Everything Mushrooms on Sevier Avenue has collaborated with local vendors to host what could be an inaugural event, the Knoxville Mushroom Festival.

It is happening 4-8 p.m. on June 18, and admission is free. There will be mushrooms, everything you need to grow them, recipes and mushroom vendors with their specialty products and food, as well as live music with Big Dog.

Emmanuel Gyebison owns online business Green Yams Teas selling cacao & matcha, Lion’s Mane mushroom and matcha, and mushroom grow kits.

“I do a lot of Knoxville’s farmers markets, selling my oyster mushrooms and Lion’s Mane (a large white, shaggy mushroom that resembles a lion's mane as they grow) and provide Good Golly Tamale with mushrooms for their vegan pot pie.”

Gyebison has noticed that in the year and a half he has been doing farmers markets, interest in mushrooms has grown and people want to talk to him about the Netflix documentary "Fantastic Fungi."

Gyebison pitched the idea of the festival to Everything Mushrooms. “They supply you with what you need to grow them; they don’t necessarily sell the mushrooms themselves,” he said. “Extraterrestrial Fungi grows mushrooms, and between the three of us we have enough knowledge for an event the community can enjoy while they listen to music.

“There are a lot of people who are interested in getting to know the local growers and producers,” he said. “At the community festival, people will be able to buy grow kits, learn how to make their own mushrooms and cultivate them — the waste turns into pretty good soil. We will share recipes, and even though we will not have an official speaker, we will be there to answer questions.”

Green Yams Teas will be on tap. For the teas they blend Lion’s Mane and Matcha and mushroom brew with cacao. Gyebison said they are a natural energy booster, with essentially no caffeine apart from the cacao.

“In terms of the mushroom itself it has a better texture than store-bought,” said Gyebison. “On the culinary side it has a rich, meaty texture. You can make fried chicken out of it and the texture is pretty on par with chicken. I am not a vegan, but I use it in my stir fry and I love the teas; they make me feel more focused.”

Everything Mushrooms relocated to Sevier Avenue about 12 years ago, and manager Ryan Herrmann said to his knowledge there has not been a Mushroom Festival before.

“There seems to be growing interest in microbiology. It has been a little unfocused or unorganized,” he said. “We are hoping to use this event as a jumping off point to bring in all interested parties.”

The cultivation supplier noticed an uptick during the pandemic in people wanting to learn about food sources they could grow themselves.

“We will be doing a demonstration on our particular log cultivation technique,” he said. “The shop will be open and hopefully it will be an opportunity for people to ask questions and learn more.”

Josiah Patterson, owner of Extraterrestrial Fungi, provides greater Knoxville area restaurants and farmers’ markets with fungi and will be providing the mushrooms for the other vendors to make their food, including SoKno Sourdough.

“People can try them out there,” he said. “I am going to basically have our whole farmers market set up with fresh and dry mushrooms, mushroom powders, mushroom jerky and grow kits so you can grow your own.”

Meik (Femeika) Elliott has been busy working on the Lotus Program, a postpartum meal service that will provide plant-based, nutritious meals and wellness resources to mothers who have just given birth. Elliott could not resist adding the upcoming Knoxville Mushroom Festival to her calendar.

“Emmanuel (Green Yam Teas) and Josiah (Extraterrestrial Fungi) are organizing the event and are great business partners,” said Elliott. “I have always purchased my oyster mushrooms from them, which is an excellent plant-based alternative to meat. I have been relaxing and working on my new business, but they convinced me because it is an exciting event that I’ve never done before.”

Elliott will do her rendition of a fried oyster mushroom po’boy with a vegan, non-dairy remoulade with pickles, tomatoes and maybe a bag of chips.

“I’m not sure about the drink yet, but most of my clients love my ocean water drink,” she said. It is made with pineapple juice, organic lemonade, spring water, blue spirulina and agave and is packed with vitamins and minerals.”

Alte Route Meals founder Hope Westall will be making gravy out of mushrooms and serving it with biscuits. Ghanian Chef Ramson of Kandilige Spicy Food will be making and selling vegan stew with oyster mushrooms, and there will be Green Yams Teas on tap for people to drink.

More: Knoxville Mushroom Festival at Everything Mushrooms, 1004 Sevier Ave.