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InFerment partners with world-class chefs and culinary organizations to educate and inspire incredible fermentation
InFerment + Chefs
Our collaboration with Chefs is such a satisfying reward to the hard work of the ceramic process. Every time I’m introduced to their culinary vision, I get inspired by their mindful vision of a generous world with respect and creativity that endlessly affects the cooking methods and, consequently, the meal. Treating vegetables as treasures from earth and fish as delicious creatures, rather than a piece of protein, is why the art of making-food deserves to fuse with the art of containing and the complexity of materials in ceramics.
Timeless and timely ceramics is an art that brings onto the table, and into the meal ritual, hundreds of years of skills, mineral’s chemistry, and thoughtful Aesthetics.
OOLA Distillery
OOLA Distillery • Seattle WA
Oola distillery in Seattle is renowned for producing quality Bourbon, Gin, and Vodka. I will teach a fermentation workshop for Seattle chefs and foodie guests in Spring 2022 around the beautiful distillery’s copper pipes scenery. It is such an enjoyable collaboration as we both engaged in the art of fermenting foods and drinks while admiring the effect and impact of yeast and healthy bacteria.
Electric Cello
Electric Cello • Seattle WA
Electric Cello is a gorgeous restaurant in the heart of South Seattle managed by creative artists, Kaitie and Kirby, who deeply believe in the aesthetic experience to guide them for values of enjoyment. We are working on a tableware set of plates, bowls, and cups that express the depth of the clay and glazes, so everyone who appreciates the food in the restaurant can feel the beauty in the materials on which it is served.
Sake Nomi
Sake Nomi • Seattle WA
Sake Nomi is the center of Sake connaisseurs in Seattle and worldwide. Jonnie and Taiko opened the sake bar 15 years ago, and since then, it has brought such pleasure to many Sake lovers. Sake is a refined fermented drink with a ceremonial and celebratory atmosphere, which merges beautifully with the desire to drink it from an interesting ceramic and sculptural drinkware. We will celebrate Sake Nomi’s 15th anniversary in the summer of 2022, featuring an inFerment sake sets of carafe, cups and food trays.
Katherine Anderson & Matt Dillon
The London Plane • Seattle WA
A charming espresso cafe, wine bar, bakery, market, flower shop, and a restaurant. Chef Emily introduced me to Katherine Anderson, who owns Marigold & Mint, a flower farm and a partner at The London Plane. InFerment was featured for a month-long exhibit in The London Plane, located in the middle of the old Pioneer Square area of Seattle. The show included a sale of ceramic kitchenware and crocks and a peak event of fermenting workshop.
Bruce & Sara Naftaly
Marmite • Seattle WA
Innovative French fare by Bruce and Sara Naftaly. Offering lunch, dinner, cocktails, and weekend brunch using fresh, organic resources from local Northwest purveyors. For the opening of the restaurant Bruce Naftaly purchased an InFerment Crock from Kobo, a Japanese store and gallery in Seattle. Since then, they had purchased more vessels which are placed beautifully on their counter to produce the condiments and fermented side dishes. Bruch and I planned events in the restaurant for the Capitol Hill, Seattle energetic residence.
Emily Crawford & Matt Dann
The Corson Building • Seattle WA
The Corson Building, an elegant home that was built in 1910, has been repurposed as an upscale American restaurant, while chef Emily Crawford Dann invents, and reinvents, seasonal odes. The meal is served family-style at communal tables with curated wine by Matt Dunn. Emily had heard about my fermenting vessels before we met at one of their fantastic dinners, which was the beginning of a friendly collaboration. Since then, they make their fermented vegetables in Inferment’s crocks.
Joshua Skenes
Saison • San Francisco CA
When chef Joshua purchased three big fermenting vessels in one order, I started reading about his approach to cooking and his cuisine. As a cook, a wilderness lover and a hunter, chef Joshua tries to embrace the relationship between food, its origin in nature and us humans. Into these thoughts I offered to add my ceramic art with its sense of earthy materials. We are in the process of collaboration conversations.
Nick Apt
il nido • Seattle WA
I met Chef Nick when he worked at Marmite. We both had a good vibe about creating an event to celebrate ceramics and food as an esthetic experience. Since then, Nick has been experimenting with fermented foods in InFerment’s crocks at his kitchen and every place he cooks his fantastic dishes.
David Boyd
Down To Earth Cuisine • Seattle WA
David’s team of personal chefs specializes in weekly meal prep and private dinner parties. They offer healthy, gourmet meals that are curated for the wide range of dietary preferences of their clients. I love to hear chef David talk about his cooking; his passion for food and its presentation radiates in the room and excites you right away. David found me through my fermentation workshop, he bought a fermenting vessel and started developing his passion for fermented foods. We are collaborating not only on recipes but also on developing a unique aesthetic experience created by his cuisine and ceramics.
Michael Littman
Hapa PDX • Portland OR
Hawaiian-style pokes Ramen food restaurant in Portland, Oregon. I met Michael, owner and chef when in one of my visits to Portland. For his new restaurant opening Michael had ordered ceramic Raman and Sake set, which I had thrown and glazed with red brown-, white and black colors to blend with the new restaurant design.
Jeremy Hardy
Mioposto • Seattle WA
The word had spread that our studio has been using Miopost’s wood-ash for our glazes for several years, so Jeremy, Miopost’s owner, who is such a community-oriented person, wanted to meet me. We wanted to bring into fruition the poetic idea of the “ash cycle”, they use wood for heating their open-flame stove to bake their pizza, we collect the ash that was left of the fire for some of our ash-glaze, which is then applied on the dishes served back in the pizzeria. Details of collaboration will be published soon.
Alex Ferri & Chef Eugenio
Sandos Hotels • International
The story of how I came to meet Chef Eugenio, Chef Charly, Chef Luis, Chef Patricia, Chef Selene, and Chef Mauricio is in itself an InFerment adventure. In 2016, I received an order for a fermenting vessel from Alex Ferri, in Playa Del Carmen on the Yucatán peninsula. The order led to an interesting email correspondence with Alex, in which he wrote about his and his family’s vegan choices. His next order included a fermenting vessel, bottles and bowls, but this time the vessel was damaged during the voyage, likely due to the box being opened at the border. I immediately sent Alex a new big size vessel, which he happily received unscathed.
Fast forward to June 2019, when I was looking for a place to scuba-dive in warm waters with my sons, I remembered where Alex lived, so I emailed him for some advice on where to go. Alex responded the next day – with a generous offer. I didn’t know until then that Alex manages the Sandos resort chain. In grateful response, I offered in return a fermentation workshop for his chefs. In July, we made the journey to explore the ancient cities, cenotes, coast and cuisine of Yucatán.
Our experience in Yucatán – both above and underwater – was, of course, amazing, but I’ll focus here on my experience with the wonderful group of artists I met in the workshop. I was delighted to learn that, in addition to their culinary talent, each one of them is profoundly concerned and engaged with the environmental challenges facing our communities around the world. Chef Charly has a vegan taco restaurant on the boulevard in Tulum. Chef Mauricio is the vegan cuisine cook of the new Sandos resort. Chef Luis worked at the Noma Mexico pop-up and Chef Eugenio is a leader in the Mexican culinary world and a wizard of mindful gastronomy. Our host Alex, his wife Issa, and their daughters have been vegan for several years.
We are all still connected via social media and plan to reconnect in the future.