The West Ashley-based entrepreneur and farmer is cultivating fungi and community across the Lowcountry
CM: How did you get your start in cultivating mushrooms?
RS: I used to renovate houses and would listen to a lot of podcasts. In 2019, I found one from Paul Stamets, who is probably the most famous person for mushrooms in the country. He made it sound really compelling and cool. I did some research and found a bunch of people growing mushrooms out of their houses. There really wasn’t anybody doing it in Charleston, and I had the ability to build my own facility [at home] and teach myself. So I went for it, and then COVID happened—so I had to wait a year before things really got going.
CM: Any other challenges?
RS: Going out and getting business—I had no contacts in the restaurant industry except for Stephen Thompson at Dashi. I had a feeling people would want them, but I didn’t know if they would actually sell. I went to five or six of Charleston’s best restaurants—Circa 1886, FIG, Slightly North of Broad—and it worked out because those guys are willing to take a chance on new people. These days, about 30 local restaurants use our mushrooms off and on, including Wild Olive, Peninsula Grill, Slightly North of Broad, and Sorghum & Salt, to name a few.
CM: What varieties do you grow?
RS: Oysters, lion’s mane, maitake, king trumpet, chestnut, and golden enoki. I also grow reishi and turkey tail for extracts. I really like maitake right now. They’re probably the hardest to grow, but I think they taste the best; it’s kind of a woody flavor.
CM: How do you eat them?
RS: With maitake, I put them in a stir fry or an omelette. I like to fry oyster [mushrooms] and make lion’s mane into “crab” cakes. I’m allergic to shellfish so I just use it instead of crab.
CM: Where can we find them?
RS: At most of the farmers markets—Summerville, Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, Marion Square, and the Pour House—as well as the Veggie Bin and a couple of CSAs, like Lowcountry Street Grocery.
CM: When did you start making extracts and why?
RS: It took a couple seasons. I was looking for more things to sell at the markets. The extracts have a lot of health benefits, so I thought they would work well. People are very interested in mushroom culture.
CM: Tell us some of their benefits.
RS: They are all immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory. The turkey tail is a big one for supporting the immune system. Lion’s mane is for cognitive health. Reishi promotes rest and calmness. I take the lion’s mane and turkey tail in the morning and reishi an hour before bed.
CM: Tell us about your new facility.
RS: It’s a 5,000-square-foot warehouse in West Ashley. Everything’s been upgraded. It will double our capacity—maybe triple it.
CM: How did you come up with the business name?
RS: It just came to me—the mushroom motif for Super Mario Bros. got me thinking. I tweaked it until it fit with my business. I’m the only bro, though!
