Today we’d like to introduce you to Rocio Fleckenstein.
Hi Rocio, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Southern California and in Spain. My experiences in Spain led me to appreciate food and community. The Spanish or Mediterranean cuisine I was around had a lot of pickled or preserved foods. I have fond memories as a kid eating pickled anchovies on chips and dousing it with vinegar in a plaza in Spain. My grandmother would pickle fresh anchovies in vinegar and parsley, and I learned from my mom how to do it. That was a big influence in my connection with food long before I realized I wanted to be a chef. I went to Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, right out of high school.
From there, I hopped around kitchens to gain experience and landed in Spain and ironically worked at an Italian restaurant as a sous chef. From there, I came back to California and started working at True Food Kitchen in Newport Beach when they were fresh on the scene. I worked under Nathan Coulon when he was the chef there. He had a big influence on my growth as I began my journey through the trenches. You never forget your first mentor. He is still a friend today. I was introduced to fermentation when I was an Executive Chef in Ocean Beach. But it’s when I worked for Ballast Point in Little Italy as the Sous Chef when I really got into fermentation. We started making our own vinegars from wine and beer, fermenting vegetables, and pickling everything. I had climbed the culinary ladder and was ready for a new challenge, so I decided to do Lady Pirate full time. It brings me joy, helps people, and it’s delicious.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been challenging at times, but all in all, everything seems to have worked out for the best. It really has been more about what opportunities to pursue and which ones to let go. We’ve realized how important our time is, and sometimes that means giving up a farmer’s market in pursuit of a better opportunity. I think it’s important for entrepreneurs to realize that not every opportunity is the right opportunity.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The name Lady Pirate is a reference to breaking the mold, becoming an entrepreneur, and charting my own waters. Many pirates were women and LGBTQ+; they became pirates to feel accepted and live as normal and free. A good deal of pirates started off as buccaneers, which is derived from the French word Boucan, “someone who smoked or preserved foods.” Kimchi Rojo is traditional Korean-inspired kimchi, bold, crunchy and saucy. Kraut Morado is purple sauerkraut made with red cabbage, caraway and a little juniper berry. It’s mild, tangy, versatile and vegan. Our Deli Dills are a New York deli-style dill pickle with that crunchy salty-sour balance that everyone is looking for. Mato Verde are novelty pickled green tomatoes and our La Reina Kimchi Sauce is a packed probiotic sauce to add on almost anything. This sauce is derived from our kimchi batches. We bottle up all the kimchi sauce that’s leftover and full of flavor and probiotics. As a professionally trained chef, you can trust that the fermented products you buy from us are packed with flavor. Our mission at Lady Pirate is to educate about the many benefits of fermented foods, probiotics, and gut health, all while making sure every single one of our products tastes amazing. We want people to understand that food truly is medicine.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
That I am an aspiring sea shanty musician. I recently discovered piratetok on TikTok, if you haven’t had a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it.
Contact Info:
- Email: ladypirateproducts@gmail.com
- Website: www.ladypirateproducts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladypirateproducts/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lady-Pirate-Products-106562347747392
