Blue oyster mushrooms (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
In recent years, mushrooms have bloomed to become nearly omnipresent. They’ve emerged as a go-to substitute in vegan cuisine, they’re found in beverages from coffee to cocktails, and American mycologist and fungi guru Paul Stamets is practically a celebrity in some circles. Local farmers markets tend to have at least one mushroom purveyor in the lineup; chefs relish their meaty, mutable nature; and foragers will happily wander the woods hunting coveted yet fleeting varieties. There’s also a fan base of folks who just find mushrooms pretty darn adorable.
Lauren Vincelli, founder of Richmond’s Mushroom Mania event, falls into all the categories above. “They’re just freaky, weird amazing little things, and the more you learn about them, the more you want to know,” she says.
Founded in 2018, the gathering has had various iterations over the years, but it’s stayed true to its mission of exploring the properties and potential of mushrooms. Aiming to showcase the wonders of fungi for the local community and bring patrons closer to those who cultivate them, the event returns to Stone Brewing on April 20 from noon to 6 p.m.
“I just started becoming more curious about cooking them, and that sort of led me to foraging, and foraging leads you into a whole other world where you’re just sort of mystified by their beauty, and then you start learning some of them can change your life, and that some of them can cure what ails you,” Vincelli says.
The festival was originally inspired by dinner parties held by Vincelli’s sister and fellow chef, Maya Vincelli. During the fungi-fueled backyard feasts, mushrooms were at the forefront of each dish. The parties became an annual tradition and eventually earned the nickname Mushroom Mania, later adopted by the festival.
Also the founder of Richmond Moon Market, Vincellia says, “I love a good theme, so we did the first year, and then it just grew and grew, and other people started to get more curious.”
Since its inception, Mushroom Mania, which explores the culinary, medicinal, cultural and creative angles of the natural treasure, has attracted fungi fans from near and far. “This will be our biggest year, and it has grown immensely,” Vincelli says. “I can tell that more people from farther away are coming and telling me, ‘I came from Baltimore or North Carolina,’ which is very cool.”
Part science fair, part cooking class, part tasting session, part market, the festival is not only a showcase of mushrooms but also the mushroom community in Virginia. All speakers are from the commonwealth, and Richmond-based distributor Rudy’s Exotic Mushrooms and local purveyor HaaShrooms, who leads foraging tours on his Goochland property and sells coffee, tea, chocolate, spice rubs and a line of skincare products, will be in attendance.
If spotting sake or miso on a restaurant menu gets you going, it’s time to get nerdy. During a Koji 101 class, Koji House founder Nick Adams will dive into discussing the fermented spore that is used to craft Japanese beverages such as sake and shochu. Koji is also a powerful umami booster in tamari and miso, and its ability to funkify and deepen flavors has made it a favorite among chefs.
Locally, Henrico is home to the first tamari brewing facility outside of Japan, San-J. Company President Takashi Sato is the eighth generation of his family to lead production, and he will be leading a DIY demo on making mushroom shoyu-koji for attendees hoping to leave with a commemorative souvenir. The unique seasoning is made by fermenting koji, salt and mushrooms, with the fungus provided by Rudy’s Exotic Produce.
The Mushroom Mania agenda also includes a panel on the state of psychoactive plants and fungi in Virginia; a tasting from Virginia Beach vegan cafe CLTRE, which plans to pour its Macashrüm, a house blended coffee featuring turkey tail, cordycepts, shaga, reishi and maca root; a reishi-growing session from Baltispore; a screening of the Netflix animated series “Mush, Mush and the Mushables”; and a mushroom costume contest.
“They’re an adorable phenomena, I just love it,” Vincelli says. “There are so many ways they fit into our life, and we know so little about them. I just thought, ‘What if we make space for them and allow local people to share what they know about mushrooms?’”
Memorable Mushrooms
Must-try Richmond dishes featuring fungi
The Answer Brewpub: Beer-battered mushrooms served with ranch dressing. Of course Richmond’s king of beer, An Bui, is going to give us the best beer-battered option.
Dinamo: Lovely, thick slices of the king of mushrooms sauteed with butter, herbs and sherry and salted just right, then tossed with tagliatelle. King oyster mushrooms have a nice firm texture and add a little snap in this delightful dish. Keep an eye out for roasted maitakes, morels and chanterelle mushroom pizza in season.
Edo’s Squid: A heaping pile of spaghetti, garlic, olive oil, mushrooms = The Karl. Just embrace the garlic breath; this legendary holdover from Mamma Zu is worth it.
Elegant Cuizines: Vegan jerk “crab” croquettes are filled with lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper, all tossed in chef-owner Theresa Headen’s jerk spice and served with a side of housemade vegan tartar sauce. The impressive crab-like texture of this dish will surprise you. Fungi fact: Mushrooms and crabs both contain high levels of chitin — a primary component of mushroom cell walls and the exoskeletons of crabs and shellfish, perhaps the reason why the texture is so similar.
GWARbar: Marinated portobello slices are dipped in mustard batter and fried. Served with horseradish sauce or vegan ranch.
Hot for Pizza: Temple of Boom is an all-out fungus feast of crimini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms on a bed of roasted garlic sauce that’s topped with ricotta, feta, mozzarella, provolone, balsamic reduction and fresh rosemary. Bonus: vegan option available. This is one of the only pizzerias in town that allows you to choose from several types of mushrooms on their build-your-own menu.
Nile Kitchen: The owners of longstanding Ethiopian restaurant Nile transitioned to a frozen food business this year. Their Ethiopian ingubay tibs, button mushrooms sauteed with onions, jalapeno, rosemary and garlic in a berbere-spiced garbanzo gravy, is available to order online. Eat it with injera, a spongy, sour, fermented flatbread.
Nomad Deli & Catering Co.: Crispy-fried oyster mushrooms, zesty cocktail sauce and cooling slaw served on a 12-inch roll make for a magical mushroom combo. While the huge sandwich is big enough to share with your bestie, get two and keep one all to yourself.
O’Toole’s: Button mushrooms are batter-dipped and fried crispy and golden with a creamy horseradish sauce. A bite of these will take you right to your favorite “chipper” in Galway, especially if they’re singing pub songs in the back.
Sen Organic Small Plate: The Sen mushroom hot pot is a sweet and sour Southern broth (Lẩu chua cay Nam Bộ) made with lemongrass, ginger, pineapple, okra, tomato and tofu, finished with basil, cilantro, rice paddy, herb and fried shallot. It is served with a tray of rice noodles, butternut squash, chrysanthemum, water cress and celery, and mushrooms. The impressive platter of assorted exotic mushrooms includes maitake, shiitake, oyster, king, enoki, straw, beech, snow (white) and white shimeji. This hot pot serves two to four people and is perfect for a special occasion.
Spice of India: Mushroom saag features cremini mushrooms cooked in a smooth, spiced spinach sauce. This heavily seasoned dish is incredibly flavorful, and the addition of mushrooms gives it a juicy, satisfying texture. Fungi fact: Cremini mushrooms, button mushrooms and portobellos are all the same mushroom, just at different stages of maturity.
—Compiled by Lauren Vincelli
