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Saya Hillman knows how hard it can be to make friends as an adult — and she’s built a business around making it easier.
The Backstory
Saya wasn’t always a great connector. She describes her younger self as timid and without any friends.
- “I was a sixth grader standing in the cafeteria, unsure where to sit, self-consciously holding my tray, looking around for a friendly face…” Saya said. “I witness adults still waiting for that ‘Oh, thank god’ wave over — so I decided to become the wave.”
Saya started Mac & Cheese Productions while living in Chicago in 2004, pioneering community-building concepts like adult summer camp and co-working before they became trendy.
Last July, Saya and her husband moved to Winston-Salem, bringing Mac & Cheese Productions along with them!
What Is Mac & Cheese Productions?
Saya describes it as a “lifestyle business that helps people find fulfillment, ease, and connection to others, to opportunities, and to themselves.” In practice, that means events built around low-pressure ways to meet people, including:
- Speed-Friending | Make new friends, speed-dating style
- Idea Potluck | Show-and-tell for adults
- Comfy Club | Work on a personal project alongside fellow crafters
Why It Matters
For Saya, Mac & Cheese isn’t really about the events themselves. It’s about what happens after.
- “I’m most proud of the lasting connections,” Saya said. “I have too many friendships and clients to count that sprouted from Mac & Cheese five, ten, fifteen years ago.”
Now that she’s calling Winston-Salem home, Saya hopes to help build that same kind of connection here.
