Mushroom-themed food for sale at a previous Santa Cruz Fungus Fair. Photo credit: Yevgeny Nyden
Calling all mushroom fans: the annual Santa Cruz Fungus Fair is this weekend — you can watch cooking demos, buy mushroom-related food, and see lots of unusual mushrooms. The event is at Louden Nelson Community Center in downtown Santa Cruz.
The event began Friday, Jan. 9 and most events are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat-Sun. January 10-11.
The Fungus Fair draws more than 2,000 visitors each year. A special habitat display area, beautifully arranged, will showcase hundreds of mushroom species commonly found in the Santa Cruz/San Francisco/Monterey Bay area. A Kids Room open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday offers hands-on projects such as making clay mushrooms, coloring fabric with mushroom dyes, and face painting.
The program schedule includes a Sunday 3-4 p.m. cooking demo by Chef Zachary Mazi, paired with wines from Fenestra Winery. Mazi is a 2006 graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, and was voted “Best Personal Chef in Santa Cruz” in local newspaper Good Times’ 2014 poll.
The Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz, a non-profit organization that aims to expand the understanding and appreciation of mycology (study of mushrooms), hosts the fair.
See complete schedule at ffsc.us/fair/2015/schedule.
Also—if you’re a mushroom lover, check out the web site for NEXT weekend’s Big Sur Foragers Festival at www.bigsurforagersfestival.org (Jan. 16-18, 2015).
On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie.
The Details:
Admission: Sat-Sun – $10 Adults, $5 Seniors & Students, free for kids under 12
Location: Louden Nelson Community Center, 301 Center Street (at corner of Laurel) – some street parking available at center; another option is further down Center Street near the police station