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Learn about mushrooms, both deadly and delicious, at the 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair, brought to you by the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. View hundreds of regional species, have your mushroom finds identified, and explore the secrets of the fungal kingdom. Mushrooms fascinate us! They're ubiquitous and mysterious, delicious and sometimes deadly. They're among the oldest living things on earth. Excited to learn more? You might be a fungiphile! Learn About Fungi Explore the World of Fungi Join us as we hunt mushrooms for scientific interest and for the table. Learn to create art with fungi. Spend time outdoors and share your fungi finds with friends! Explore All Events We Keep the "fun" in fungus! Our mission is to foster and expand the understanding and appreciation of mycology among our members and the general public. And to always keep the “fun” in fungus! Why Join FFSC? Previous Next Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz "An eating and drinking club with a mushroom problem" -- Henry Young January 9-11, 2026 Santa Cruz, CA Thanks for visiting! Fungus Fair Fungus Fair Fungus Fair Fungus Fair The 2026 Santa Cruz Upcoming FFSC Events October 20, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM October 2026 Speaker | Maya Elson : Megafires, Floods and Fungi With the rise of catastrophic megafires and flooding, we look to fungi and other microbes as nature’s mediators between fire and water. Join FFSC in a discussion with Maya about how to organize and integrate inoculants into land tending practices, as well as how to contribute to community science. November 17, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM November 2026 Speaker | Save the Date : Details TBD Check back at the beginning of the season to learn about our November monthly speaker. December 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM – December 6, 2026 at 11:00 AM Albion I Long-Distance Foray, December 2026 Save the date for our December foray in Mendocino! Enjoy fruiting fungi, pleasant people, feast on fabulous foods, and refreshing rains. Explore All Events Recent News & Stories More Articles Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Committee July 7, 2026 at 12:46:30 PM Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Logo Design Contest 2027 Thanks to all who entered the 2027 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair logo design contest. We have contacted all artists with the status of their entries. Pinned to top Hugh Smith July 3, 2026 at 9:45:00 AM Earth Stars — Astreas Hygrometricus I went to Yuba County to hunt for Earth Stars. Although they are curled up and dry during the summer months, they aren’t too hard to find once you find a few older stray ones. The grass isn’t tall and it’s dry as well. Pinned to top Lisa Tesler June 18, 2026 at 2:13:00 PM Spring Fungi of the Sierra Nevada - 2026 Recap Each spring, the retreat of the snowpack provides a unique ecological window of opportunity for “snowbank fungi”, a group of mushrooms that (as the name suggests) grow in and around snowbanks. As spring gives way to summer, curious mycophiles from around the world gather at a rustic campus in Tahoe National Forest to study these fascinating fungi. Pinned to top Follow @scfungusfed on Instagram

Noah Siegel Speaker, Author, Mycologist Noah is one of North America’s foremost field mycologists; he has spent over three decades seeking, photographing, identifying, and furthering his knowledge about all aspects of macrofungi. He travels and lectures extensively across America, following the mushrooms from coast to coast. Noah was the recipient of the 2022 North American Mycological Association’s Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology. His primary research interest is on the taxonomy and systematics of fungi. He authored, along with Christian Schwarz, " Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast ", and " Mushrooms of Cascadia ", as well as " A Field Guide to the Rare Fungi of California's National Forests ". He is currently working on " Mushrooms of Alaska ", with Steve Trudell and Kate Mohatt. 2026 Noah Siegel 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast From towering redwoods to live oak woodlands, northern California has diverse habitats which host a dazzling array of fungi. From the worlds largest chanterelle,… Show More Saturday, January 11, 2025 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM Room 3 Adventures of a Mycohobo Ever wonder what mushrooms occur in the jungles of tropical Africa and South America, or the dripping, moss covered Antarctic Beech forests of New… Show More Sunday, January 12, 2025 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Room 3 California: Land of the Year Round Mushroom Forage From wet coastal forests to high mountains, California has varied habitats. Because of this, you have the ability to hunt mushrooms year round without… Show More Sunday, January 14, 2024 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Room 3

2024 Fair Speakers Visitors at the 2024 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair were treated to great talks by these speakers.

Michael Beug Professor Emeritus, Evergreen State College Michael Beug is Professor Emeritus of The Evergreen State College and an award-winning photographer, with photographs published in over 50 books and articles. He is principal author (with Alan and Arleen Bessette) of Ascomycete Fungi of North America: A Mushroom Reference Guide . He writes about mushrooms in McIlvainea , The Mycophile , Fungi Magazine , and Mushroom: The Journal of Wild Mushrooming . He created 25 PowerPoint mushroom programs available through the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) as a two-DVD set. He is a coauthor of MatchMaker , a free mushroom identification program covering 4,092 taxa with over 5,000 images of 1,984 illustrated taxa (www.matchmakermushrooms.com). He was winner of the 2006 NAMA Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology. He is chair of the NAMA Toxicology Committee, chair the Editorial Committee and past editor of the journal McIlvainea. In the Columbia River Gorge, he currently studies the unique fungal ecosystem associated with Quercus garryana where he has found roughly 50 unnamed Cortinarius species, many unnamed Hebeloma species, new species of Russula, a new Amanita , a new Polyozellus (a blue Chanterelle), a new morel and a new Sarcomyxa as well as numerous species previously thought to be restricted to California and Southern Oregon. His hobbies are organic farming and winemaking. 2026 Michael Beug with Morels 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets

Cass Fuentes Cassendra Fuentes has been a member of the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz for several years. Her interest in mushrooms started when she was a teenager, but her love for the world of fungi blossomed after attending the FFSC Fungus Fair. Her mycological interests and hobbies include low-tech mushroom cultilvation, mycoremediation, foraging and utilizing medicinal mushrooms. She is currently part of the FFSC fair's set-up committe, former Minister of Local Forays, and is pursuing a degree in Biology at Cabrillo College. The technique for growing Oyster mushrooms from toilet paper rolls is one that she first encountered while attending the Telluride Mushroom Festival in Colorado. 2026 Cassendra Fuentes 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets

Chef John Paul Lechtenberg Executive Chef at Hollins House in Santa Cruz Chef JP grew up eating Filipino and German recipes. His multicultural background afforded an interesting view on the “similarities but complete differences” in his first food experiences. 2026 Chef John Paul Lechtenberg 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets

John Brown Got Inocybes? FFSC TITLE: Minister emeritus MEMBER SINCE : 1992 John started started his ministership in Stores and finished in Science. In recent years his attention was devoted to an independent study of the genus Inocybe, with mentoring from Dr. Dennis Desjardin. John was known for his patience and good humor, especially with novice mushroomers. PiPi Valley was his favorite place to hunt boletes. R.I.P. 2026 John Brown 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets

Professor Terry Henkel Humboldt State University Dr. Terry Henkel is Professor of Mycology and Botany, in the Department of Biological Sciences, at Humboldt State University (HSU). Dr. Henkel received his PhD from Duke University in 2001, and has taught at HSU since 2002. Mycology has been a strong dimension at HSU for over 40 years. Dr. Henkel has maintained this tradition by offering courses in Microfungi, Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes, Forest Pathology, and Field Mycology. His research has pioneered the study of macrofungi in remote, pristine tropical rainforests of South America’s Guiana Shield and the Central Africa’s Congo Basin. Locally, Henkel and graduate students have examined the overlooked, but important roles of indigenous forest pathogenic fungi in shaping community structure of coniferous forests of the northern California Coast Range. This work has led to nearly 90 peer-reviewed publications with numerous student co-authors. Visit his Cal Polcy Humboldt homepage at https://www.humboldt.edu/biological-sciences/terry-henkel-phd and research website at www.tropicalfungi.org 2026 Dr. Terry Henkel 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets

Chef Maurice Dissels Executive Chef, Birks Restaurant Executive Chef Maurice Dissels’ first childhood memory of his grandmother, in the hope of making him a good Cajun cook, is feeding him a taste of her spicy chili sauce. He remembered crying in his high chair. But he is smiling today as he works on the latest stage of his culinary development as the Executive Chef of Birk’s restaurant. An American Grill located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, Birk’s has been the leading force in South Bay power dining for over 18 years. The area’s movers and shakers know that Birk’s well-executed menu of salads, pastas and sandwiches for lunch, as well as, USDA prime steaks, chops and seasonal fresh fish along with Petaluma poultry for dinner features top-notch ingredients served in a lively atmosphere that resonates the vibrancy of life in the valley. Birk’s has a well stocked bar featuring an impressive array of single-malt scotch, microbrews on tap and excellent wines both by the glass and bottle. Maurice has traveled a long way to reach his current post as the Executive chef of Birk’s. Born in South America, he is a native of British Guyana. He formally studied culinary arts with a strong background in Cajun/Caribbean cuisine and food science. 2026 Chef Maurice (Moe) Dissels 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets

Chef Eric Carter Chef Instructor - Advanced Culinary Arts Chef Eric Carter is director at Cabrillo College’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program. In addition to classroom teaching, Eric’s responsibilities include the Pino Alto Restaurant at the Sesnon House, where students prepare and serve carefully prepared meals in beautiful surroundings. Another recent offering under Eric’s guidance is the Dare to Pair food and wine pairing event, offered with the Surf City Vintners. Aspiring chefs and vintners collaborate to create sublime pairings. Food and wine pairings, especially involving mushrooms, will be offered at the 2014 Fungus Fair After-Hours Dinner on Saturday, January 11. Chef Eric Carter will collaborate with Eric Baugher, Director of Winemaking at Ridge Vineyards' Monte Bello Winery. 2026 Chef Eric Carter. © Pino Alto Restaurant.webp 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets

Richard Lyness Walk softly in the woods. FFSC TITLE: Minister emeritus MEMBER SINCE: 1995 Former FFSC President, Richard Lyness was a relatively recent convert to being partisan of mushrooms and fungus. He discovered FFSC 20 years ago, learning that most partisans appreciate good wine, value good food, and walk slowly through the woods. Richard has been our Program Minister and a partisan of the Culinary Committee. In his other life, Richard was a career counselor, executive coach, and an expert witness on vocational issues in Family Court. He also was an avid partisan in Chefs Lounge. 1948-2021 R.I.P. 2026 Richard Lyness 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets

Debbie Viess Debbie Viess, aka "Amanitarita", is a trained biologist, writer and artist who has been seriously obsessed with the study of all things fungi for over fifteen years. She is co-founder of the Bay Area Mycological Society (BAMS), a dynamic, science-centric mushroom club in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has written about mushrooms extensively both online and in print, and has lectured about mushrooms to mushroom enthusiasts and the general public across the country. In March, 2008 she produced an extensive, illustrated lecture on California Amanitas for the U.C. Berkeley Natural History Museums for a "Science Cafe." Viess has taught mushroom classes through the California Academy of Sciences, Albany Adult School, the Audubon Society, UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens and Pt. Reyes Field Seminars. Debbie was most recently published in Manzanita , the journal of the Friends of Regional Parks Botanic Garden. Her lead article, East Bay Amanitas: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful , has generated quite a bit of interest. 2026 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets