Partner Spotlight: Fox Tale Fermentation
The People
Wendy and Felipe love what they do- and they do it with intention, creativity, and a whole lot of heart. Their backgrounds are similar but distinct, both rooted in fermentation but carried out in deliciously different outlets. While Wendy comes from the food industry, Felipe’s craft was developed in large batch production beer brewing. Talk about a dynamic duo!
Covid and all its quarantining is what pushed these two to really begin concocting, creating, and experimenting with all sorts of fermentation recipes. “We had nothing to lose while the world was at a standstill- and we wanted to have fun with our time!” At the time, Wendy had finished studying holistic food and culinary arts in Capitola and had successfully run the superfoods program at Facebook. Felipe was enjoying 7 years in the methodical, process driven, large scale beer production industry. They both loved what they were doing, but wanted to stay “fresh” in their craft while time was on their hands. It wasn’t long before their cool creations, community care, and contractor connections landed them a storefront in San Jose.
The Product
Can you spot which S&P produce and flowers are in these delicious Fox Tale dishes?
“The goal is to completely understand the ingredients we’re using and collaborate on every recipe.” From sauerkraut, gazpachos and salads to mocktails, beers and kombucha, the Fox Tale menu is ever changing. Wendy and Felipe design everything they produce and use only the highest quality organic, primarily plant based ingredients. If you ever want to see S&P produce look its best, Fox Tale is the place to go.
Like any art project, the journey to a final Fox Tale product takes a lot of thought and time- and holy-kraut you can taste it! “We try to visualize the taste before we make or brew anything,” Felipe shares. Based on what’s in season and what the owners are most excited about experimenting with, recipes start to form. Wendy shared some insight into her creative process: “I try things and decide if they’re the canvas or the compliment. Then I build from there and think about what ingredients can sit next to it well. Once I’ve got the components down, I figure out the style of the dish and how it will go together, be it a blended soup, side dish, or drink.” At Spade & Plow, we absolutely love seeing how Fox Tale innovates with our products- cabbage for sauerkraut, bachelor buttons for mocktails, sunflowers for beer, or turnips and garlic for fermenting!
The Partnership
Cheers to great partnerships and talented friends!
These kinds of restaurants and wholesale partnerships are integral to the Spade & Plow heartbeat (or should we say heart BEET?). Being connected to the community and supporting people who purposefully and intentionally use food is what it’s all about. Thanks to the Mountain View Farmers market and Farmer Sam’s stint as a cashier at Zanotto’s Market back in his college days, we got lucky enough to cross paths with Wendy and Felipe- and wow are we grateful for such a brew-tiful friendship!