Edible Toronto

The Koji Project

• Photo by Sarah Wiggins

• Creative collaboration — chef Kwangtaek Lee (right) and chef-owner, Justin Cournoyer (left) examine a jar of fermented black turtle beans, a key ingredient that has been previously paired with dry-aged beef and smoked oysters.

• Actinolite restaurant on Ossington Avenue.

• John Greenwell, who now acts as a consultant and culinary researcher for the restaurant

• A walkin cooler holds shelves with juniper, raspberry, pear and cider vinegars, jars of brightly coloured pickles and plastic tubs with bags of salted blossoms and fruits, all marked by contents and date.

• Chef Kwangtaek Lee

• Chef-owner Justin Cournoyer

• Winter vegetable “pot roast” of grilled purple daikon, roasted turnip, rutabaga and half moons of delicate grilled and roasted black radish served in an earthenware bowl. Fragrant fermented wild mushroom and nettle tea is slowly poured over the vegetables, then sprinkled with fermented nettles and dried marjoram.

• The barley is dusted with a strain of mould Greenwell has been nurturing and growing for three years.