Press & Media
Nicole Russo: Chef, Homesteader, Farmer, Content Creator, and Antique Collector
On July 4, 2025, Nicole Russo, 37, stepped into what she thought would be a friendly neighborhood gathering in Gate City, Virginia, eager to meet new people in her new town. She had been invited by the mother of her son’s best friend and brought a carefully prepared antipasto salad, made with fresh vegetables from her garden and homemade mozzarella, arranged beautifully as a gesture of goodwill. After she arrived, she was told, “It’s not a party—it’s a gathering of people who know each other,” and that she wasn’t welcome. The experience, shared later on TikTok, quickly went viral, drawing over 40 million views and sparking nationwide conversation. Amid the humiliation and confusion, Nicole found a renewed sense of resilience and optimism—a perspective she now shares alongside her culinary creations and herbal remedies.
Nicole Russo is the founder of Wonderlost Homestead and Folk Medicine and Remedies, where she shares her love for farm-to-table living, herbal remedies, and creative homesteading.
Nicole’s journey to Gate City began in September 2024, when she and her family moved from Brandon, Vermont. Seeking fertile soil and a climate better suited to her organic farm, she brought her farm-to-table ventures and her creative energy to this small rural town. Alongside her farming and culinary work, she runs a small antique business and produces daily content on social media, blending gardening, cooking, and homesteading.
Born in Cambridge, New York, Nicole grew up in a family of chefs. Her parents, Nancy and Anthony Russo, owned several Italian restaurants and pizzerias, and she learned to cook, preserve, and garden from the strong Sicilian women in her family. Nicole became financially independent by 16, navigated the challenges of early motherhood, and ultimately built a career in hospitality, including opening her first restaurant in 2018. Personal setbacks—including the COVID-19 pandemic and a difficult first marriage—did not deter her drive.
Nicole originally trained in barbering and cosmetology but returned to her passion for cooking and homesteading. Meeting her now-husband Chris in 2020 provided the encouragement and support she needed to focus fully on her homestead, social media presence, and herbalist work. Her products, from baked goods to herbal remedies and pizza doughs, gained local popularity and inspired her to expand her reach.
Choosing Gate City on a whim, Nicole describes her new property as “an old, beautiful farm I had dreamed of before ever seeing it,” where she now pursues her dream of independent work and creative entrepreneurship.
While the viral TikTok brought widespread attention, it also attracted local hostility. Nicole and her family experienced harassment, threats, and trespassing, which has led them to reconsider the possibility of seeking a new community. Despite these challenges, Nicole reflects on the experience with gratitude: “I learned that everyone shares the fear of rejection, but the support I received reminded me how connected we all are. It’s inspired me to keep sharing my work and my story, and to offer encouragement to others in similar situations.”
Today, Nicole continues to share her culinary creations, herbal remedies, and homestead lifestyle, blending personal story with creative entrepreneurship to inspire resilience, community, and connection.
August 26, 2025
Nicole's Interview with GIRLTALKHQ Magazine:
August 19, 2025
Nicole appeared on WATE 6 News Living East Tennessee with host Amber Lynn Carroll, where she prepared her famous antipasto salad.
