Hundreds of fungiphiles from around Santa Cruz County and the Bay Area gathered like gregarious clusters of mushrooms at the London Nelson Community Center Saturday to listen to talks from renowned mycologists, learn more about local mushrooms and admire the hundreds of fruiting bodies on display.
After a pandemic-related hiatus, the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair will return to the London Nelson Community Center and will once again transform the space into a recreated woodland habitat, which will be filled with hundreds of local mushrooms, from the red and white fly agaric to golden chantarelles, black trumpets and everything in between.
Chef Katherine Stern’s long-awaited restaurant The Midway opens Thursday at 1209 Soquel Ave. (the former site of Oyunaa’s Mongolian Cuisine). Hours for the initial soft opening stage are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday-Monday; the restaurant will be closed on Dec. 31. The plan is to add dinner service in mid-to-late January.