Carly and Dave Dougherty, co-founders and operators of Food and Ferments, at their warehouse space on Main Street (photo provided by Food and Ferments)
Editor's Note: The following is a press release from Food and Ferments of Cortland, N.Y.
CORTLAND, N.Y. — This past January, the 2018 Good Food Awards—held in San Francisco, Calif.—honored roughly 200 artisan producers from all parts of the country, in all sorts of categories, ranging from charcuterie and chocolate, to beers, cheeses and pickles.
In the pickles category, local producer of fermented foods and drinks, Food & Ferments, a small-scale artisanal food operation with locations in Cortland and Truxton N.Y., received top honors for their tangy, spicy, fermented food creation called, ‘Hearts on Fire Kraut’—made with chopped up cabbage hearts, fermented jalapeno & onion, and spices.
Dave & Carly Dougherty, the co-founders and operators of Food and Ferments, were thrilled to receive news of their award winning kraut. The Hearts on Fire Kraut is a product made from crunchy cabbage hearts, which were once composted by the company as they processed a plethora of local cabbages for their seasonal kraut blends.
“It just made the winning nod that much sweeter,” says Dave Dougherty, who created the recipe. “It feels really good having come up with a product that showcases the cabbage hearts, a part of the cabbage that contains a great texture and sweetness, but which we had previously thought was unusable.”
Food & Ferments launched their business in the Philadelphia area six years ago and moved their operation back to Carly’s hometown of Truxton, N.Y., just over three years ago. They opened their second production location, a warehouse space shared with Main Street Farms on Main Street in Cortland, this past summer.
"There are many incredible food producers and farmers in central New York. It feels great to be growing our business in the community where I grew up,” says co-founder Carly Dougherty. “We’re looking forward to hiring our first two employees this season and continuing to grow our operation and its potential for positive influence here in Cortland County. We love working with local farmers and reviving food traditions, like kraut-making, that were once thriving enterprises here in New York State.”
Food and Ferments products are available locally at Local Food Market, Anderson’s Farm Stand and Trinity Valley.
