Interspecies dialogue with koji — Aspergillus oryzae, a Japanese mold with potent enzymatic powers — is a subtle collaboration between human and fungus. Koji transforms food through fermentation, taking all manner of ingredients and unlocking in them a rich array of flavorful compounds. It is the microorganism that makes possible miso, shoyu, amasake and sake, among many other well-loved functional foods. In my practice, this mutualistic relationship with koji relies on sensory attunement. We nurture the mold’s needs for warmth, moisture and nutrition. In return, koji grants us umami-rich, nutrient-laden and flavor-dense concoctions, from pine nut miso to pollen garum, bridging species through a shared transformative process that deepens our connection to nature’s sequences.
Interspecies dialogue
About Valentina
Valentina is a food artist, activist, consultant and teacher. She curates workshops, offers mentorships and taste experiences where people can learn, be, taste, and think differently about food, health and their relationship to the broader living world. She participates in projects that seek to foster ecological soundness and regenerate our biomes at every scale through the dynamic intersections of health, agroecology, education, art, and hospitality. She also offers guidance and support for women seeking to balance their hormonal health and nourish their vitality, as well as supporting their journeys with fertility, pregnancy and post-partum nourishment.
Valentina is enthusiastic about ancient food preservation and alternative agriculture methods that amplify both the flavor and the nutritional potential of what we eat even as they build ecological literacy and cultivate resilient communities. She shares deep affinities with Japanese animistic cosmovisions and ritual.
Valentina’s practice is not simply about nourishment but about awakening the dormant senses—those forgotten gestures of taste, smell and touch that reconnect us to the primal symphony of life. A bite can be a portal to a world where boundaries between human and non-human dissolve, where we encounter a deeper, wilder intelligence at work.
Valentina has studied with Sandor Katz, apprenticed with the Japanese fermentation artist Markus Shimizu from Mimi Ferments Lab in Berlin, and participated in the Koji Conference in 2020. She did a Permaculture Design Course at the Kul Kul Farm in Bali in 2017. She has developed and offered workshop series at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, the Third Floor Lisbon, and Rebundance’s Food Evolution Program. She collaborates with the Michelin-listed Restaurante SEM on R&D and koji cultivation. She has offered fermentation one-on-one coaching to chefs such as Diogo Noronha and Johnnie Collins and collaborates with agroecological projects such as Terra Sintropica and Quinta das Abelhas.
Valentina holds a Master of Gastronomy in Food Ecology, Education and Creativity from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, an M.A. in Art History and the Art Market from Christie’s Education, New York and a B.A. in Hospitality and Business Administration from Boston University.
Here are resources that she considers vital nourishment.