Texas Mushroom Sporée — A Fungal Fundraiser

You're Invited to a Mycelial Soiree! (Spor-AY!)

Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating the Texas Star Mushroom, our beloved official state mushroom, at the historic Barr Mansion. This isn't your average fundraiser — it's a Sporée, where fungi fanatics, soil punks, naturalists, and the merely mushroom-curious gather under the stars and beneath the soil for a night of mycelial magic.

Expect top chef-curated mushroom bites, mocktails, Cocktails, live music, mycological storytelling, silent auction, a raffle with incredible prizes, and a guided UV night walk through the grounds. Whether you're here for the science, the food, the community, or just a really good excuse to dress up and talk about fungi — you belong here.

All proceeds support our education and recycling programs, Texas Star Mushroom research, and community education.

The silent auction begins online on Giving Tuesday, December 1st.

The Evening

6:00 PM — Gates Open: Cocktail Hour, Silent Auction & Raffle
Arrive to the warm glow of Barr Mansion. Enjoy chef-prepared mushroom appetizers, a signature Tito’s cocktail, and ambient music while you mingle with fellow fungi enthusiasts. Browse a small marketplace of local artisans and mycological makers.

7:00 PM — Welcome & Anniversary Moment
We honor the founders, volunteers, and community members who built our non-profit — and celebrate the Texas Star Mushroom's legacy as our official state mushroom.

7:15 PM — Featured Speakers
Liz Bowman (Mycologist) and Matt Powers share short talks on the Texas Star Mushroom, fungal ecology, and the cutting-edge research ahead. 15–20 minutes each.

8:15 PM — Music, Dessert & Raffle
The band takes over as dessert is served and our raffle winner is announced. Headline prize: a Boom Room 2 from North Spore ($500 value), plus grow kits, farm tours, local art, and more.

9:00 PM — UV Night Walk
Step outside with guides for a UV-powered walk through the Barr Mansion grounds. Discover fungi, lichen, and the hidden networks beneath your feet. Family-friendly — kids welcome!

9:45 PM — Closing Remarks
Final thanks, sponsor recognition, and a first look at what's next for CTMS.

10:00 PM — Event Concludes

Why We're Gathering

Every ticket, silent auction donation, raffle entry, and sponsorship supports:

• Food Equity & Security — our block recycling program, workshops, and fresh food access for food-insecure communities

• Texas Star Mushroom Research — genome sequencing, metabolomics, and soil ecology in partnership with Dr. Liz Bowman of UT, and international collaborators

• SporeCorps & Youth Education — Mycology 101 for the next generation of scientists, artists, and soil stewards

Sliding Scale Tickets

First 100 Mycelial Supporters get a free bag of ChagaRoot MycoProtein! Tickets are offered on a sliding scale to ensure accessibility for all: Tickets are offered on a sliding scale to ensure accessibility for all:

• Community Spore — $35
  Accessible ticket for those who need flexibility (limited)

• Fruiting Body — $60
  True-cost ticket covering the event experience

• Mycelium Supporter — $100
  For those who can give more and help fund others, a small gift of ChagaRoot MycoProtein! ($60 value, 1 lb)

• Patron — $250
  Reserved seating, lifetime membership, t-shirt, and a small gift bag

Kids 15 and under: Free (night walk included!)

No one turned away for lack of funds. Contact us for Community Spore access.

Sporée Tasting Menu

We have brought together a remarkable team of Austin chefs, each contributing one bite to a cohesive tasting menu celebrating the wild and cultivated mushrooms of Central Texas. Every dish is a donation — these chefs are lending their talent and time in support of our food equity, fungal research, and youth education programs.

From Chicken of the Woods to chanterelles, huitlacoche to masa dumplings, this menu is a journey through the fungal world — and a testament to what happens when chefs, foragers, and mycologists come together.

SAVORY BITES

Chicken Hearts Taco with Chicken of the Woods Miso Glaze

Chef Gabe Erales, Top Chef Season 18 Winner

Chef Gabe Erales brings a bite built around Chicken of the Woods — one of the most prized and abundant wild mushrooms of Central Texas, foraged fresh for the season. His Chicken Heart Alambre Taco layers the mushroom with a Chicken of the Woods miso glaze, a fermented expression of the mushroom that concentrates its savory depth and brings a deeply umami quality to the dish. It's finished with charred onion soubise and salsa negra de habanero — a smoky, slow-building heat that rounds out the bite. This is a taco that honors the mushroom in its purest form: wild, seasonal, and transformed through patience and craft.

Chanterelle Bite

Chef Sarah Heard, Foreign & Domestic, Austin

Chef Sarah Heard's bite showcases the Smooth Chanterelles foraged from East Texas, dry-sautéed and preserved at the height of their season. Chanterelles are among the most beloved wild mushrooms in the world — delicate, aromatic, and elusive — and Sarah's preparation lets their natural flavor shine. Her connection to the land runs deep: she forages for wild, seasonal ingredients and believes that integrity and respect for every part of the process — from dirt to plate — are essential to a good meal.

Sarah Heard is Chef-Owner of Foreign & Domestic in Austin and Commerce Cafe in Lockhart. She began cooking in Austin in 2007 and has held positions at The Mansion at Judges Hill, Parkside Projects, and La Condesa.

Masa Dumpling

Chef B Loza

Chef B Loza brings a deeply personal perspective to the Sporée with a masa dumpling filled with sautéed mushrooms, aromatics, and chiles, topped with chili crisp and oyster mushroom vinegar. The dish is rooted in three generations of taquero heritage and centers indigenous Mexican ingredients — a reflection of their commitment to preserving and elevating culturally significant techniques. The mushroom filling is a mix of what's available, letting the season guide the dish. This is a bite that bridges tradition and innovation, honoring the past while evolving the flavors of the present.

B Loza is a queer cocinerx from Mexico City whose work blends tradition with innovation. Their cooking centers indigenous Mexican ingredients and reflects a deep commitment to preserving and elevating culturally significant techniques.

DESSERT BITE

Star-Shaped Huitlacoche Cake Bite

Chef Arielle Mirasole, Abby Jane Bakery

Chef Arielle Mirasole's dessert is a star-shaped cake bite featuring huitlacoche — the prized "corn truffle" of Mexico, our Spring crop from Nick Steinhauser's front yard, freeze-dried and preserved. Huitlacoche has a rich, earthy, slightly sweet flavor that lends itself beautifully to dessert, and the star shape ties directly to the Texas Star Mushroom itself — a fitting close to a menu celebrating our official state mushroom. This is a dessert that surprises, delights, and honors the fungal world in a wholly unexpected way.

Arielle Mirasole is the pastry chef behind Abby Jane Bakery in Austin.

Craft Cocktails & Mocktails

The Reishi Empress
Featuring Empress 1908 Gin
A stunning, color-shifting cocktail that highlights the earthy, adaptogenic qualities of Reishi. Empress 1908 Gin is paired with fresh lime, ginger, hibiscus, and a house-made simple syrup infused with Reishi mushrooms. It’s bright, botanical, and deeply restorative.
(Available as a mocktail upon request)

Lion's Mane Lift
Featuring Tito's Handmade Vodka
A bright, refreshing cocktail designed to awaken the senses. Tito's Vodka is infused with Lion's Mane — the "brain's ally" — and shaken with orange zest, rosemary, jalapeño, and a hint of cinnamon, topped with seltzer for a light, effervescent finish.

Beer, Seltzers, & NA

We are proud to feature a selection of local and mindful beverages to keep the evening flowing:

• Austin Beerworks

• Live Oak Brewery

• High Five THC Seltzers

• Melting Forest (Non-Alcoholic)

Whether you're taking a break from alcohol or looking for a little something extra, we've got you covered.

🎉 Tip Your Birthday Bartender

Danielle Judy from Cap City Shrooms is behind the bar — and it's her birthday!

Danielle is working for tips tonight to support the Sporée. Stop by the bar, wish her a happy birthday, and tip generously.

Venmo: @Danielle-judy
(Scan the QR code at the bar!)

Thank You to Our Beverage Sponsors

Empress 1908 Gin • Tito's Handmade Vodka • Austin Beerworks • Live Oak Brewery • High Five THC Seltzer • Melting Forest

Become a Sponsor

Your support makes this accessible, community-centered fundraiser possible. Sponsorships directly fund our soil and food equity programs, fungal research, and community education — and give your business visibility among Austin's vibrant mycological and environmental community.

• Mycelium Network — $500
  Logo on event web-page, social media thanks, name in program, 1 raffle ticket

• Fruiting Body — $1,500
  All above + dedicated social post, logo on print materials, 2 raffle tickets

• Texas Star — $5,000
  All above + naming rights to a key activity (e.g., "The [Sponsor] UV Night Walk"), verbal recognition, prime logo placement, 5 raffle tickets

• Title Sponsor — $10,000+
  All above + presenting sponsor recognition across all materials, dedicated booth space, 10 raffle tickets

In-kind donations welcome: food, alcohol, raffle items, services, and supplies.

To sponsor: Contact us and let us know

Thank You to Our Partners

• Barr Mansion — for hosting us in this beautiful, historic space

• Gabe Erales and our chef team — for donating their time and talent

• North Spore — for the Boom Room 2 raffle prize

• Hi-Fi Mycology & Cap City Shrooms — our foundational mushroom farm partners

Interested in partnering? We'd love to hear from you.

Enter Raffle

Want to support us more or can’t make the event and still want to join in the fungal fun.

(Anyone in Texas can enter).