Anastasia's Alchemy: Fancy Peasant's Passionate Pursuit of Love and Legacy Through Olive Oil
The actress, founder of Fancy Peasant olive oil and mom to three boys shares the beauty of what lies beneath.
photography by Sarra Fleur Abou-El-Haj. styling, art direction + words by Nicole Fasolino
She’s a lot, but in a way that leaves you wanting more. Her hair, her voice, her passions, her brand, her stories, her lips, and above all, her love - oh, man, her love. Anastasia is all fucking love.
“When I say I’m obsessed with working and creating for Fancy Peasant, it’s an understatement,” Anastasia begins. “When I love something - or someone - I love hard; when I go, I go real fucking hard. Before starting Fancy Peasant, I was living in Hollywood and a total slave to acting. But this is another level of work because of the nature of creating a brand of my own, it’s a piece of me and a piece of my family that will last generations.”
“Fancy Peasant is a world of its own. It’s olive oil you want to cook with, and after a few drinks, pour all over your lover.”
I first came across Anastasia’s instagram a few years ago and, if I remember correctly, It was her bombshell vibe that initially drew me in, but it was the marketing of her Greek olive oil brand, Fancy Peasant, that kept me coming back for more. And more, and more. Through a thoughtfully curated lens, combining her background as an actress, her Greek heritage, her passion for health, wellness and cooking, Fancy Peasant is a world of its own. It’s sexy, it’s fun, it’s educational and it’s attainable. It’s olive oil you want to cook with, and after a few drinks, pour all over your lover.
“What I do now marries every single thing I'm addicted to - I get to act, create my own creative content, connect with people, feed people - how lucky? And it all happened by chance - I got into the olive oil business by accident. There was no plan to ever do anything like this, but my dad has been the shining star behind Fancy Peasant since the start. He was a refugee, tough, a fighter, like me. He had this mentality that nothing was impossible, that attitude came with him never giving me his approval. Days before he died I told him I was creating a cookbook with all the peasant recipes from his village, but a fancy version. He looked at me, for the first time ever and said, ‘That’s brilliant.’”
“Mealtime can be painful for people who used to have another person they cooked for and ate with, it was transformative to connect with strangers from all over the world, people who felt what I felt, healing together, all of it happening over food and cooking.”
Here’s the thing about Anastasia, she rarely takes a breath, rarely takes a beat; she’s on go mode at all times. Yet, it was at this point in the conversation, she halted. For a moment, I thought I had lost her; however, she instead shifted gears, slowing down to articulate her thoughts with precision, as though her father was guiding her. “After he passed it was clear what my life purpose was. At first I was inconsolable, dark, depressed, and lonely. No one around me had lost a parent, so it felt like no one could understand me. But I had one person, Maria, she would tell me there was no time to be depressed, that I had to get out of bed, to make one recipe each day. Maria would remind me how I told my dad I would do this and I couldn't let him down. So I got up and I would get lost in the cooking, it was the only time my mind wasn't solely with my dad, it was with his village, his legacy. That’s when everything shifted, I started talking about all of those things with my followers, and this season of loss and grief started to resonate with others. Mealtime can be painful for people who used to have another person they cooked for and ate with, it was transformative to connect with strangers from all over the world, people who felt what I felt, healing together, all of it happening over food and cooking.”
As a full time working mother myself, I know how complicated and exhausting the balance of motherhood, career and social responsibilities can be. Somehow Anastasia truly manages a balance, “My husband is it, he is fucking everything and more. He’s got me, I’ve got him. Together we’ve got the boys.” With sons aged ten, seven, and three all racing in different directions, there must be a secret to maintaining order, right? “I’m quite militant with them, they thrive on boundaries so it’s important to be firm. More importantly, I’ve learned to become accountable for my behavior and actions. Just as much as work makes me feel alive, it also drains me and I can take that out on my kids at times. So I learned to have a full-on apology moment, which is key, it’s teaching them to do the same, to know it’s ok to make mistakes and own them.”
“My first son, who plays about 30 hours of soccer a week, teaches me a lot about discipline, a lot about failing and falling and getting back up and about having a good attitude about it.”
“The love and the lessons I’m learning from being a mother are my greatest lessons. These kids have taught me patience and unconditional love. You think you know everything and that you’ve experienced your whole life, then you have a child, there's a whole other set of emotions that come out of you. My first son, who plays about 30 hours of soccer a week, teaches me a lot about discipline, a lot about failing and falling and getting back up and about having a good attitude about it. Even if you feel tired, or you don't want to do something, he’s taught me to get up and keep going.” It’s no wonder her name, which was her great grandmothers name, comes from the Greek word anastasis, which translates to "standing up again" or "re-raising" - something she’s brilliantly done her whole life.
As a friend, collaborator and admirer of this stunning woman, my greatest realization after each interaction with Anastasia is that she is not simply moving through her daily routine or selling a product; she’s sharing an experience, inviting everyone to savor the richness of life. To live and appreciate life, at top gear alongside her. And I’m so in for the ride.
Hair and makeup on Anastasia was done by Agata Helena Zmudka using Danessa Myricks Beauty, Koh gen do Moisture Foundation and hair using SEVEN haircare.
Please follow Anastasia and Fancy Peasant on Instagram here.
Photography by Sarra Fleur Abou-El-Haj.
Art Direction, styling and text by Nicole Fasolino.
Shop Anastasia’s look HERE.
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