There’s A Pickle Party Happening At Grand Central Market This Month

A funky and fermented pop-up is giving pickle lovers the chance to sample some of the best pickles in town, learn about fermenting techniques and lend a hand in making 1,000 pounds of sauerkraut.

On Sunday, May 15, Grand Central Market, Los Angeles will host its first ever Pickle Party, a day-long event dedicated to all good things that are pickled, brined and fermented. The event will feature a pickle marketplace from local purveyors, chef demos and pickling demos. The centerpiece of the day will be the massive, communal kraut-making session led by fermentation expert and best-selling author Sandor Ellix Katz.

Throughout the day, visitors are invited to join Katz in an all-day “Kraut Mob” with the goal of creating 1,000 pounds of the good stuff. Participants will get to take home a free jar of sauerkraut along with instructions on how to complete the fermentation process at home. Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation, James Beard Foundation Book Award in 2013, will also be giving a free public lecture on fermentation and the multiple benefits of live-culture foods. He will also be joined by Pascal Baudar, a professional forager that leads tours around L.A. and author of The New Wildcrafted Cuisine: Exploring the Exotic Gastronomy of Local Terroir, for a wild-foraged pickle demonstration. Both will be signing copies of their books afterward.

The marketplace will feature fermented goodies from the local favorites, including Pickled By Hattie, Wax Paper, Brassica & Brine, Dave’s Kimchi and Perishable Pickles. While the chef demos will introduce guests to both traditional and “next-level” pickling techniques, as well as covering topics like Asian and Latino pickles and condiments, “leaf-to-root” pickling to reduce food waste, and more.

The Pickle Party will take place at Grand Central Market on Sunday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.