They're otherworldly, colorful, perhaps a touch eerie to some — coming to a plate near you. The Easterday Mushroom Company's mushrooms aren't only transforming perceptions of edible fungi, but contributing to the local food movement by providing many regional restaurants and home chefs with fresh mushrooms cultivated just a few minutes away from their doorsteps.
"You have local chefs and people cooking with our mushrooms and making art with them," says Justin Easterday, one of the company's founders. "It feels like we're the guys making the paints for your favorite artists. It's cool to contribute in some meaningful way."
The family-run business, officially founded in May 2024, is overseen by husband and wife Justin and Dima Easterday and Justin's brother Steffen, all of them self-taught mushroom farmers. Meaty black pearl kings, stringy lion's mane, and earthy chestnuts are just a sample of the varieties grown in their 1,300-square-foot Sandston facility. "All the ones we grow aren't really found in most supermarkets," says Justin. Available varieties fluctuate based on season.
Their champignons have sparked a culinary frenzy of sorts in Richmond, especially in area restaurants like The Roosevelt. The Church Hill mainstay has been incorporating their mushrooms since October 2024 after executive chef Leah Branch came across them at Birdhouse Farmers Market. "We got connected," says Branch. "They have beautiful mushrooms and we work with them a lot."
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