What’s the one thing that’s a must in this world?
Go outside. Listen to birds and water. Watch insects and worms and the moon and stars. Be part of nature.
What is the best purchase you’ve ever made?
I love my ceramic crocks.
What brings you the greatest joy?
I love teaching people about fermentation. Often they start from a place of fear, and as I address their fears and demystify the process, they see how safe, fun, and rewarding it can be.
What’s your favorite smell in the whole world?
Koji, grains with the fungus Aspergillus oryzae growing on them, has the most alluring sweet aroma. If you had told me years ago that I would fall in love with a mold I would have laughed at the absurdity of it, but I did….
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Follow your passion!
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. A self-taught experimentalist who lives in rural Tennessee, he has been called “one of the unlikely rock stars of the American food scene” by the New York Times. Katz is the recipient of a James Beard award and many other honors. For more on Sandor check out MotherEarthNewsFair.com!
