Meet Nicolette Maio | Farmer, Forager & Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicolette Maio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicolette, what matters most to you?
The foundation of Nico’s Wild Kitchen rests in honoring nature and the seasons. As a farmer, forager and chef, I work in rhythm of the seasons. I believe that connecting to seasonal foods is a way to become more insync with the environment we live in. I believe whatever foods are growing in abundance each season, whether in the forest or field, will best support our body’s health during those times. This creates a sense of self sufficiency to be able to care for your body with what is on your plate. As a chef, I am able to support other local farmers and it feels good to me to support the local economy. The people I cook for also value these same principles of local, seasonal food for optimal health.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I host events, provide meal prep and catering services as well as teach workshops about preservation, fermentation and many other topics related to living off the land. I love working in this niche because I can be a conduit for people to connect to themselves and the environment through food, foraging and different cooking/preserving techniques. My curiosity about herbalism and the old ways is what has guided me towards this work. I look at first nation people and how they lived off the land and prepared foods/herbs that grow wild such as; shagbark hickory nuts, persimmons, sassafras & spicebush. I get inspired by foraged food as an instrument to spice something up that is grown in the field, to build a bridge between the wild and the cultivated. I make vegan cheese with sunflower seeds and local cabbage (whenever possible) and feature wild-foraged herbs in each wheel to inspire people to try something new.

I love to read and learn, but the best teacher for me is to experience, so having a lot of opportunities to observe nature, work with plants and cook for people has given me the skills to be able to make it my life’s work. It was not easy, but I kept following the values that are dear to me and I’ve finally landed on the path I’ve always dreamed of. I believe that our internal compass of what lights us up is our best guide.

Nico’s Wild Kitchen became the name of my services after providing food for workshops and farm-to-table music events at our homestead in Ashland, City, TN. My services keep getting refined. We offered an intimate, 5-course forest-side dinner with a harp player September 2023, which was a dream come true. We will be curating more over the fire cooking for future events, so stay tuned! I enjoy meal prepping for families, new mothers, cooking for retreats, catering small events and hope to meet more people who share the same values as my business expands.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If we were hanging in the city I would take them to dinner at Husk one night and probably for brunch another day! We would go to The Fox cocktail lounge for some elaborate drinks and charcuterie, then go to Butcher and Bee for dinner. Definitely would go to Flamingo for a fun night dancing or live music. I love Tempered Fine Chocolates and have been wanting to check out their Absinthe Bar in the evenings so I’d probably take them to go check that out. Harding House Brewing Co. is a special place that features locally sourced ingredients so we’d definitely have to go there. Honey Tree Meadery has delicious mead and a great vibe, love all the people who work there and right across the street is The Basement East which usually has great live music! Of course I would give them a tour of the homestead and get them pickin, plantin, harvesting and cooking with me! I might take them to some of my favorite nature spots, which are a little road trip away, but always worth it- Machine Falls, Fall Creek Falls or Burgess Falls!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mother supported me in a way I could never repay her! Completely unfulfilled by my college experience, I left after the second year to “create my own curriculum” that my mother supported in lieu of a traditional school experience. I completed an intense yoga teacher certification program, a permaculture design course, a health coach certification and attended a vegan culinary school in Spain- all of which shaped me at an important time of self discovery. My family members are great supporters and continue to cheer me on, especially my sisters and grandparents who are very happy I will cook meat now too (if it’s local and raised right!). One of my grandmothers had grown up on her grandmother’s homestead in Pennsylvania. She always tells me that she is so happy I am living a lifestyle similar to that. She said she never got sick when she lived there, played outside, and ate homegrown foods her grandmother cooked with and put up for the winter. Occasionally she would have to return to the Bronx, NY and would get sick multiple times a year! This proves to me how important it is to eat seasonal, local foods and be outside. Shout out to my partner, Will Halsey, who opened up his homestead to me and continuously supports my dreams to keep coming true. Lastly, shout out to all of my teachers along the way that have instilled wisdom, knowledge & inspiration! So much gratitude!

Website: www.nicoswildkitchen.com

Instagram: @nicos.wild.kitchen

Other: Email: [email protected]