Membership Committee

Heidi Nestler is the founder and owner of Wanpaku Natto and one of only a handful of natto makers in North America producing the traditional Japanese soybean ferment commercially. Heidi’s interest in traditional foods began nearly 30 years ago when she moved to rural Japan and was captivated by the array of fermented foods she encountered there. She learned Japanese cooking mainly from the women around her and also through trying everything and developing a palate for the new flavors. Upon returning to the United States, Heidi began in earnest to study world traditions of fermentation through workshops and a residency with Sandor Katz. Heidi is a co-organizer of the Portland Fermentation Festival, where she has shared her natto and rice bran pickles for the past ten years. Since 2014, Heidi has taught cooking and nutrition at Quest Center for Integrative Health, with a focus on LGBTQ+ folx in drug and alcohol recovery.