“I was bored with my old problems, so it’s good to have new ones,” says Keith Gurgick, co-founder with his wife, Rachel Gurgick, of Chaotic Good Tempeh.

Gurgick’s old problems included developing tempeh products that could appeal to a public who — though increasingly excited about fermented foods and plant-based protein — was generally unfamiliar with tempeh, a traditional Indonesian preparation of fermented soybeans.

Several years of experimentation and selling at farmers markets resulted in a line of seasoned tempeh that can be easily substituted for meat. The company’s newest problem: ramping up production for distribution to grocery stores across Virginia.

Good problems to have, Gurgick clarifies.

Gurgick first encountered tempeh in the form of a tempeh reuben at Harrison Street Café while he was a student at Virginia Commonwealth University. “That’s still my favorite application of tempeh, which is why I made the tempeh pastrami,” he says, referring to one of Chaotic Good’s frozen offerings.

After college, Gurgick worked as a line cook in New Orleans and, eventually, as a chef in Michigan. While there, he began experimenting with fermentation. After acquiring a second-hand dehydrator, he decided to try making his own tempeh. He found that fresh tempeh was much more interesting than what he had previously encountered from the grocery store aisle. Its taste and health benefits convinced him that more people needed to try it, too.

For those who do not fall under the category of “tempeh maniac,” tempeh is simply a combination of beans and fungus. The combination is thought to have originated by chance several centuries ago in Indonesia, when hibiscus leaves bearing fungal spores were used to wrap soybeans for transport. The fungus (Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae) quickly colonizes the beans, knitting them together in a mycelial mass and partially digesting them, which makes their nutrients more accessible for human digestion.

Chaotic Good Tempeh uses chickpeas, rather than soybeans, with the traditional fungus. After fermentation, Gurgick brines, seasons, smokes and/or roasts the tempeh (seasoning the tempeh while fresh aids in flavor absorption).

Gurgick notes that fermentation has substantial health benefits, including breaking down oligosaccharides, the compound in beans that causes gas. He adds that fermentation “also breaks down some of the inflammatory compounds, adds a lot of fiber and reduces the glycemic index so it spikes blood sugar a little less.”

Tempeh is also one of the only plant-based proteins that has a complete amino acid profile, Gurgick says.

When Gurgick started selling raw tempeh at farmers markets, he quickly found that most central Virginia market goers didn’t know what he was trying to sell them. He began cooking samples, which generated enthusiasm, but created a new challenge when customers who enjoyed his recipes found that their own cooking couldn’t compete.

Gurgick decided to pivot from raw tempeh to cooked and seasoned products, taking two years to develop recipes. “I really wanted to develop a product line that was accessible to people, with familiar flavors, but also a little bit outside the box,” he says.

While Chaotic Good Tempeh’s products are inspired by meat — and can replace it in many dishes — the primary goal has never been to make a mere imitation. More important is the company’s commitment to whole-food ingredients. “No binders, gums, isolates or fillers,” Gurgick says. “I was just trying to use really time-honored cooking techniques to enhance the flavor of the tempeh and make it more approachable for people.”

This tempeh brought the Gurgicks to the Virginia Food and Beverage Expo in 2022, where they won Best New Product.

There were challenges behind the scenes, however. A few months before the award ceremony, Keith and Rachel’s son was born with Alagille syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects the liver, causing severe itching, jaundice and even more sleepless nights than usual for a newborn. He received a life-saving liver transplant last year. “We’re profoundly grateful to his donor, the medical team and our friends and community for all their support,” says Gurgick.

Now, Chaotic Good Tempeh is beginning distribution to grocery stores with a line of seven products. Tempeh burgers, bacon, nuggets, and more can be found at Union Market, Ellwood Thompson’s, Good Foods Grocery, Outpost and the Whole Foods on Meadow, as well as markets in Charlottesville, Scottsville and Fredericksburg.

They plan to place their product in stores in the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area too, with a production facility buildout planned for 2027. Good Temeph is also continuing to vend at year-round farmers markets RVA Big Market and South of the James.

As the company grows, Gurgick continues to experiment. He is excited to bring recipes under development to Richmond farmers markets, both his own and those devised by the company’s first employee. “Half the fun is playing around with stuff,” he says. “Now that I have my first employee, it frees up a little bit more time to share some new specials with the local market that you can’t get anywhere else.”

BOLO: Chaotic Good is gearing up to roll out a new product, tempeh chips, along with a new workshop series this January. Find all the details here.