This is a part of our Q+A series. Know someone we should interview? Nominate them here.
The Nashville Fermentation Festival is currently underway through Nov. 2, offering a full schedule of classes, events, and markets centered around the ancient art of food fermentation.
We recently caught up with Director Rebecah Boynton to learn about the festival, the science of fermentation, and how the technique is seen daily in Nashville.
What’s your name, title, and 3-5 things you want people to know about you?
I’m Rebecah Boynton. I’m a writer, a local food advocate, and a food systems consultant. I’m the director of the Richland Park and East Nashville farmers’ markets, and have more than 15 years of experience working in food systems. I’ve studied and worked globally — specifically in the mountains of Northern Thailand — on a project to establish strawberries as a local economic crop. I hold a BSc in horticulture from Auburn University’s School of Agriculture, and I work to promote science in everything I do. I also sit on the Board of Directors for AWAKE — Advocates for Women’s and Kids’ Equality.
What inspired the Nashville Fermentation Fest?
Honestly, I launched this festival in true scientific-method fashion — I noticed a number of problems consistently occurring in our local food system and wanted to learn more about why they were happening. One problem is the struggle to find enough small farmers and food businesses who produce the local products we need to better diversify our local markets. Locally-made aged cheeses, fermented Asian sauces, pickles, kimchi, etc., can be extremely difficult to find sometimes. Another problem I encounter and try to combat on a regular basis is the overwhelming fear many people have of their food due to a general lack of scientific understanding coupled with an industrialized food system. So, this festival gives me the opportunity to create more educational opportunities for people who want to learn fermentation techniques using local food from our farmers, and also ignite more discussions surrounding food, culinary, and agricultural sciences. These are ancient techniques that serve as the backbone to food cultures around the world, so it’s imperative we continue to preserve this knowledge.
What makes Nashville a great location for this specific festival?
Nashville is in a specifically unique position to give fermentation a platform since the Tennessee Food Freedom Act is looking like it may pass soon. This law would give home producers of certain fermented foods more freedom to sell directly to consumers without the burden of undue regulations, which will benefit our diets, our culinary palettes, our local economy, and food availability. We want people to be less afraid of their food, not more afraid — especially homegrown/homemade, direct-to-consumer goods which have a far less likely chance of causing food-borne illnesses.
Nashville’s local food system also has some room to grow in more diverse ways. We could always work harder to better represent new flavors, food crops, and food cultures on our restaurant menus and in our local markets. I thought creating a festival of food classes was a great start to diversifying parts of our local food system, as well as getting the knowledge to the people at home. Ripe French cheeses, Italian salumi, Southeast Asian fish sauce, Korean gochujang, etc., are all fermented foods, so the Nashville Fermentation Fest is a way to work towards a more flavorful and inclusive Nashville.
In your opinion, what are 2 can’t-miss events you would recommend from the festival and why?
I think most people would think I’d recommend our Sandor Katz x Sean Brock “Appalachian Fermentation” collab in the Lab at Audrey, and don’t get me wrong, I highly recommend this class, but I’m personally looking forward to the cheesemaking class taught by educator and food activist Soirée-Leone. Soirée’s fermentation knowledge is vast and she has a firm grasp on how to create so many different foods, but her knowledge on making different cheeses at home is something I think many people will benefit from. I also recommend our featured event, “Fermentation Journeys: An Evening with Sandor Katz,” at By the Bottle Urban Cowboy on Tues., Nov. 2. Sandor is an intellectual authority on fermentation without the flashiness of celebrity or pomp of ego. This makes him an invaluable teacher, and I look forward to hearing him speak for this event. Also, what Kate Cunningham is doing with the unique wines she curates at By the Bottle is really something special, and the space is absolutely stunning.
Do you have any fermentation fun facts?
Sure! Most of our most beloved cultural foods are fermented. Cocoa beans that make chocolate, most cheeses, most coffees, wine, and yogurt have all gone through a fermentation process. Fermentation can produce lactic acid, the sour flavor in your sourdough, or ethanol, the alcohol in your wine.
Are there any fermentation myths you want to bust?
Fermentation is much more than a trendy buzzy foodie word — these are ancient techniques of food preservation that are found in every culture around the world. Indigenous and ancient people understood how to ferment and preserve food in a safe way well before scientists could explain the process.
Do you see fermentation play a role in your day-to-day Nashville experience?
I scramble eggs with my homemade kimchi almost every single morning, and it’s my very favorite breakfast. Does that count? ;) I also drink a Walker Brothers kombucha, owned and brewed locally here in Nashville, on a weekly basis. It’s delicious!
What is your favorite part about the East Nashville Farmers Market?
I love how much the East Nashville Farmers’ Market has grown — the diversity of the shoppers and our vendors, our urban setting which makes us unique in Nashville, and our beautiful view of the skyline downtown.
If you were taking someone on a tour around Nashville, where are the 3 places you’re going?
- Hewitt Garden & Design Center in Franklin, which I think is the best garden center. (Bates Nursery is a very close second.)
- Sam’s Turtle Cove on Old Hickory Lake. I’m from Alabama and I appreciate their chicken tenders and feeling like I’m back home on Lake Martin.
- Chopper for a cocktail and food from Maiz de la Vida for an experience that makes me feel like I’m not in Nashville
