Sarah Arrazola’s business has been a staple in St. Petersburg for a decade now.
Known for its seasonal Florida ferments like fresh tempeh, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles and kombucha—all products you can learn how to make at Arrazola’s hands-on workshops—St. Pete Ferments is located at 326 Dr M.L.K. Jr St. N one right turn off the I-275 offramp (it also shared work and shelf space with Queen & Colony Bee Company).
Over the years, the 35 year-old has taught over 1,000 students (who she calls “The Fermanators”) how to create their own ferments at home, which are chock full of beneficial bacteria and locally-sourced ingredients. She describes these workshops—which are priced at a sliding scale—as “the heart and soul of St. Pete Ferments.”
Some people may wonder why she “shares her secrets” instead of encouraging folks to purchase her own products, but she just doesn’t believe in the notion of gatekeeping any of these techniques with her community.
“While online resources can be a wonderful tool for people, I feel like a lot of food content creators are really curating things towards their audiences,” Arrazola says. “But when you’re surrounded by people at the workshops, it’s like we’re in our own little world. We’re not worried about making content, we’re genuinely here to learn—and doing so from other people in your community is important.”
Learning about this culinary and scientific practice in a local sense is especially beneficial because The Sunshine State’s climate makes it a unique place to practice fermentation.
“Florida can sometimes feel left out of a lot of fermentation conversations in the U.S…the rules change a little bit down here,” she adds.
