Sweet and Spicy: Fruity Fermented Hot Sauce Talk & Tasting

Fruit, heat, and fermentation in Oakland

On Wednesday, July 15, Local Economy in Oakland is hosting a hands on evening for anyone who has looked at a pile of summer fruit and wondered what to do before it turns soft.

Osamu of @kumasauce and Cindy of @cindydoedee will lead a two hour talk and tasting on fruity fermented hot sauce, using Bay Area fruit like plums, loquats, and berries as the starting point. They will cover the basics of lacto fermentation, salt, brining, and how to build flavor without making the whole thing feel too fussy.

The setting should fit the topic well. Local Economy has that Oakland community feel where practical skills, food talk, and neighborhood curiosity can sit at the same table. Expect a casual workshop pace, a little kitchen science, and some tasting along the way.

Osamu brings hot sauce making, pop up cooking, and fermentation experience. Cindy brings foraging knowledge, a love of local plants, and plenty of time spent around Bay Area fruit. Together, they have been experimenting with gleaned stone fruit and heat, so this is coming from real practice, not just theory.

If you like spicy food, hate seeing fruit go to waste, or want a new summer project for your kitchen shelf, this is a good one to check out. The workshop runs from 6 pm to 8 pm in Oakland.

What can you do with excess fruit? Rather than let them go to waste, preserve them by making a hot sauce!
Join hot sauce connoisseur Osamu (@kumasauce) and forager/fruit lover Cindy (@cindydoedee) for an evening of FRUITY FERMENTED FUN. We will discuss the different ways you can preserve excess fruit, especially during our abundant summer months of Bay Area streets lined with ripening wild plums, loquats, and berries. Then, we will offer a small tasting of a variety of hot sauces we have pre-made using fruits gleaned from the streets to sample with other snacks. Bring a friend who likes the heat, and let’s get saucy!!!

In this workshop, we will go over:
– why make hot sauce as a preservation method
– the fundamentals of lacto-fermentation
– how to play with ingredients, like local fruit, to get the flavor you want
– what salt to use and brining techniques

By the end of the workshop, you will walk away with our recipe and the inspiration to attempt a hot sauce fermentation of your own.

About us: Osamu and Cindy quickly became friends through a shared love for foraging, fungi, fermented foods, and FUN!!! Osamu introduced Cindy to his previous hot sauce experiments in his idyllic backyard with a bountiful plum tree that needed harvesting. Together (and with the help of friends) they gleaned many a stone fruit throughout East Bay, conducting fermented hot sauce experiments and taste tests. This collaboration is brought to you by our shared desire to see our community cherish the abundance of fresh, local fruit we are blessed with and to find ways to reduce their waste through fun preservation techniques.

Osamu is a hot sauce maker, pop-up chef, urban planner, and advocate for environmental justice. He believes good food and good cities have a lot in common: both bring people together, keep us healthy, and make everyday life better. He currently works at Aedan Fermented Foods and in various kitchens around the Bay. He’s always excited to connect with fellow cooks, organizers, and creative collaborators! Reach out on Instagram at @kumasauce.

Cindy is a forager passionate about reconnecting community with the natural world. She grew up foraging with her mom, and now hosts flora and fungi nature walks in the Bay Area. She cares about food sovereignty and empowering marginalized groups in outdoor spaces. She also runs Uproot Teas, a small batch loose leaf tea company and moonlights as a market vendor for Volcano Kimchi. You can find her foraging adventures on social media at @cindydoedee.