Vanna White’s Son Nikko Says His Mom Helped Him Navigate the ‘Shocking Moments’ After His Viral Cooking Video

“The biggest lesson that I’ve learned from her is be yourself. Be authentic, and speak your truth, and then just be ready for anything,” Nikko Santo Pietro tells PEOPLE of his mom Vanna White

It’s been 10 months since Vanna White’s son Nikko Santo Pietro caught social media’s attention with a spontaneous Instagram post of him cooking white wine chicken thighs (it’s a family recipe) in what he admits was a “tight white shirt” alongside his mom in December 2024 — but the Los Angeles-based real estate agent, 31, is still riding the high.

“That was really . . . I enjoyed it,” Nikko laughs to PEOPLE in our first-ever Generations issue, on newsstands Friday.

The Wheel of Fortune co-host, 68, says they filmed the video “just for fun because he loves to cook, and I love to eat his food.”

The fact that the clip went viral—with more than 31,000 likes to date—and resulted in a press tour for the pair “just blew me away,” adds White, who also shares a daughter, Gigi, 28, with ex-husband George Santo Pietro. “It made me feel good too because people got to see my home life and meet Nikko—the real him.”

That small glimpse into their family earned Nikko nearly 24,000 Instagram followers, which he says has “been great” for his business. (He now shares real estate content with some cooking videos mixed in.)

Vanna White and son Nikko Santo Pietro.Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

For more from Vanna White and her son Nikko Santo Pietro, plus more famous families, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.   

The experience also brought the mother and son closer. “The biggest lesson that I’ve learned from her is be yourself. Be authentic, and speak your truth, and then just be ready for anything,” says Nikko.

She’s also helping him maneuver the “shocking moments” that come along with fame—like “walking into the grocery store and people saying my name and shaking my hand.”

When he’s not at work or cooking, he enjoys spending time in his mom’s garden, where “he has planted so many seeds that have turned into trees,” White says proudly.

“We’ll go out and pick the fruit that he planted and go in the backyard and eat one of the fruits. We love to do a lot of homey stuff together more than anything,” she adds.

Nikko Santo Pietro.Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty

With Nikko’s new heartthrob status comes questions about his love life. Specifically, is he single? “I am seeing someone,” he says. “We started dating somewhat recently, but I would say things are moving into the direction of me having a girlfriend.” Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Celebrity Wheel of Fortune returns on Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights (check local listings) and is available to stream the next day on Peacock and Hulu.