The Fermentation School

Meet Your Teachers

Creator bios

Hi, I'm Kirsten and I ferment things. I began fermenting on our 40-acres small holding of wooded hillside on unceded Takelma territory over 2 decades ago. I didn't have the language to say that was what I was doing, I just taught myself to preserve everything that we grew. I didn't have a clue or the internet but I had plenty of passion and idealism to figure out how it was done "old school" and maybe, most importantly, I had nobody that told me I couldn't do this. My passion for food systems has been with me for over 3 decades and at some point, the two collided and as my responsibilities to raising children waned. I found myself sharing the passion and joy of working with microbes to create delicious healthy food first locally then globally. In this desire to see everyone have access to fermentation I've co-written (with my husband Christopher) the books Fermented Vegetables, Fiery Ferments, Miso, Tempeh, Natto and Other Tasty Ferments, The Big Book of Cidermaking and Homebrewed Vinegar. I have a lot of great fails. I think working with tempeh has given me the most humility as I've learned to push it past soy beans. The most expensive fail was the 30 gallons of sauerkraut that was fine in all ways except the texture--which was spreadable like butter. There is no market for spreadable kraut--yet. I am delighted to be able to share what I know with you here. Feel free to reach out through this platform or at [email protected].

Meet Your Teachers

Creator bios

Jori Jayne Emde is a chef, fermentationist and alchemist. Jori practices her unique process of whole utilization: maximizing the yield from each ingredient through the processes of fermentation, preservation, and extraction. An Austin, TX native, Jori completed an associate degree in culinary arts from Le Cordon Bleu in 2002 before immediately moving to New York City. She promptly worked her way into the kitchen at Lupa Osteria Romana, where she was the first female to ever work the pasta station in any of the then Batali/Bastianich establishments. From Lupa, Jori transferred to another Batali/Bastianich property, Esca, where she honed her skills and cultivated her passion for working with fresh fish. In 2004, Jori left the Batali/Bastianich empire and started working with Zakary Pelaccio at 5 Ninth Restaurant and then continued on to Fatty Crab. Working with Zak refined her palate and knowledge further, as she absorbed the techniques and flavors heavily influenced by the Southeast Asian cuisines that Zak mastered while living in Thailand and Malaysia. In 2011, Jori and Zak moved to the Hudson Valley and renovated a 150-year-old carriage house that became the widely acclaimed and award-winning restaurant Fish & Game. She was Co-Chef and responsible for the restaurant's impressive larder of ferments and preserves, both sweet and savory. In 2018, Jori presented at Yale University for a Fermentation Intensive put on by Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking. In 2019 Fish & Game was listed in Esquire's 40 Most Important Restaurants of the Decade. In 2020, Fish & Game closed and Jori and Zak moved to Taos, New Mexico, where she launched a comprehensive online fermentation school that she merged with the female owned and operated The Fermentation School. Jori is a member of Psychedelic Support and has a certificate in Understanding Psilocybin: Effects, Neurobiology, and Therapeutic Approaches. She also has an accredited certification on Medicinal Plants from Cornell University, and holds many certificates from Alchemy Guild. Currently Jori is running her natural wine bar, Corner Office, in Taos, NM which received Esquire’s 50 Best New Restaurants in 2023.