After receiving her degree in Culinary Arts at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Hearst opened her first restaurant, Sorella, at the age of 21 with former schoolmate and best friend, Sarah Krathen. Shortly after opening, the restaurant received 4 stars from NYMAG along with countless other glowing reviews from The New Yorker, NY Times, Thrillist, Gotham Magazine, and Zagat to name a few. 

From there, Hearst was invited to cook at the famous James Beard House and would later become a semifinalist for a James Beard Award. During her years in NYC, she received many accolades in the food industry such as Zagat’s 30 under 30, Forbes 30 under 30, and Star Chefs. She was a featured chef in the James Beard award-winning book, Notes From A Kitchen, and also appeared on multiple TV shows; most notably Iron Chef, where she made history as the youngest contestant to ever compete on the show