Scott Ostuni is an autodidact, mycologist, and mushroom photographer who focuses on fungal taxonomy in the southeastern United States. He specializes in fungal identification based on molecular data and traditional methods. Some of his accolades include describing two new species of psilocybin-containing mushrooms, Psilocybe niveotropical
Scott Ostuni is an autodidact, mycologist, and mushroom photographer who focuses on fungal taxonomy in the southeastern United States. He specializes in fungal identification based on molecular data and traditional methods. Some of his accolades include describing two new species of psilocybin-containing mushrooms, Psilocybe niveotropicalis and Psilocybe caeruleorhiza, as well as contributing to the understanding of the distribution of various fungi species in Florida. Scott is currently studying the genus Panaeolus and collaborates with professionals and academics worldwide. As a mycologist, he blurs the line between amateur and professional, using his expertise and passion to recruit aspiring mycologists to help outline the biodiversity of fungi in Florida.
Affiliations:
Fungal Diversity Survey (FunDiS)
NAMA DNA Sequencing Committee
Entheome (Entheogen Genome Project)
Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab
Mycota Labs
Florida Mycological Society
Sarah Hawkins is an avid forager from the Appalachian Foothills with a love for edible and medicinal wilds. She is a licensed wild mushroom identification specialist and is certified in nine eastern states, including Georgia. Sarah is passionate about passing on her knowledge of wild mushrooms, sharing foraging skills and tips, as well a
Sarah Hawkins is an avid forager from the Appalachian Foothills with a love for edible and medicinal wilds. She is a licensed wild mushroom identification specialist and is certified in nine eastern states, including Georgia. Sarah is passionate about passing on her knowledge of wild mushrooms, sharing foraging skills and tips, as well as teaching on the many benefits of foraging. Ever eager to learn and connect with others, she offers guided forages, workshops, and mentorships around the southeast and beyond through her venture: Flossie May Forage (@flossiemay_), which focuses on educating about ethical foraging of beneficial wild foods and medicines. Sarah was recently featured in August 2024 issue of Atlanta Magazine in an article about wild mushrooms. She says, “We’re hard-wired to live in close connection with nature, so whether I come out of the woods with one mushroom or a whole bag of mushrooms, I come out feeling more human.”
KEVIN is the owner and operator of Blue Ridge Chaga Connection, founded in 2018. Being based in Asheville, NC locates him in the Appalachian mountain range. Kevin offers locally-foraged, edible/medicinal mushrooms, using 100% sustainable methods of foraging, processing and packaging. His expertise encompasses college classes in Horticult
KEVIN is the owner and operator of Blue Ridge Chaga Connection, founded in 2018. Being based in Asheville, NC locates him in the Appalachian mountain range. Kevin offers locally-foraged, edible/medicinal mushrooms, using 100% sustainable methods of foraging, processing and packaging. His expertise encompasses college classes in Horticulture and Botany, and extensive knowledge and experience gained from local experts in Mycology, Botany and Chinese Herbs. Kevin has studied the arts of Foraging, Plant Identification, Tincture and Tea Making, and learned the many uses and values of medicinal plants, edible plants and mushrooms in our region. He has 17 years of experience foraging and working with mushrooms. As a life long student of the Fungi Kingdom,Kevin continues to learn about new species, researching the medicinal properties of many varieties of mushrooms in the region, and creating new formulas.
Don King, also known as The Mushroom Hunter, can often be found hiking the forests of Ohio and neighboring states in search of wild mushrooms and other delicious and healthy edibles, which he considers to be the pinnacle of sustainable, local foods. He has also studied wild mushrooms in Mexico, Colombia, and Canada. Don has been foraging
Don King, also known as The Mushroom Hunter, can often be found hiking the forests of Ohio and neighboring states in search of wild mushrooms and other delicious and healthy edibles, which he considers to be the pinnacle of sustainable, local foods. He has also studied wild mushrooms in Mexico, Colombia, and Canada. Don has been foraging for over two decades, and has been teaching mushroom identification for 16 years. He has made over a dozen appearances on Fox8’s New Day Cleveland morning show, and has run hundreds of foraging classes and workshops through organizations such as Cleveland Metroparks, Holden Arboretum, the Cuyahoga County Library system, The Ohio Mushroom Festival, Ohio Wild Food Fest, Reeds & Roots Skillshare gatherings, and The Wilderness Center. In December of 2023, Don joined Akron, Ohio-based Epiphany Mushroom Co, a mushrooms and mental health company, as their Director of Mycology, spearheading their cultivation and processing of mushrooms for both culinary and medicinal use, as well as their mushroom-based culinary products. Affiliations:
Fungal Diversity Survey (FunDiS)
NAMA DNA Sequencing Committee
Entheome (Entheogen Genome Project)
Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab
Mycota Labs
Florida Mycological Society
TO BE ANNOUNCED
TO BE ANNOUNCED
GEORGIA MUSHROOM FESTIVAL
OCTOBER 17 - 19, 2025
HISTORIC EUHARLEE, GA
$40 DAY TICKET (full day program)
$100 Full Weekend (full weekend program)
BLUEGRASS FRIDAY (only Friday) $40
JAM (only Saturday) $50