Sauerkraut maker Randy Gogolin, who named his company the Pickled Dad, couldn’t keep sample trays filled Saturday at Fermentopia, an event focused on the creativity and tradition of fermented foods and beverages held this past weekend in Phoenix.

More than 800 people attended the first day of Fermentopia’s debut, and Gogolin and other sellers hope the pop-up market becomes an annual event.

“I didn’t expect so many buyers,” Gogolin said, his Picklers University ball cap bobbing as he surveyed the crowd filling the Phoenix Plaza Civic Center.

Gogolin was one of 30 makers selling pickled vegetables, tangy sourdough breads, savory miso, zesty hot sauces and bubbly ciders inside the civic center surrounded by a natural wetland area and downtown businesses.

As planned, the first Fermentopia extended beyond the civic center to the Oregon Cheese Cave steps to the north and Moxie Brew Kombucha to the south along the city’s revitalized Main Street.

“It’s Phoenix rising from the ashes” after the catastrophic 2020 Almeda fire, said organizer Karolina Lavagnino of Wild Thyme Productions.

Lavagnino is well known for founding and producing the annual Oregon Chocolate Festival for 20 years and the Brine, Brew & Barrel event, both in Ashland.

“We’re thrilled to bring this flavorful and health-focused experience to southern Oregon in the midst of winter,” said Lavagnino, who partnered with the Medford Food Co-op and Phoodery casual dining hub next door to Phoenix’s civic center.

“The Phoodery was packed for lunch and dinner, and people enjoyed a demonstration at Moxie Brew about numerous ways to use kombucha,” said Lavagnino. “Looks like overall we had a solid impact on the economy of Phoenix in late January.”

Admission to Fermentopia was $5 and included tastes at every table, from Rogue Creamery cheese to Whistling Duck Farm’s lemon dill sauerkraut and fermented drinks called kvasses.

Chocolate maker Razia Hayden of Zi Spice filled her table with gift boxes of organic, gluten-free bonbons she makes using fair-trade cacao and flavors with spices.

Her West Coast-inspired Coastal Collection bonbons are made with vanilla, lavender, blood orange and raspberry as well as pears and blackberries, which Hayden grows. Her Sundara Collection has Middle Eastern spices of mango, saffron, cardamom, tamarind, chi and hibiscus.

Hayden made special infused bonbons for the event with combinations of fig and Oregon Blue cheese; macadamia, sea salt and caramels; pistachio and cranberry; and saffron, cardamon and fermented mango ganache.

Cindy Yi served samples of her traditional Korean Radish Kimchi, while Ashland’s Pickled Planet sold jars of raw Beet Kraut, which is fresh red cabbage blended with beets, carrots and caraway.

Miwa Aoki Russell, who retired as a commercial airline pilot to start Southern Oregon Sourdough, was selling her organic sourdough starter. Across the aisle, Joey Repice of Joey’s Hot Sauce stood in front of his company logo, a drawing of his face surrounded by flames. His organic sauce has plenty of heat but is low in sugar.

A dinner on Saturday night at Moxie Brew taphouse, owned by mother-daughter Lisa and Alyssa Brown, served courses of fermented foods: koji-cured butternut squash with focaccia, black apple mustard and sage yogurt; fermentato fritto misto with pumpkin kimchi and house pickles; koji-aged Pacific Rogue wagyu beef with fermented potato and sunchoke; Lillie Belle Farms chocolate; and hazelnut miso cheesecake.

Lavagnino stated on thefermentopia.com, “whether you are seeking bold flavors or nutritional benefits, fermented foods offer an unforgettable journey steeped in rich history and knowledge.”