ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Felipe and Wendy Bravo from Fox Tale Fermentation Project in San Jose join Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. This is their first time on the show for them and for their dogs too. Herlinda met them at the Freshtival, when Sayre Pietrowski introduced her. They drove here all the way from San José. They will be at Suds Francisco on August 23, 2026, which the Bay Area Brewers Guild is putting on at Salesforce Park. So if you are still in time, tickets are available online, here.
Wendy and Felipe are married and are also the co-owners of Fox Tale. Wendy is the chef and Felipe is the brewmaster. Felipe remembers starting as a home brewer 15 years ago. Their location has been on the Guy Fieri show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network and also on Check, Please! on KQED.
Felipe explains that Fox Tale is a business based on the exploration of all all things fermented. This includes foods and beverages. Vinegars, syrups and kombucha are just three examples. There are flavors and aromas to be created in foods as well as beverages. A lot of the food they serve is grown locally. Tale in the name represents a story, a narrative of the diverse food culture in the Bay Area.
******
Visit our sponsor Pro Chiller online for all the info about their new CO2-based Pro Green Solutions. ProChiller Green will be performing a Proof of Concept test at Hanabi Lager on August 20, 2026, to demonstrate the ProGreen Chiller in a brewery.
******
Visit our sponsor Pro Chiller online for all the info about their new CO2-based Pro Green Solutions. ProChiller Green will be performing a Proof of Concept test at Hanabi Lager on August 20, 2026, to demonstrate the ProGreen Chiller in a brewery.
******
From Holistic Nutrition to Fox Tale
Chef Wendy moved to California from Michigan at 18 and got a job in a vegan and craft beer bar. There, she learned about what made her feel healthy and she continued on the path of plant-based foods. She studied Holistic Nutrition at Bauman College and it was “absolutely life changing.” Then she worked in the kitchen at the book of face. She worked in massive kitchens and considered it R&D. “How do you make super foods for like 300 people, for lunch?” She had to produce a new menu every week, so that required her to come up with lots of ideas.
++++++
Visit Russian River Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Check out their website and socials for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
++++++
Visit Russian River Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Check out their website and socials for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
++++++
Felipe went to undergraduate and graduate school at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he studied electrical engineering. Firestone Walker brewery was there so he began to like craft beer then. He wanted to make an aut0mated home brewing system for a Master’s thesis. His advisor asked if he had worked in a brewery. He decided to look into brewing to learn about that, and loved it and stayed with it. It was a tough decision but he progressed his career as a brewery. He started at Central Coast Brewery in San Luis Obispo. Later he worked at Devil’s Canyon in San Carlos and then ended up at Fort Point in San Francisco.
Experiences and Hospitality at Fox Tale
Wendy explains what the “Project” part of the Fox Tale Fermentation Project means to them. They come up with ideas that are sometimes new sometimes familiary. She likes to experiment with fruits, flowers, grains and herbs. They aren’t vegan themselves but they feel really good about serving all plant-based food.
English
United States
IN THIS EPISODE
TRANSCRIPT 🔗
Are you the producer of this podcast?
Add a podcast transcript
Need Audio-to-Text?
Transcribe with Listen411 in Just 60 Seconds
OTHER EPISODES IN THIS PODCAST
Old Caz Beer co-founder Bryan Rengel is our guest with Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell on the Brew Ha Ha today. He has been on Brew Ha Ha before, most recently this episode in January of 2024.
Bryan explains that Old Caz was founded on what he calls the Free Craigslist Model of busine…
(8/27, pt. 1 of 2) Ron Silberstein and Kim Sturdevant join Herlinda on Brew Ha Ha today to talk about Admiral Maltings It’s the Malt! coming September 19. Admiral Maltings was also on this episode of Brew Ha Ha on June 20, 2024, and again last year on May 1, 2025. This is part …
(8/27, pt. 2 of 2) Barry Bicker, Moonlight Brewing co-owner and President, joins Herlinda Heras and her other guests on Brew Ha Ha. Also in the studio for today’s show are Ron Silberstein and Kim Sturdevant from Admiral Maltings. This is part two of their conversation. Part one is r…
Renee De Luca is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Herlinda Heras, calling in from Cleveland, where Herlinda recently visited her. Here is Renee's article on Substack about Herlinda's visit to Cleveland. She was also on these two episodes along with Don Barkley, part one and part two in July of 2024. Th…
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Herlinda Heras & Daedalus Howell, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
EDIT
Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date.
