Renowned Bay Area Fungi Company to Bring Together Leading Experts, Chefs, and Artists to Build Community Through Fungi at Massive Two-Day Event

SANTA CRUZ, CA, April 3, 2024 –Far West Fungi, the Bay Area’s premier grower and provider of gourmet mushrooms and culinary experiences, is excited to announce its upcoming festival focused on celebrating all-things fungi. The Santa Cruz Mountain Mushroom Festival,taking place May 3-4, 2025 in Felton, CA, will invite some of the country’s foremost fungi experts and influencers to lead educational sessions, hands-on workshops, demos, and more.

The festival’s line-up is packed with some of the biggest “celebs” in the mushroom world, with sessions and activities covering everything from culinary uses to cultivation, medicinals, science, and even arts and crafts. Schedule highlights include:

• Cooking demos with renowned chefs like Eric Tucker from Millenium
• Education presentations with famous researchers like Dr. Christopher Hobbs
• Guided nature walks with foraging masters like Dr. Gordon Walker
• Researchers including Taye Bright
• Sessions with leading cultivators like Field and Forest
• Hands-on art activities and curated exhibits featuring creators like Liminal Space

“We have been growing mushrooms for over 40 years at Far West Fungi, and one of the most rewarding aspects of our work has been the rich mycological community we’ve become part of and helped to build along the way,” said Kyle Garrone, Far West Fungi production manager. “Our upcoming festival is an exciting chance for us to tap into that community and help share their expertise and passion with fellow fungi-lovers. We look forward to bringing some of the best and brightest minds in the mushroom world to the Santa Cruz mountains this May.”

In addition to the fungi-focused activities, a plethora of mushroom-heavy foods and snacks will be served from favorites like SC Eatery, Julia’s Vegetarian Restaurant, Funky Bean Tempeh, Vegan Hood Chef and Far West Fungi. Drinks will be available from local makers such as mushroom mocktails from Curious Elixirs, wine from Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, Quinta Cruz, and Beauregard Vineyards, plus candy cap beer from Fox Tale Fermentation and local kombucha.

Every great festival has great music, and the Santa Cruz Mountain Mushroom Festival will deliver on that promise. Local favorites like Alison Steele, Papiba & Friends, The Crate Diggers, and Mokili Wa will bring their folk, Americana, and bluegrass stylings to the music stages.

Festival attendees will also get a taste of history at the event, which will take place at the historic Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton, CA, just north of Santa Cruz. Set amid towering old growth.

Redwood groves and neighboring Henry Cowell State Park, the expansive grounds include historic buildings, hiking trails, and wooden railroad trestles. with rides on some of the world's oldest working steam engine trains, which will be running during the event.

To learn more about the event and purchase tickets, visit https://scmmfest.com/.

To arrange interviews with festival organizers and/or featured speakers, contact Ashley D. Owen at ashleydrewcommunications@gmail.com.

Far West Fungi is a family-run business committed to providing a full and consistent array of mushrooms, mushroom food products and educational information to the Santa Cruz and Bay Area communities. Established in 1982, Far West Fungi is a premier provider of gourmet mushrooms and culinary experiences. With sustainability and quality at the forefront, Far West Fungi offers a wide range of mushrooms, mushroom-based products, and educational resources to inspire creativity in the kitchen. With an unwavering dedication to exceptional taste and a passion for mushrooms, Far West Fungi continues to delight and amaze food enthusiasts, chefs, and nature lovers alike. The company is dedicated to providing locally grown, organic specialty mushrooms at a reasonable rate and making them readily available to our community. To learn more, visit farwestfungi.com/.

Media Contact:
Ashley D. Owen
Ashley Drew Communications for Far West Fungi
Email:ashleydrewcommunications@gmail.com
Mobile: (978) 257-9000