Rachel Weaver is the new Coppell Farmers Market Manager, where they get to be a community organizer and leader every weekend. Weaver has years of experience and a special interest
Petra and the Beast sous chef to launch Native Ferments shop
Chef Jessica Alonzo is selling fermented goods, kits and virtual workshops.
Jessica Alonzo with her Native Ferments at Petra and the Beast in Dallas(Lawrence Jenkins / Special Contributor)
Lovers of all things pickled and fermented have something to celebrate in Jessica Alonzo.
The sous chef at Petra and the Beast restaurant in Dallas is turning her fermentation expertise into a side business and launching Native Ferments, an online shop of fermented goods and kits, condiments, pickles and a series of virtual workshops for fermentation enthusiasts.
Alonzo got her start in fermentation while working with Dallas chef Matt McCallister at the now-closed FT33 restaurant after leaving a career in hospital administration. What started as a fascination quickly turned into a focused specialty with the help of stacks of books, hours of research, and an apprenticeship at the Cultured Pickle Shop in California.
Creating new recipes, playing around with ingredients and working on healthy habits are always top of mind in January. Swapping out refined sugar for a natural sugar alternative is a great place to start, and monk fruit has a spot in my pantry this year. Monk fruit sweetener has gained some fans over the last few years, and it’s making its way into desserts to create delicious recipes for the health-conscious.
Swapping out refined sugar for alternative sweeteners sounds pretty simple. But in baking, sugar is not only a sweetening agent, it also affects the moisture level and leavening of a recipe. Honey, molasses, coconut sugar and agave are a few natural sweeteners that are tested and proven, and now we are experimenting with monk fruit.