Flavor of Hands Fermentation and Koji 101 – Session #1. All times are EST (New York) Click on the Session # to go to the Zoom Link. You need to sign up with Zoom, a very easy thing to do.
- 4:00 to 4:30 PM – Opening Chef Ken Fornataro
- 4:30 to 5:00 – Chef Rick Porter Sowden
- 5:00 to 5:30 – Chef Dave Smoke-McCluskey
- 5: 30 to 6:00 – Marcus Im
You are invited. Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Also listed on Instagram here and MeetUp here. The Zoom links for all sessions are also listed there.
Using Microbes to Preserve/Ferment/Extend Food Resources
How Bacteria, fungus and other microbes can keep your food and drink safe and tasty. Also, how pickling, fermenting and kojifying food can help to use things that would otherwise not be edible such as beans, vegetables, and inexpensive meat or fish.
Chef Ken Fornataro has a vast knowledge of the science and techniques that all but disappeared with the industrialization of food. Ken’s knowledge of microbiology and rigorous methodology has helped him greatly in the kitchen where he employs koji and bacteria and enzymes to create tasty and nutritious food and beverages. He is currently the Executive Chef/CEO (pro bono) of https://Cultures.Group

All Koji isn’t Created Equal
Chef Rick Porter Sowden will offer a Koji 101 primer for professional Chefs, cooks, and hobbyists that believe they know koji.
Rick Porter Sowden is a Chef, Charcutier, Culinary Mycologist, and Food Technologist with Native Son Koji, a Native American owned and operated company. Native Son Koji designed, developed and adapted equipment for a modern, semi automated, in-house koji making process based on traditional standards & practices. The products and proprietary processes they developed and perfected are unique, as such, are not replicated anywhere else, in the world.

Sour Corn in the time of Corona
Chef Dave Smoke-McCluskey will talk about fermented corn. Obviously. Sofkee is a fermented corn drink or porridge (grits and mush). Typically consumed by indigenous peoples of the Southeast, and the loss of the tradition amongst the Haudenosaunee. I’ll talk a bit about how to make it, and the rediscovery of lost traditions amongst indigenous people.
Chef Dave Smoke-McCluskey is Executive Chef/Instructor/Co-Founder of Local Pop, Augusta Boucherie and Corn Mafia.
American Kimchi & Sohn-Mat – Making kimchi authentic to your self and environment
As a first-generation American, the exploration of authenticity is a life-long journey. What does it mean to be authentically Korean and American at the same time? Food, locality, and wild fermentation allows for the bubbly celebration of our cultures. There is as authentic American kimchi as Korean.
A Korean concept called “sohn-mat” literally translates to “flavor of hands”. It’s used colloquially to compliment a chef for their oustanding cooking, but traditionally, it carries a connotation encouraging the use of your hands. The wisdom of “sohn-mat” especially rings true in kimchi making, where the maker’s unique touch becomes their signature.
Marcus Im is a Korean-American fermentation fanatic, teacher, and writer currently in Brooklyn.
Check out our new videos:
- Cultured & Cured Sessions May 3, 2020
- Bone and Meat Scrap Koji
- Sourdough Bread Koji and It’s Uses
- Cilantro and Mustard Seed Pickle
- Koji Thermodynamics and Principles
- Making Koji and Controlling Water
- The Kimchi Method
- Cranberry and Maple Kefir
- Kojify All The Things
Contact us through the following means, or join our MeetUp or Facebook group. All these meetings are listed at out MeetUp page.