When Mara King started working for chef Kelly Whitaker’s id est hospitality group in 2021, she came in to help the company’s mill, Dry Storage, utilize the excess bran. King had a history in fermentation, running a kimchi company in Boulder and honing her chef skills as an apprentice in a sushi restaurant prior.
At id est, the chef moved into the full-time role of fermentation specialist, which at the time was the only position like it in the state. As she worked on turning the bran into Japanese nukadoko, a type of pickling bed used to pickle daikon, cucumbers, carrots, and other vegetables, other projects developed. Soon the tangy preserved foods became staples on the menu at The Wolf’s Tailor. She eventually started working with the BRUTO’s former chef, Michael Diaz de Leon, to create even more types of fermented goodies, from fruit vinegars to hot sauce to hoshigaki, a traditional Japanese preserved persimmon.
Diving Into Fermentation
All the knowledge King has of fermentation, sustainability, and using every part of every food comes from a lot of research and practice. She never went to culinary school, but learned a lot from Japanese sushi masters in Boulder.
“These old school chefs, our mentors, they grew up in post war Japan and there is this ethos of waste nothing and use every part,” said King. “In the training I received as a sushi chef, every part of rice would be utilized, and the fish, you scrape it to the bones then make something with the bones. As a chef it’s a great education, because you learn how to process things.”
While the idea of nose-to-tail processing and using every part of the plant to make food goes back as far as we can remember, it’s unusual for a restaurant in the modern world to do it. But now, said King, the trend is coming back and more chefs and hospitality people are paying attention. That said, she added getting many of these fermentation and preservation techniques okay with the health department can be challenging.
“You will find all over the world, fermenters have a secret closet where they are hiding their ferments because they don’t want to explain how things are made,” said the chef, adding there is, in fact, a fermentation closet at BRUTO, but it’s not a clandestine operation. “A lot of these ferments come from Asia and if I said I was making soy sauce and the shelf life is three years, they wouldn’t blink an eye. But you say that to the health department and you have to prove it.”
It’s not unusual to see fruits and plants drying around the kitchen, hung high and out of the way. Pots of mysterious goodies line shelves and reside tucked away in corners, and most dishes has some component that speaks to id est’s zero-waste ethos.
The Fermented Future of Id Est
Fast forward to 2025 and King has been part of the team bringing home the Michelin stars and recognition. The Wolf’s Tailor now boasts two stars, the first in Colorado, BRUTO has one and a green star, and id est’s other restaurants Hey Kiddo and Basta have recommendation and Bib Gourmand status, respectively. Today the restaurants also boast many fermentation specialists, one for each spot. King oversees the program, guiding along the way.
“At the beginning it was just me, and I think a lot of my job has been about teaching over the years,” said King, adding that chefs are fast learners, so it’s not as hard as it might seem. “Over the last three years I have created a lot of tools and systems to get the chefs to do the process without me, and now my job is switching to sustainability and creating processes around sustainability.”
King jokes about the closet at BRUTO, though it was more about needing space than hiding the projects. Now, she added, the team is moving on from that small spot to expand id est’s fermentation and preservation program.
“I have been with the company for four years, and in November we are opening a workshop focused on fermentation,” she dished. “We are coming out of the closet.”
The Takeover
Because she does so much in a week and things change depending on the day, King filmed different aspects from her job over the last few days. You’ll get to see just what she does, from working at The Wolf’s Tailor with the chefs to visiting farms to get produce to teaching staff how to make miso.
King lives in Boulder with her youngest son, 14, the last of her three kids to be at home. She also has a puppy that we’re really hoping makes an appearance.
As for the takeover, join the fun on Thursday, October 9 when King controls the Instagram stories for the day. Comment, like, follow, and share to be entered into the giveaway. This time you can win a $100 gift card to Hey Kiddo, which recently revamped the menu and makes one of the best steaks in town, as well as other seasonal surprises. Make sure you’re following DiningOut Denver, id est, and at least one of the restaurants including Hey Kiddo, The Wolf’s Tailor, Bruto, Dry Storage, and Basta. Extra entries for every person you tag. Don’t worry if you missed the live feed, you can catch all our takeovers on Instagram in the highlights section.
