Fox Tale Fermentation Project in San José

Wendy and Felipe are married and are also the co-owners of Fox Tale. Wendy is the chef and Felipe is the brewmaster. Felipe remembers starting as a home brewer 15 years ago. Their location has been on the Guy Fieri show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network and also on Check, Please! on KQED.

Felipe explains that Fox Tale is a business based on the exploration of all all things fermented. Vinegars, syrups and kombucha are just three examples. There are flavors and aromas to be created in foods as well as beverages. A lot of the food they serve is grown locally. Tale in the name represents a story, a narrative of the diverse food culture in the Bay Area.

Chef Wendy moved to California from Michigan at 18 and got a job in a vegan and craft beer bar. There, she learned about what made her feel healthy and she continued on the path of plant-based foods. She studied Holistic Nutrition at Bauman College and it was “absolutely life changing.” Then she worked in the kitchen at the book of face. She worked in massive kitchens and considered it R&D. “How do you make super foods for like 300 people, for lunch?” She had to produce a new menu every week, so that required her to come up with lots of ideas.

Felipe went to undergraduate and graduate school at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he studied electrical engineering. Firestone Walker brewery was there so he began to like craft beer then. He wanted to make an automated home brewing system for a Master’s thesis. His advisor asked if he had worked in a brewery. He decided to look into brewing to learn about it, then he loved it and stayed with it. It was a tough decision but he progressed his career as a brewer. He started at Central Coast Brewery in San Luis Obispo. Later he worked at Devil’s Canyon in San Carlos and then worked at Fort Point in San Francisco.

Wendy explains what the “Project” part of the Fox Tale Fermentation Project means to them. They come up with ideas that are sometimes new, sometimes familiar. She likes to experiment with fruits, flowers, grains and herbs. They aren’t vegan themselves but they feel really good about serving all plant-based food.