2025 Working Lineup

Alan Rockefeller

Alan is a mycologist specializing in DNA barcoding, field photography, and fungal microscopy. Committed to his cause, Alan has been studying fungal diversity for more than two decades, and since 2001 he has photographed more than 2,500 species of fungi. In order to discover new fungi, and spark interest in the hearts and minds of those new to the field, Alan regularly leads forays all over North America, including Mexico where he has been studying the mushroom diversity for 15 years and is consequently bilingual. Alan’s contributions to community science have been widespread, and his dedication to teaching thousands of people over several years how to extract and amplify the DNA of their mushroom finds for sequencing is remarkable, and remains unparalleled. As of today, Alan has uploaded more than 700 of his own fungal DNA sequences to Genbank, and he is a co-author on several scientific papers, including publications documenting new species of bioluminescent Mycena and Psilocybe. Alan is also devoted to the art of macroscopic mushroom identification and legitimately spends hours each day identifying mushrooms for the general public. Amazingly, he has identified over 300,000 fungi on websites like iNaturalist, Mushroom Observer, and various Facebook Groups. Nothing short of a powerhouse, Alan Rockefeller is an authority on the leading edge of mycology, who is beloved by his community for the knowledge and value he contributes to the field.

Mushroom Photography: A brief summary of what Alan has learned about mushroom photography in the past 20 years. How to get take good mushroom pictures using anything from a cell phone to a professional camera. 

Chef Gus Trejo – Culinary Artisan Rooted in Tradition and Sustainability
Chef Gus Trejo’s culinary journey is rooted in his deep connection to the land and his Portuguese-Latin heritage. Spending summers on his uncle’s ranch in Portugal, he developed a respect for quality ingredients and sustainability, learning from his family’s
hands-on approach to farming, hunting, and fishing. These formative experiences shape his cooking today, where he blends bold flavors and traditional techniques with a modern twist.

Chef Trejo’s career has taken him to prestigious resorts in San Diego, Maui, Carmel, and Granada, Spain, allowing him to work with diverse ingredients and regional flavors. His travels through Spain, Portugal, the UK, and Ireland further enriched his culinary
expertise, deepening his appreciation for traditional European cuisines.

At the heart of Chef Trejo’s approach is a commitment to sustainability and local sourcing. On California’s Central Coast, he builds strong relationships with local farmers, fishermen, and artisans, ensuring that his menus showcase the region's best
produce and seafood. This commitment reflects not only his culinary philosophy but his dedication to supporting the local community and its environment.

In the kitchen, Chef Trejo fosters collaboration, drawing on his childhood lessons of teamwork and open communication. Each team member, from chefs to prep cooks, contributes to the creativity and success of the dishes.

While Chef Trejo doesn’t have a single “signature dish,” he focuses on highlighting the fresh, seasonal ingredients of the Central Coast. His menus celebrate the diversity of local produce and seafood, blending traditional techniques with modern creativity.

Currently, Chef Trejo brings his passion for sustainability and quality to the Jack O'Neill Restaurant in Santa Cruz, where he crafts dishes that reflect the region’s bounty. Looking ahead, he envisions a future for California cuisine rooted in sustainability, community, and a deep respect for the land. Chef Trejo’s ultimate goal is to inspire
others to appreciate and celebrate the bounty of the land, its people, and the culture that shapes every dish.

Dr. Gordon Walker

Dr. Gordon Walker is originally from Cambridge, MA but also spent time growing up on the Northshore of Massachusetts. For undergrad he attended UC Santa Cruz where he got his B.S. in Biochemistry. For grad school he attended UC Davis where he completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He then worked Opus One winery isolating wild yeast and pioneering new wine technologies. Worked in biotechnology sales around the Bay Area, then returned to UC Davis where he completed postdoctoral work on fermentation process control. Besides his passion for all things fungi and fermentation, he is an avid chef, forager, and gardener. He resides in Napa, CA. 

https://fascinatedbyfungi.com/pages/about

 Overview of Kingdom Fungi: Weird and Wonderful Ways Fungi Live: A broad overview of the fungal kingdom with an emphasis on the basics of ecology, chemistry, reproduction, life styles, associations, and more.

Dr. Christopher Hobbs

Dr. Christopher Hobbs is a fourth-generation, internationally renowned herbalist, licensed acupuncturist, author, clinician, botanist, mycologist, and research scientist with over 35 years of experience with herbal medicine.

Christopher has a doctorate from UC Berkeley in phylogenetics, evolutionary biology and phytochemistry. He is also a founding member of the American Herbalists Guild.

https://christopherhobbs.com/

Medicinal Mushrooms

Maya Elson

Maya is a co-founder of Radical Mycology, and has started Applied Mycology groups in Olympia, WA and the San Francisco Bay area. Maya was the Executive Director of CoRenewal from 2016-2021, where they supported research in Regenerative Mycology. They are the co-founder and Program Coordinator of the Post Fire Biofiltration Initiative, an effort and experiment using fungi to prevent toxins from burned homes from entering waterways in Central California. Maya has also played a central role in four studies that seek to develop methodologies for applying inocula post fire for erosion control, toxin mitigation, forest fuels reduction and ecological regeneration. Maya is currently involved with Maui Bioremediation Group, aiding in the effort to mitigate toxic ash from the recent fires. At UC Santa Cruz, Maya is a mycological consultant and researcher developing educational programs that expand our scientific understanding of the role of fungi for increasing wildfire resilience. Maya developed the term “Mycopsychology” as a modality for facilitating deeper connection with Fungi for personal and planetary transformation, and runs a mycological education business called MycoPyschology Experiences. 

Vellany Pierce
Santa Cruz County local and  member of the FFSC for 15 over years serving as minister of digital media as well as helping to lead local forays. Vellany is currently the Prime Minister for the group. Always having had an interest in fungi, Vellany is a self taught mushroom cultivator and has worked for Far West Fungi for the past 8 years as spawn lab technician. 

 Building Culture Through Myco-Communities 

Indy Officinalis

Indy Officinalis is a forager, educator, urban farmer, and steward of both her environment and her community.  She is currently transforming a small plot of land in Los Angeles to create a mutual aid model demonstration farm. Her work is centered around the amplification of black and brown communities and food insecure regions. She is the host of NatGeo's TV Series "Farm Dreams" featured on Disney and Hulu.

Chef Jonny Black

Born in the Bay Area and raised in Virginia, Chef Jonny Black was exposed to the diversity of regional, coastal American cuisines at a young age. He received a full scholarship to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, graduating with honors in 2007. He then moved to New York City, where he strengthened his skills as an opening team member at Allen & Delancey and Corton before joining Per Se as Chef de Partie. After six years in New York and three months staging in Europe, Black saw an opportunity to head west, joining the Quince team in San Francisco as Chef de Cuisine.

After three years in San Francisco, Black returned to the East Coast to open Pineapple & Pearls in Washington, D.C., as Executive Sous Chef, helping the restaurant earn two Michelin stars in its first year. Eventually, he was drawn back to California by the opportunity to work alongside Dominique Crenn as her first-ever Executive Chef. There, he oversaw culinary operations for Atelier Crenn, Petit Crenn, and the opening of Bar Crenn—the first of which earned its third Michelin star during his tenure, while Bar Crenn earned its first.

In 2019, Black relocated to Monterey Bay, assuming the role of Executive Chef at Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. With a vision for opening his own family-run restaurant in the tight-knit community of Carmel-by-the-Sea, he spent nearly two years observing the region’s dining culture and gaining a deep appreciation for the hyper-regional seafood and produce of the Monterey Peninsula.

That vision became Chez Noir, which quickly garnered national recognition for its refined yet soulful approach to California coastal cuisine. Within its first year, Chez Noir was awarded a Michelin star and was named one of Esquire’s Top 50 Best New Restaurants of 2023. It was also recognized as a James Beard Award Finalist for Best New Restaurant (2023) and, more recently, Black was named a James Beard Award Semifinalist for Best Chef: California (2025).

At Chez Noir, Chef Black blends his technical expertise with a nuanced celebration of thoughtfully sourced ingredients, offering a modern, European-influenced take on California’s coastal bounty.

William Padilla-Brown

Founder and CEO of MycoSymbiotics, William Padilla-Brown is a Multidisciplinary Citizen Scientist practicing social science, mycology, phycology, molecular biology, and additive manufacturing. William founded MycoSymbiotics in 2015, and has since developed it into the innovative practical applied biological science business it is today. William holds permaculture design certificates acquired through Susquehanna Permaculture and NGOZI, and a certificate from the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in algal culturing techniques. He has published the first English-language books on cultivating the cordyceps mushroom and regularly leads courses on their cultivation. William's research has been sponsored by several organizations and his work has been featured in multiple publications, including Fantastic Fungi and VICE. He also founded and manages MycoFest, an annual mushroom and arts festival, now on its tenth year!

Truffle The Earth's Ultimate Mushrooms: Did you know that truffles are mushrooms? Truffles hold incredible potential as medicinal mushrooms and beneficial mycorhizzae in Food Forestry. Get the download from Wills recent trips to Spain and Oregon to study Truffles.

Allison Feduccia

Allison is PhD, is a neuropharmacologist, psychedelic researcher, and educator. She is the Co-Founder + CEO of Psychedelic Support, a platform for education and connection to psychedelic practitioners, and a scientific advisor for Project New Day and the Etheridge Foundation, 501(c)3 nonprofits dedicated to helping people overcome addiction and actualize mental health through the responsible use of psychedelics. She began researching MDMA in 2004 and has worked on mental health research at UT Austin, UCSF, NIH, and MAPS PBC. Dr. Feduccia has authored 30 publications on psychedelics and mental health in peer-reviewed journals and several continuing education courses and articles. She lives in Santa Cruz, CA where she enjoys cooking, hiking in the redwood forest, and spending time with horses.

Journeying Within: Exploring Psilocybin Therapy for Mental Wellness Join us for an illuminating journey into the emerging field of psilocybin therapy for mental wellness. Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms, has garnered increasing attention for its potential therapeutic benefits in treating various mental health conditions. Through a combination of scientific research, clinical trials, and anecdotal evidence, we take a look at how psilocybin-assisted therapy and microdosing are revolutionizing our approach to mental wellness.

Amanda Janney

Amanda founded KM Mushrooms  in 2023. KM mushrooms is a woman-owned gourmet mushroom farm based in Santa Rosa. Fully solar-powered, KM serves San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma and Napa Counties and is on a mission to help you eat more mushrooms.

How To Scale A Mushroom Farm: This presentation is more of a conversation between Erik Lomen of Maine Cap N Stem and Amanda Janney of KM Mushrooms exploring a wide variety of cultivation topics relevant to the complex conversation around scaling a mushroom business, working with other decentralized cultivators, running a spore to store operation, collaborating and innovating to bring new species of fungi to the dinner plates of America, among all the other topics specific to growing with the rising tide!

Chad Hyatt

Chad Hyatt has made a name for himself in Northern California and beyond by sharing his delicious spin on wild mushroom cookery at public and private events. Both an expert forager and classically trained chef, he has cooked in a variety of restaurants and private clubs around the San Francisco Bay area, where he can often be found putting on wild mushroom themed dinners and teaching mushroom related classes.

Chad dove into mushroom hunting shortly after beginning his cooking career, and quickly gained a local reputation for eating the “weird mushrooms” that nobody else collected. As his mushroom hunting knowledge improved, his kitchen skills began to open up doors to cooking and teaching at various mushroom events in California and beyond. He still has a reputation for eating all of the weird mushrooms, though these days people often pay to share the experience.

Cooking Demo

David Poplin

David Poplin is the founder of Humboldt Mycology, a psilocybin mushroom company that produces high quality mushroom products along with educational content/ lectures. He studied biochemistry at Humboldt State University which has lead him into understanding many different extraction methods and ideology. His goal is to provide a better understanding on extractions so people have the confidence and knowledge to be able to grow and make their own medicines.

Extraction Methods for Medicinal Compounds

Jeff Ravage

Cold Fire Project, Colorado

Felipe & Wendy Bravo

Fox Tale Fermentation Project

Eleana Hsu

Shared Cultures

Aixarret Hernandez

Mycelium Matters

Taye Bright
Taye Bright is a mycologist, naturalist, artist and all-around biophile passionate about fungal ecology, plant-fungal symbioses, bioremediation, ethnomycology, community science and conservation. She is especially interested in allying with fungi to encourage ecological literacy, create life-ways in alignment with bioregional intelligence and uplift cultural narratives that encourage interspecies reciprocity. Taye works for the Fungal Diversity Survey, the only nonprofit focused on North America's fungal biodiversity and conservation. There, she serves as a field mycologist for the California Fungal Diversity Survey and as co-coordinator for the West Coast Rare Fungi challenge. She is a post-fire bioremediation researcher for the Fire Ecology Network in X-Site Study (FENiXS), a climate adaptation study investigating the effects of microbial and fungal inocula on community resilience and ecosystem recovery. She leads classes, courses, workshops and walks around California and beyond focusing on increasing accessibility of mycological and ecological education outside of conventional academia. Furthermore, Taye is the Education and Outreach coordinator for CoRenewal, on the Conservation and Stewardship committee for the North American Mycological Association, and sits on the board for the Sonoma County Mycological Association and Bay Area Applied Mycology. Outside of her scientific work, you can find her in the garden talking with birds, experimenting with mushroom inks and dyes, surfing in frigid Pacific waters, reading Scandinavian mythology and writing nature-inspired poetry.

Caring for fungi through community science: The Fungal Diversity Survey (FUNDIS) is a non-profit focused on North America's fungal biodiversity and conservation. Bringing together people all over the continent ranging from community scientists to life-long professional mycologists, FUNDIS is building the framework for unprecedented community engagement, mycological advocacy, scientific discovery and fungal protection in North America. Join Taye Bright, a field mycologist for FUNDIS and co-coordinator for the West Coast Rare Fungi Challenge to hear exciting stories about discoveries made from year one of the CA Fungal Diversity Survey, insights from the rare fungi challenges, and most importantly, learn about fungal conservation and how you can get involved! For the love of fungi!

Jess Starwood

Jess Starwood is an established author, naturalist, chef, herbalist and educator. She recently wrote and photographed Mushroom Wanderland: A Forager’s Guide to Finding, Identifying and Using More Than 25 Wild Fungi. She is also the founder of SunRaven Apothecary, which offers small-batch handcrafted herbal goods for the journey of the body and mind.

Jess teaches foraging, wild foods, and nature education classes for children and adults. She founded The Wild Path, a wild food apprenticeship and educational program in 2020, which strives to connect the community to nature positively and sustainably. She also leads wild food group adventures on the West Coast, Southwest United States, and Mexico.

With a Master of Science degree in Herbal Medicine, Jess is pursuing a Doctorate of Science in Integrative Health from the American College of Healthcare Sciences. She has earned the Integrative Psilocybin Mushroom Specialist and Integrative Cannabis Specialist certifications.

She is a member of the Culinary Arts Committee for the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) and the editor of the amateur mycology journal McIllvainea. She is on the board of directors for the Arizona Mushroom Society and the Los Angeles Mycological Society.

Mushrooms Make Us Happy: A Holistic Perspective on the Brightside of Fungi: 

An engaging discussion on the mood-lifting compounds of fungi (such as 5htp, vitamins and minerals known to promote a healthy mental outlook, including psychoactive compounds in some species) as well as other components such as time outdoors, exercise, connection, community and diet.

Sarah-Kate Boylan

After exhausting all traditional medical treatment options for her daughter Lily’s
chronic seizures, Sarah-Kate found preliminary research suggesting functional
mushrooms could help Lily with her intractable epilepsy. With continuous use of
functional mushrooms alongside anti-seizure medication, Lily went from having an
average of 50 seizures a day to roughly one every few months.
Sarah-Kate's mission to fund research focusing on the effectiveness of medicinal
mushrooms and their potential to improve the quality of life for people living with
epilepsy bridges the gap between traditional and non-traditional approaches. She
plans to further research campaigns to prove efficacy that will eventually result in a
mushroom therapeutic for the treatment of epilepsy.

Medicinal mushroom research for epilepsy. How you can help!

Reggie Harris

Oakland Hyphae

Tomas Garrett

Myco Zine 

Marie Brennan 

Vegetable enthusiast, keen fermenter and an avid traveler. Her explorations are fueled by the desire to find her next pantry staple and learn yet another way to use onions. Her culinary focus is vegetarian, Californian cuisine that is imbued with global flavors. Her classes are known for their healthyish and punchy flavors as well as her non-dogmatic and enthusiastic approach to food. Marie graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Dietetics and in 2014 moved to the Bay Area to attend culinary arts school. She stayed for the produce and the sunshine. Marie lives in Berkeley California and works as an educator, consultant, private chef and recipe developer. You can learn more about Marie at www.hedonistinmoderation.com

Cooking demo: Sweet & Savory Mushroom & Cheese Shortbread

Tony Alvarez

Shroomy Walkabout

 Mama De La Myco: mushWOMB

Mikaela De La Myco

Aruna

Volcano Kimchi

Cindy Li

Forager & Full-time Frolicker

Elissa Callen 

Elissa Callen is an ecological artist working with local plants and fungi to make natural inks and pigments she uses as the staple materials in her art practice. She holds a BFA in Painting & Drawing from California College of the Arts, has a professional background in horticulture, and nearly ten years of experience using natural, locally gathered materials sustainably for color. Her practice is informed by her research in California ecology and the impact invasive plant species have on native biodiversity. 

She has taught with institutions throughout California including Fibershed, Theodore Payne Foundation, Point Reyes National Seashore, numerous mycological societies, schools, and more. She believes in using her work with sustainable natural materials as a means of increasing community interest in environmentalism, preservation, and connectedness to the native landscape. 

Using mushrooms to make pigments

Kyle Rosner

MYCOLOVE

MYCOREACH

Jacob DeVecchio

Jacob DeVecchio is the founder of Oklahoma Fungi, the Oklahoma City Mycology Club, and the Oklahoma Mushroom Festival. Oklahoma Fungi is dedicated to providing high-quality mushroom cultivation supplies and educational materials to the local community and beyond. Jacob adopts a family-friendly approach to education and has organized over 70 mushroom education classes, teaching more than 1,600 students since November 2021. His passion for mushroom foraging skyrocketed when he found a wild Psilocybe cubensis mushroom in southeastern Oklahoma. Jacob later released the same landrace genetics to the community as "Oklahoma Wild" to help spread the spores.

 Maria Finn

Sam Shoemaker

Tradd Cotter

Caleb Van Lynn

Aaron Tupac

Danielle Stevensen

Dennis Dejardan

and Mush Mush Mush More... 

Line Up will continue to be updated