Community Highlights: Meet Nicolette Maio of Nico’s Wild Kitchen

I began cooking for myself when I became vegan in 2016. A college friend inspired me to eat vegan when I was in the environmental club at Pace University. He brought me to sit in on a class that changed my life, “Food Revolution,” which became a class I attended frequently even though I wasn’t getting credit for it. Our teacher, Tracy Basile, helped guide my path by introducing me to permaculture. I’ve always felt drawn to nature and the peacefulness it provides. Permaculture principles; people care, fair share & earth care, gave me a new way of conceptualizing systems we can observe, create, and live in optimally. I attended a permaculture design course with Keith Morris at Willow Crossing in Vermont. I learned how to observe and implement permaculture concepts and we ate really well… I was fascinated by the chef’s intentional cooking. This lead me to explore the culinary world further and I traveled to Mallorca, Spain to attend the Vegan Gastronomy culinary academy.

Honoring the seasons and plants in one place has been something that has greatly inspired me. Tennessee has such an abundance of plant diversity to learn from and work with. It became my focus to reconnect with old ways of cooking including techniques and working with unique foods to remind us how delicious and nutritious wild foods can be, like American persimmons, shagbark hickory nuts and bark, spicebush berries, paw fruits, ramps, wild mushrooms & more. The seasonal wild foods really inspire my creativity and menus.

When I first moved to Tennessee in 2019, I curated the event called the Food Forest Adventure with master forager and permaculturist, Ande Shewe, which brought people out to Ashland City, TN to learn about wild foods and experience them through meals I put together. Ande taught me a lot about how to identify and utilize certain ingredients, I am forever grateful for the knowledge he instilled in me.

I began homesteading in 2022 with my partner, Will Halsey, which led to a deeper exploration of working with plants, preservation techniques, living off of the land, and hosting/curating farm-to-table events. The support and inspiration from all my teachers, friends, and partner is what birthed Nico’s Wild Kitchen.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This path has been pretty magical. When I came to Tennessee, it didn’t cross my mind that I would become a private chef, it found me!

I’ve been blessed with amazing people along the way helping me to grow into the next phase of my offerings. I’ve always trusted the process even when I wasn’t sure what was coming next. Most recently I worked with Mobile Macro Meals for about a year which helped me learn about the energetics of food, seasonal diets from the perspective of yin and yang, and how to execute cooking meals for 15-25 people twice a week.

I loved being a part of the meal delivery service, but it was time for me to transition into doing more for my own thing. I realized how important it was for me to have a connection with the people I am cooking for, I am a people person and cooking is one of my love languages. Being able to talk with my clients and develop menus for their personal preferences, whether it is for a family dinner, a retreat, or another kind of gathering, I truly enjoy working one-on-one with people.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Nico’s Wild Kitchen?
I am a private chef for families & individuals who prefer locally sourced seasonal foods. I expanded to include meat on my menus as I have gained a deeper appreciation of the role animal husbandry plays on the homestead. I specialize in seasonal meals that are able to be adapted to any dietary preference. I meal prep family-style dinners, cook on-site or travel for retreats and vacations.

When cooking for small events I love being able to introduce people to new ingredients or new ways to utilize ones they already know. My artisanal sunflower seed cheese is truly a unique experience that appeals to cheese lovers and vegans alike. Cooking and creating in the kitchen is an art form and I love being able to share it with people.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is being in the kitchen with my family.

We would help our Mom make brownies, cookies, and banana bread while blasting good music. I would wear my chef hat and apron and we all laughed so much together. She’d let us lick the bowl at the end which we attacked like little savages. My two younger sisters and I had a game like the show “Chopped” where we would make crazy concoctions and our Dad would be bold enough to taste them all and be our judge.

Pricing:

• Artisanal Plant-Based Cheese Wheels, $13 each or $33 for 3 (one of each flavor).

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nicoswildkitchen.com
• Instagram: @nicos.wild.kitchen
• Email: [email protected]