MEDINA, Ohio — Meet Leland Gordon, owner of The Spore Store. He's hard at work bagging substrate for his crops.
You see, Leland grows mushrooms.
"Mostly lion's mane, cordyceps, oyster mushrooms — things of that nature," he tells us.
Gordon's love of fungus started in his youth.
"I grew up hunting mushrooms, morel mushrooms, mostly with my father and grandfather," he says.
And after leaving his culinary career behind, he immersed himself in the world of mushrooms, and turned his passion into an agri-business.
"Being a chef, I wasn't able to find a lot of fresh mushrooms," he explained. "It felt important to me to be able to access fresh mushrooms and bring that to the public, as well."
These fungi aren't just for the table; they are chock full of health benefits. Leland makes mushroom extracts, has created a caffeine-free mushroom coffee, and soon, mushroom gummies!
"Part of my job, I really feel, is educating the public," he said. "People ask me a lot about recipes and my background as a chef really helps, but mainly walk through anything, they want to know about mushrooms."
This mushroom master has found his niche, happily tending his crop from spore to store.
"You've got to be friendly, you've got to be nice and have a fun time with it."
You might say Leland is a real "fun-guy." You can find his products online at thesporestore.company.site, on Facebook, or in person starting May 1 at the Medina Farmers Market. Boutros Brothers Produce at Cleveland's West Side Market will also be selling his mushrooms.