Kathryn Lukas is a former chef and the founder of Farmhouse Culture, an award-winning fermented food and beverage company based in Santa Cruz, California. A native Californian, Kathryn’s love affair with food started in her grandparents’ farmhouse kitchen where home-grown ingredients were turned into simple, yet delicious meals. Years later, she fell in love with fresh fermented sauerkraut at her restaurant in Stuttgart, Germany. Kathryn returned home to the U.S. in the late 90s and learned how to make live-culture ferments through a Natural Culinary Program in Santa Cruz. Obsessed, she traveled the globe in pursuit of ancient fermentation techniques and in 2008 founded Farmhouse Culture. She now shares her love and knowledge of fermented, live-culture foods and their powerful healing qualities through workshops and retreats worldwide. 

Shane Peterson is a master fermenter, product developer, and best-selling cookbook author with over ten years of experience in the fermented food and beverage industry. His first book, Fermentering, was a best-seller in Denmark, and eventually was published throughout Scandinavia. As head Fermentologist for Farmhouse Culture he co-created many award winning product lines. Shane is a passionate advocate for the rewilding of the human microbiome and the human spirit through the craft of fermentation. An ardent lover of nature, he spends much of his time hiking and foraging the trails of the Northern California. Shane consults for fermented food companies and leads fermentation workshops both in the U.S. and abroad.