Andrew is owner and head brewer of North American Sake Brewery based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Andrew first fell in love with sake on a trip to Japan where he was exposed to high quality for the first time. He made it a hobby to seek out new styles and varieties of sake and this sent Andrew down a rabbit hole of research into the art of sake brewing. Koji was the first thing that completely arrested his attention, the aroma and flavor that came from growing this incredible mold enthralled him. He traveled the country and to Japan to learn more about this craft and eventually led to opening North American Sake Brewery in the fall of 2018. The first and only sake brewery in Virginia, NAS serves freshly brewed sake to hundreds of people weekly and he spends his days brewing and evangelizing his love of the ancient beverage. @northamericansake, www.pourmeone.com, @sakeassociation, https://sakeassociation.org/

Connie learned the art of fermentation from different teachers from Thailand, Japan, Korea and Canada. She has traveled extensively around the world to explore fermentation cultures. Her favorite fermented foods are Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, and her home country of Malaysia.

The fermented foods of these regions are mostly funky, bizarre and ‘crazy’. She is accustomed to the above because of her growing-up as a Straits-born-Chinese ‘Peranakans’ in Malaysia. (The term “Peranakan” generally refers to a person of mixed Chinese and Malay/Indonesian heritage. Many Peranakans trace their origins to 15th-century Malacca, where their ancestors were thought to be Chinese traders who married local women).

In Straits-born kitchens, housewives and servants whipped up meals that were rooted in the geography, history and traditional ingredients of Island Southeast Asia.

While observing most of her late father’s cooking by adding some bizarre and funky ‘fermented’ seasonings and ingredients but made foods taste really good. She remembers so vividly what her late father used to say: ”The Smellier The Better”. She had no idea then however, she knows it now.

Her company, Crazy Asian Ferments offers classes about the funky, bizarre and crazy ferments that are available in these countries. @Crazy_Asian_Ferments_Official @Conniechew.lifestyletravel

Chef Vanika Choudhary has been at the forefront of the farm-to-table movement in India since she founded Sequel in 2016, and Noon in 2022. She is celebrated for her singular culinary philosophy which blends thoughtfully-sourced indigenous produce and traditional cooking methods to create Indian and global flavors.

Vanika is inspired by her childhood spent in Jammu & Kashmir, India’s agricultural and cooking heritage, and modern living. Her greatest joy is in treating ingredients the right way, experimenting with their flavors and potential to create delicious food that delights and nourishes the diner and constantly reimagining Indian food by using age-old mold to transform the flavors of hyper local and seasonal ingredients.

Through Sequel, a chain of bistros in Mumbai, Noon, an ingredient-driven restaurant in BKC, Mumbai, & her upcoming book, Preserve, she aims to share the pillars and core beliefs of her food philosophy: Foraging & Finding the Best Produce, Fermentation, Preserving Ingredients & Recipes, Ancient Food Traditions & Traditional Techniques. @choudharyvan @noonmumbai @sequelmumbai

Eric grew up in Arlington MA and graduated from Connecticut College in 2019 with a degree in Environmental Studies and International Relations. Eric became interested in regenerative agriculture when he was introduced to the school's campus Garden, SPROUT, his freshman year. Eric has experience in farm based education and farm management from his prior work at SPROUT and Green City Growers, an urban agriculture company based in Somerville MA. Some of Eric’s favorite things to grow are carrots, lettuce, and eggplants. One of his favorite meals to cook is eggplant parmesan because it reminds him of community dinners at SPROUT. Eric is looking forward to teaching more people about where their food comes from and creating some tasty recipes in the process. In his free time, Eric can be found gardening at home, snowboarding and longboarding, kayaking, or playing guitar. @yellowfarmct Yellow Farmhouse Education Center

“Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale is the owner and founder of The Koji Club, a sake bar. The Koji Club is dedicated to celebrating, learning about, and advocating for Japanese sake. Our mission is to reframe Japanese sake from an esoteric sushi companion to an approachable, everyday beverage choice through delicious bottles, nontraditional partnerships, unique learning experiences and Boston’s first sake bar.” @the.koji.club_ @alyssamikiko

Christopher Feran is an independent coffee industry consultant, green coffee buyer and roaster who works with coffee companies and growers across the world. He has years of experience helping startups and established companies in the Midwest, California and New York City as well as exporters and coffee growers in producing countries like Guatemala, Colombia and Ethiopia. Christopher Feran @christopherferan

Ken Fornataro is an experienced chef, researcher, educator, baker, and activist. Still in his teens in the 70s, he was named Executive Chef at The Hermitage restaurant in Boston, specializing in Imperial Russian and regional cuisines of the then USSR. From there, he worked at prestigious and often private establishments around the world with Julia Child, Michel Guérard, Anthony Bourdain, and many other influential chefs who shared their knowledge of traditional Japanese, French, Jewish, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Russian, Indian, whole food cooking, preservation and fermentation techniques. Ken also ran both the kitchen and catering services for Troutbeck in upstate New York, using locally grown and sustainably sourced ingredients in the 1980s. At Bloomingdale's flagship store in Manhattan, he ran the Fresh Foods department kitchens that included a line of his own prepared, preserved and fermented foods. Since 2010 he has led Cultures.Group as the CEO/Executive Chef in a pro bono capacity. Cultures.Group uses fire, sun, water, cold and microbes such as Rhizopus, Aspergillus, and Mucor, as well as yeasts and bacteria in traditional and novel ways to create pickles, miso, amino pastes, tamari, shoyu, cheese, fish sauce, amazake, rice wine, milk kefir, kimchis, garums, sourdough or unique yeasted breads, vinegar, and mirin. @cultures.group Cultures.Group Vimeo

Dr. Maya Hey is a researcher at the Centre for the Social Study of Microbes in Helsinki, Finland. She studies fermentation as a way to theorize how humans and microbes can continue living together without our narrative falling into a zero-sum trap. In her latest work, she calls upon feminist and non-Western thought to focus on ferments and microbiomes. Her work experience spans chemistry labs, culinary kitchens, organic farms, and food markets, where she has cumulatively garnered over 15 years of experience facilitating discussions around contemporary food and health issues. She holds degrees in dietetics, food studies, and communications. Maya Hey @heymayahey

Yi-Cheng Hsieh (Ozzy) is the third-generation black soybean sauce brewer of “Yu-Ding-Shing”, Taiwan. He is also the founder and chef of “Future Dining Table”, a series of food events connecting local farmers and consumers with vegetarian/plant-based cuisine, using Yu-Ding-Shing’s artisanal black soybean sauce. Besides promoting black soybean sauce brewing culture of Xiluo, Taiwan, Future Dining Table aims to introduce the terroir of Yunlin county (Midsouth Taiwan), inviting experts from different fields to lead discussions about agriculture, placemaking, and regional revitalization. The ultimate goal is to make Taiwanese black soybean sauce worldwide. Yu-Ding-Shing

“is a chef and food theorist working at the intersection of history, culture, and technology. He was the chef at The Museum of Food and Drink and lectured at Parsons School of Design on Food Design, technology, and theory. He is currently teaching Food Theory at university in Barcelona, and running an R&D lab" @johns_food_theory

Euka Isawa started the export of sake from her family's brewery "Katsuyama" from New York at the age of 21, and is currently in charge overseas. Katsuyama brewery currently exports to 25 countries, with about 40% of its sales coming from overseas. She is an international sake sommelier and has completed a technical executive course for sake brewing. With a background in chemistry, she has also started her own company, “MiCURA” the world's first and only brand of sake home brewing kit that realizes authentic sake homebrewing easy and simple, which she developed and sells overseas. She is trilingual in Japanese, English, and Chinese and since 2021, she has also been teaching a sake brewing class at Chang Gung University, a science university in Taiwan. @eukaisawa

Andrew Jack is a private chef, food consultant, and fermentation specialist based in Madison, WI. He is also the owner and creator of a local brand of seasoning salt, Umami Salt. Growing up foraging and farming rural Wisconsin land, his focus is on preserving seasonal ingredients into sauces, seasonings, and novel food products. By bringing a sense of whimsy back into fine food, Jack channels avant-garde culinary experiences right alongside the homey comfort of picking one’s own produce. Beyond feeding hungry and intrigued eaters, Jack hopes to demystify the culinary process for folks who have no idea how their meals are really made. @ajjack_ Umami Salt

Memories of drinking her grandmother’s homebrewed makgeolli at the family farm in Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk, Korea, along with her growing fascination with Korean wild yeast fermentation, led Yong Ha Jeong to study the art of Korean sool-making. Yong Ha studied Korean brewing technology informed by the alchemy of nuruk, a coarsely ground grain fermentation starter containing wild microorganisms. After studying for years with Korea’s master brewers and distillers, she has returned home to Los Angeles to share the glories of time-tested, handcrafted Korean alcohol. Central to her practice is the collaborative co-creation with wild microorganisms in nuruk and the indigenization of Korean sool in Los Angeles. @Yonghabrews Yongha Brews

Nichole was born and raised in Rhode Island before moving to Mystic, Connecticut in 2012. She attended the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island School of Design and Salve Regina University where she received a degree in Interactive Communications Design/Media. Nichole, her husband, and two young children enjoy summer pool, boat and beach time and look forward to our Block Island family vacation each year. In the winter you can find her sitting by the fire with a good book or knitting/crocheting. She has been working for Yellow Farmhouse Education Center since the summer of 2022 in an Operations capacity and is passionate about helping the organization thrive in all aspects of its mission. @yellowfarmct Yellow Farmhouse Education Center

Alice Jun is the founder and brewer at Hana Makgeolli, the first domestic traditional Korean rice wine brewery based in Brooklyn, NY. Alice is a champion for authentic Korean food and drink and started Hana Makgeolli as a passion project to deepen the discipline of home brewing handed down to her from her father. Since bringing Hana Makgeolli to market in September 2020, Alice continues to brew and educate others on the principle that traditionally made Korean sool has the depth - in its history, methodologies and flavor - to be a loved and respected category. Hana Makgeolli @hanamakgeolli

Sandor Ellix Katz is a fermentation revivalist. His books Wild Fermentation and the Art of Fermentation, along with the hundreds of fermentation workshops he has taught around the world, have helped to catalyze a broad revival of the fermentation arts. Sandor is the recipient of a James Beard award and other honors. @Sandorkraut

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Mara has spent her 20+ year career as a food professional learning, practicing and sharing knowledge around Good Food. In 2011 she co-founded Ozuké, a fermented foods company that distributes nationally in the US. In 2017 Mara helped to produce a series of short films on Southwestern Chinese fermentation practices with Sandor Katz and Mattia Sacco Botto and is currently working on a book about Chinese fermentation practices. In October of 2021 she joined IE Hospitality, an impact driven Colorado based restaurant group and grain mill, as Director of Fermentation. She is excited to infuse her passion for traditional arts to enliven and amplify the restaurant group's fermentation and zero waste programs. @zukemono

It all began for Caitlin Koether growing up in New England and experiencing its unique culture and cuisine. Caitlin graduated from Boston University and pursued a career as a chef, sparking an interest in food fermentation and preservation from a young age. Her experience grew when she first moved to San Francisco and worked under the mentorship of Cortney Burns at Bar Tartine. Following her time at Bar Tartine, she traveled and lived all over the world establishing and maintaining preservation programs in California at Tartine Manufactory, at Relae in Copenhagen and currently in Melbourne doing her own pop up series Wild Provisions. Driven by a love of food friendly microbes and genuine curiosity, she has crafted an extensive knowledge around the ancient art of preservation, sustainability and waste management. @Wild_Provisions_Fermentation @Lightly_Effervescent

Dr. Lee Yoon-hee is currently a Professor of Food and Nutrition at Hoseo University's Graduate School of Venture in South Korea. She began studying and educating others about Korean traditional liquor more than 12 years ago and is currently a representative of the Korea Brewing Research Institute Co., Ltd. The Korea Brewing Research Institute is an educational institution that educates guests and students about traditional liquor in Korea. The institute also receives a small liquor license from the government and produces takju, rice wine, barley soju, and sweet potato soju under the brand name “Yangjohakdang”. @Yangjohakdang Yangjohakdang

Meredith Leigh is a former farmer who currently works as a consultant, butcher, author and activist. For 20 years, she has used her expertise in land management, livestock, meat processing and fermentation to guide healing, re-skilling, systems thinking and community building to help people divest from the coercive food system. Her books are The Ethical Meat Handbook (MFK Fisher Award, 2015; IACP Cookbook Award 2021) and Pure Charcuterie. In addition to her consulting, she is co-founder of The Fermentation School, a partner in Carbon Harvest, and works as the Carbon Offsets Fellow for Second Nature. She lives on unceded Cherokee land in Asheville, NC with her partner and four children. @mereleighfood Meredith Leigh @thefermentationschool, The Fermentation School, @carbonharvest, Carbon Harvest

Arline Lyons is a sake educator and promoter and specialized translator/interpreter (Japanese to English) based in Zurich, Switzerland. Working in the sake industry inevitably led me to koji, its place at the root of Japanese food culture, and now its potential for use all over the world. Taste Translation @tastetranslation Twitter

Leslie Merinoff Kwasnieski is the co-founder and head of product development for Matchbook Distilling Co, in Greenport, NY. Matchbook Distilling Co. is an R+D facility dedicated to the production of spirits that champion agriculture, anthropology, tradition and science. Leslie dreamt up Matchbook so that she could work with a passionate, driven and inspired team that would coax spirits from the ground up, working with farms to grow agriculture for a more flavorful and diverse natural world, always championing the expression of that natural world and the creativity of the team, over repetition. Matchbook is going into its 5th year of production, and its 3rd year of releasing 2+ unique spirits each month. Leslie grew up spending summers volunteering at a community sustained agriculture farm on the East End of Long Island, which culminated in a full-time internship. After finishing school, she went on to work at global spirits house William Grant & Sons focusing on Sailor Jerry Rum before leaving to work at The Noble Experiment distillery. @matchbookdistilling @thebookofbam

Eleni Michael is a food anthropologist and experience designer with an international career in hospitality operations, fermentation practice and education. She holds a BSc. in International Hospitality and Tourism from the University of Surrey and the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, as well as an MA in Anthropology of Food from SOAS University of London. Her master’s dissertation was based on a multi-sited ethnography of the multisemic nature of koji, which she presented at KojiCon ‘22. Over the past year, Eleni has been ‘traveling through and with ferments’ around the world, designing interactive art installations and multisensory dining experiences, educational events and festivals, with fermentation as the catalyst for the future of food. Ever since, her research query on the globalization of koji has evolved to include the potential of fermentation in awakening human consciousness towards the more-than-human world. @elenimichl Eleni Michael

Yuichiro Murai is the 29th head of the family operating Kojiya Sanzaemon, a tane-koji (seed koji) manufacturer established in the 14th century.

After graduating from Keio University, he obtained an MBA in the US and MFA in Kyoto. As company president, he gives lectures to preserve the history and culture of Koji and to create a new Koji culture. @kojiyasanzaemon Kojiya Sanzaemon

Born in Tokyo, Hiraku studied fermentation as a research student at Tokyo University of Agriculture before starting his fermentation lab in Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture. His Temae miso no Uta (The Homemade Miso Song) won a Good Design Award 2014. He is the author of Fermentation Cultural Anthropology (Kirakusha Publishing), Fermentation Tourism Nippon (D&Department), and more. He served as director and curator of the Fermentation Tourism Nippon project all over Japan. He is also the owner of Fermentation Department, Tokyo, Shimokitazawa. Hakko Department @hirakuogura Twitter

Dawn Petter is a clinical herbalist and flower essence practitioner based in New York City. She is a graduate of Arbor Vitae School of Traditional Herbalism and is trained as a flower essence practitioner with Delta Gardens and Findhorn Essences. Dawn offers in depth health consults and custom formulated remedies to her clients. She teaches classes and retreats at corporations and institutions including, the NY, Brooklyn and Chicago Botanic Gardens, to name a few. Dawn is also the owner of Petalune Herbals which specializes in wild and organic herbal skincare. Her classes are imaginative, accessible, and encourage students to use herbal medicine in everyday life. Visit Petalune Herbals to learn more about her offerings. @petaluneherbals Facebook Twitter

Jennifer has over twenty years of experience building programs for museums, gardens and farms. Prior to relocating to Mystic, CT, Jennifer was the education director at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. She was also the Vice President of Children’s and Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden where she worked for nine years and was the education director and interim director of the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. Jennifer has degrees in environmental biology and museum studies. She lives in Mystic with her husband and three young children. Her favorite thing to cook is caramel apple crumble. @yellowfarmct Yellow Farmhouse Education Center

Being an eighth-generation member of the founding family of a tamari and miso brewery, fermentation has always been a part of Takashi Sato’s life. Founded in 1804 in Japan, San-J was established in 1978 in Virginia. In 1987, San-J built the first tamari brewery in the U.S. Today, as President of San-J, Takashi continues the exacting standards for brewing the world’s finest Tamari and now San-J has the largest market share in the soy sauce category of the US natural market. But his passion for fermentation doesn’t stop there. In Japan, many fermented foods breweries exist. Although each of them makes truly artisanal, quality products using their exceptional brewing skills, more and more breweries are faced with difficult situations where they can barely retain their business or worse, going out of business. Takashi has had great concerns that these breweries, their craftsmanship, and even Japanese fermentation culture will continue to be lost. Using his personal relationship with these brewers all over Japan, Takashi is working to set up a system in an effort to try to revive Japanese fermentation breweries. His work for this project can be found at @takashi_tamari Hakko Hub.

After initially studying Chemistry & Biology and gaining an understanding and appreciation of science, Robin Sherriff moved into the world of work. From park ranger to bike mechanic to line cook, bar manager, animal vaccine research, UK training manager for a fudge shop, site manager for a Victorian confectionery plant, brand rep for a whisky company and many, many more.

Eventually Robin came to study an MSc in Gastronomy where he learned systems theory and how it relates to food. Gaining a knowledge of food chains and the complex and obfuscated paths it takes to bring a meal to the table. Robin wrote his thesis on the philosophy of Japanese whisky in Kyoto. During this time, he learned about saké - and thus - koji. In 2020 he launched The Koji Kitchen in Edinburgh - a small koji producer.

Robin formed The Fermenters Guild UK at the beginning of 2021. He now offers workshops, talks, and consultation on fermentation techniques which allows him to not only discuss practical techniques, but the history, importance and inherently radical nature of alternative foodways, systems and food theory. @thekojikitchen @robinsherriff Koji Kitchen

Rich Shih, co-author of Koji Alchemy, is one of the key culinary explorers of mold-based fermentation in the United States. As a food preservation consultant, he helps chefs, cooks and artisans build their larders and leverage fermentation to decrease waste. He welcomes makers of all experience levels to learn, share knowledge, and exchange ideas through educational workshops and social media. In his spare time, Rich is collaborating with friends to find ways to help people realize their passions and become fulfilled on the journey of life. @ourcookquest OurCookQuest

Markus Shimizu was born in Japan, studied fine arts in the Hague and Berlin, practiced permaculture in the Amazon, and started fermenting food close to twenty years ago. While discovering the world of fermentation, Markus experienced first hand how simple ingredients such as soybeans and rice can develop highly complex and delicious flavors as miso or soy sauce. Due to popular demand, Markus opened a fermentation atelier based in Berlin called mimi in early 2018. He quickly began to supply many renowned restaurants in Germany and neighboring countries with miso, soy sauce and other fermented products. Markus has been featured in numerous publications, his products have been selected as the best in the category by prominent chefs and mimi has been selected as one of Germany’s best producers by Gault & Millau in 2022. @mimiferments Mimi Ferments @markusshimizu

Dr. Julia Skinner is author of Our Fermented Lives, on the global history of fermentation, and the founder of the fermentation and food history company Root. She is an award-winning culinary professional with an extensive background in food history research, which she uses to inform her practice in the kitchen and behind the computer. This melding of theory and practice allows her to unlock new understandings about the role of food in community building and personal enrichment, both in the past and the present day. She is also a teacher, visual artist, food writer, cultural heritage professional, and conducts research on libraries and culture. She pulls from all this experience (and more) to share her love of food and community. @RootKitchens @BookishJulia

Lucas is a passionate human and engineer. He was captivated by the artisan craft of sake brewing after many trips to Japan. Learning to scale from 1kg trays to 250kg tables, growing koji became an obsession. 15L sake batches became 3000L as he advanced from home-brewer to head-brewer at Wetlands Sake.

He is a moderator on the Internet Sake Discord, where he fosters an interactive learning environment and troubleshooting platform for brewers to help each other and hosts weekly calls with sake brewers from over 10 countries.

Lucas created BrewSake.org to help new brewers get started and existing brewers to improve their skills. Starting with the basics, he and a team of volunteer researchers are building a knowledge base to offer answers that are very difficult to find outside of Japan. @junmai_gaijinjo, Internet Sake Discord

Soirée-Leone is a teacher and writer focused on food preservation. She serves on several boards including The Fermentation Association, farmers’ markets, and other food-centric organizations, as well as Chinkapin Craftstead, a rural arts and land preservation organization. She lives and works from her 57-acre homestead in Middle Tennessee.

She grew up on an off-grid homestead in rural Maine in the 1970s. After 25 years in San Diego, California, she and her husband moved to rural Tennessee. She brings her background and experience as an urban homesteader to food preservation education. Her classes include in-depth explorations into cheesemaking, fermentation, and canning.

Historically, food preservation has been a seasonal activity to have food between seasons of abundance, stretch the food budget, and ride out tough times. Soirée-Leone approaches food preservation as a strategy to put delicious food on the table. @soireeleone Soirée-Leone

Jeremy Umansky is a chef/owner of Larder: A Curated Delicatessen & Bakery in Cleveland, Ohio, nominated by the James Beard Foundation as the Best New Restaurant in America in 2019. He has been featured in numerous publications like Bon Appetit and Saveur and was named “The Deli Prophet” by Food & Wine in the March 2019 Makers Issue. @larderdb @tmgastronaut

As professor of anthropology at Boston University, Merry Corky White focuses on Japan and on food studies. On her first trip to Japan, in 1963, just after graduation from Harvard College, she was immersed in the sensory experiences of Japanese food. From “me de taberu”, to the sounds of frying tempura and the textures of soft fresh o-tofu, to the tastes and aromas – everything was new, and everything, yes, even natto, was delicious.

Corky earned a doctorate in Japanese sociology at Harvard, where food studies had not yet become academically “legitimate.” Her work on coffee and social spaces in Japan, “Coffee Life in Japan”, was published in 2013 by the University of California Press, and in 2019 in Japanese, soon to be out in Chinese as well. She has also been narrator and guide on a Discovery Channel television program on Japanese food and has written many articles on other culinary themes. Corky’s research and writing focus on Japanese food workers - industrial, domestic and artisanal, will be published in the near future, and in 2023, “Ways of Eating, an anthropological/historical treatment of the world’s foods”, written together with her son, Benjamin Wurgaft, will be published by the University of California Press. Current research is on the Japanese whisky industry, featuring an ethnography of the Suntory Corporation. For Corky’s work in Japanese studies, in 2013, she was awarded Japan’s Imperial Honor, The Order of the Rising Sun. Merry Corky White

Irene Yoo is chef and creator of Yooeating, a Korean American food channel that explores Korean home cooking, street food, and culinary history. She has developed recipes and penned essays for Food52, Food Network, and Bon Appetit, and previously presented about Korean fermentation at The Korea Society and The Museum of Food and Drink. @Yooeating Yoo Eating YouTube

David Zilber is a professional chef, fermenter, butcher, and photographer who hails from Toronto Canada. He has worked in some of the world's top kitchens since 2004 and served as the director of the world renown Fermentation Lab at Restaurant Noma from 2016-2020, employing microbes to transform foodstuffs into bold new ingredients. In his time there, he authored the New York Times Bestseller, The Noma Guide to Fermentation. He has since become a voice for science communication for a new generation of cooks and enthusiasts in the world of food and fermentation, currently working from Copenhagen as a food scientist striving to build a more sustainable food system for all. @David_Zilber