Elizabeth Vecchiarelli teaches all of the core classes at Preserved, her Temescal culinary store. These “hands-on workshop experiences” explore a wide range of topics, such as fermented pickling, canning fundamentals and sourdough bread making. The workshops began in 2015 when the first iteration of Preserved was housed in a little shed on Piedmont Avenue. They quickly became popular.
“It was just very clear that the concept had a broad level of interest,” Vecchiarelli explained. “Individually, the culinary techniques are niche, but together there’s actually a niche for everyone.” Every potential student might not be interested in the science behind fermentation, but they might have sentimental feelings about a grandparent who made a habit out of canning.
The little “shed shop” was outdoors. Limited in winter by the cold and wet weather, Vecchiarelli wanted to expand and diversify the offerings for her growing customer base. A year after opening, she moved Preserved into its current address on Telegraph Avenue. As the business enters its 10th anniversary year, the workshops now host a variety of guest teachers.
Rachel Saunders, author of The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, is Preserved’s marmalade and jam teacher. Vecchiarelli refers to her as “the jam queen.” When stone fruits and berries are in season, she turns the students’ attention towards summer jam making. On Jan. 7, Saunders will be leading a class through “the art of making the best marmalade with winter citrus.”
On Jan. 9, Shared Cultures founders Eleana Hsu and Kevin Gondo will be teaching the popular workshop Modern Miso Making. Each participating student will receive a quart of miso “to take home and ferment.” Vecchiarelli told me that they made butternut squash miso in the autumn miso class. “They usually use beans from Rancho Gordo and ferment it with koji, which is the traditional Japanese ferment,” she explained.
Chef Henry Hsu’s Oramasama has been popping up around the Bay Area but returns regularly to serve a Chinese brunch at Joodooboo. Hsu, who was previously employed at Hodo Foods in Oakland, is teaching two January workshops. Dumpling Making (Jan. 14) will be followed by Tofu Making (Jan. 22). In that class, students will learn how to make Chinese-style tofu/doufu from scratch—from silken, medium and firm textures to tofu skin or yuba.
During the pandemic, Vecchiarelli had to change the in-person workshop model. She began teaching virtual classes. But, she said, at a certain point, people got sick of them. The online courses have since been discontinued. Although there are four “Virtual Workshops,” or video recordings, that are available to sign up for on the Preserved site for a registration fee.
Vecchiarelli explained that the spirit and ethos of Preserved was rooted in being a community-based business. “You can’t get this kind of information and customer service online,” she said. But during the pandemic pivot, she created an online store. People from around the country can now order fermentation kits, starter cultures, pantry staples and all sorts of culinary supplies.
The inspiration for Preserved came out of Vecchiarelli’s previous career in the restaurant industry. In the early 2000s, she was working at the White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia. “I always like to say that the restaurant is to Philadelphia as Chez Panisse is to Berkeley,” she said.
Vecchiarelli also recalled that when she helped friends of hers open another Philadelphia restaurant, Café Estelle, they made everything from scratch, from canning tomatoes in summer to making their own pickles, ketchup and jam. The time she spent traveling and working through WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, also reinforced the idea that there was an alternative to eating processed and fast food.
But when she came across Wild Fermentation (2003), by Sandor Katz, the book was a revelation. “I read about fermented foods from all over the world—everything from sourdough and kimchi and sauerkraut to injera,” she said. “That changed the game for me, where I got obsessed with fermentation.”
Vecchiarelli started Preserved because, “I created the business that I wish had existed in 2007 when I was dabbling and learning, on my own,” she said. “That’s really the reason the workshops and education are so paramount—you can read a recipe, but you can’t really troubleshoot.”
Preserved, open Mon to Sat 11am–6pm, Sun 11am–5pm, 5032 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 510.922.8434. A full list of this month’s workshops is now online at preservedgoods.com.
