving my body. Good sleep. Running my business.

Whose taste inspires you?!

Devyn, Kelly, and my Grandma.

Big thank you to Zoë Johnston for sharing this taste of her life with us. You can follow her on Instagram, read her Substack, and find her fridge favorites + more here.

Feel free to leave a comment or respond to this email with questions you want asked, people you want featured, or anything else that’s on your mind. Don’t be shy, I love hearing from you.