Mushrooms have been on the up for a while and the trend we identified already last spring has blossomed with a new all-mushroom restaurant in New York City this summer. The pop-up concept is brought to life by the team at Overthrow Hospitality and is called Mushrooms & Beer - set for an initial three-month residency in East Village from this May.
Mushrooms are booming for a multitude of reasons, including Californian rainstorms causing an especially high yield in the states this year, as well as an ongoing nationwide revival for foraging which has been growing in the states for several years now.
Overthrow is sourcing its produce for the exciting pop-up from a few key urban, hydroponic farms which include Ozone Park's Mushroom Queens and Williamsburg's Smallhold.
Heading up the kitchen at the pop-up is mushroom fan and chef Juan Pajarito, of one of New York's most popular vegan restaurants, Avant Garden. Pajarito has created a menu that includes mushroom plates such as Oyster, tempura with ponzu hot sauce; Beech, cauliflower cheese, nori butter, breadcrumbs; and Lion's Mane, dumplings with daikon sauce.
Back in March 2022, we put a spotlight on the mushrooms trend in a healthwatching article - available for tfp trendhub subscribers. One of the key drivers behind the mushroom boom are their possible health benefits. But, the hype isn't just centred around human health, there's much to be said about the benefits to planetary health as well with the launch of new fungi-based alternative proteins and fungi-based materials.
Subscribers can read the Mushrooms healthwatching report in full here. If you're not yet subscribed but are interested in accessing our regular reporting, get in touch using the form below.