Reclaiming Our Sustainable Food Ecosystems with Chef Jeremy Umansky

The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

Taking your first bite of Chef Jeremy Umansky\'s fried chicken or pastrami sandwich is one of those blissful food moments that is guaranteed to live in your head rent-free. His secret ingredients? Koji-culturing, foraged edibles, and sustainable food sourcing that earned him four James Beard Award nominations, including Best New Restaurant, Best Chef, and for his recent book Koji Alchemy. Jeremy and his wife Allie La Valle-Umansky opened Larder Delicatessen & Bakery in 2018 in Ohio City\'s Hingetown district. Larder\'s menus are constantly evolving and Umansky\'s innovative techniques remind us of what is possible right in our own backyards.\r\n\r\nTraditional knowledge of fermenting and foraging is a cornerstone for many cultures including Indigenous and African American communities. But centuries of colonization and modern urban sprawl decimated natural ecosystems. And the industrialization of our food supply forever shifted America\'s relationship with the food we eat. Across the country, efforts are underway to improve food sovereignty and reclaim traditional practices.\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club as Ideastream\'s Amy Eddings chats with Chef Jeremy Umansky, on the benefits of foraging, sustainable food sourcing, and the art of fermenting in his book Koji Alchemy.