Landing On Oprah’s Favorite Things List Sent This Scrappy Entrepreneur Into Hyperdrive

Social media superstar Linda Miller Nicholson — aka Salty Seattle — successfully launched a pasta company after securing a spot on the ultimate tastemaker’s must-try holiday list this fall. Of course, there’s a heart-tugging backstory.

A fateful request

Nicholson’s rise from sassy social media superstar to pasta pro making appearances on national TV began way back when she was a kid growing up in rural Idaho. “My grandparents taught me to make pasta,” she said in a recent phone interview. “It became a lifelong obsession.”

That obsession took a colorful turn a few years ago when she began adding veggies to her pasta preparations, a sneaky way to get her kiddo to eat more of the nutritional rainbow. That rainbow, of course, also symbolizes the love is love world vision Nicholson strongly supports.

Scroll through her entertaining Instagram feed and you’ll find dozens of examples of clever creations to celebrate all sorts of occasions. When an adorable shot of dinosaur ravioli went viral last year, prompting inquires on where to purchase these gems, Nicholson replied: “I offer pasta workshop experiences, pasta dough kits and my book, Pasta, Pretty Please. I do not ship pasta itself due to perishability and fragility.”

That all changed after Oprah’s team came calling.

While grieving her father’s passing

Nicholson’s living-the-dream summer was jolted by harsh reality with the horrifying news her father had been in a serious cycling accident. She shared the heartbreaking updates on social and received an outpouring of sympathy and support. Edward Alan Miller, 75, died July 5.

While devastated, Nicholson somehow turned her attention to submitting some pasta she’d been working on when she received a request for holiday gift ideas from Oprah’s team. “I was at a super low point in my life, not doing well at all. But I kept hearing my dad’s voice asking how’s that internet pasta thing going?”

Weeks passed and she heard nothing. “Then in late September, I found out I made the list,” she said. “They asked me to send 10 boxes the next day.”

Only one issue and it was a doozy: She didn’t have a final product ready. She had six and a half weeks to find a production facility, trademark the name, develop packaging and get ready to launch. “It’s safe to say I didn’t sleep for those six and a half weeks,” she said. “There were so many times I didn’t think it was actually going to happen.”

Through sheer force of will and a few lucky breaks, Crocchi landed on time. It was featured on Oprah Daily’s Holiday Foodie Gifts with this glowing description: “There’s no law that says classic Italian flavors can’t be mixed with the whimsy of modern cooking. For a fun spin on a pasta dinner that will delight the kids’ table as much as the adults, try these rainbow “crocchi”—gnocchi shaped like little croissants made from dough in every color of the rainbow. To let the vibrant colors take center stage, simply toss them in good olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper.”

The colorful hand-crafted creation ships frozen and is available on Amazon, as well as on Salty Seattle’s site.

For serving at a festive holiday gathering, Team Oprah suggests: “Keep table decorations simple and seasonal. A neat row of pine cones running across the table looks elegantly minimal, and a bright red poinsettia is pretty enough to serve as a centerpiece all on its own.”

It’s been a wild whirlwind, but the process has been healing for Nicholson, especially when connecting with others who’ve gone through similar experiences.

“I’m still feeling it, the grief trickles in, I try to make space for it,” she said. “The whole thing has made me realize and acknowledge how fleeting it all is. You can deny it or embrace it and rise to the occasion.”

Yes, and well done.

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