King of Mushrooms

The King of Mushrooms has an impressive list of restaurant clients through out the city of San Francisco and the California Wine Country and a wistful history. 

The King himself, Todd Spanier, was introduced to Mushroom Foraging by both of his grandfathers at the age of 5. From them, he learned how to identify mushrooms, the art of sustainable harvesting and developed a deep love of nature. 

From his website...

Todd and his family would often go mushroom hunting together, and the person who found the largest mushroom that day was "the king." One afternoon, Todd went hunting alone and stumbled upon an incredible porcini patch, and was able to pick hundreds of beautiful mushrooms. Todd brought them home, displayed them, and realized that he and his family were not going to eat them all. Having an incredible respect and appreciation for nature, Todd did not want to waste anything and immediately brought his fresh porcini into a local restaurant where he made his first sale. By the end of high school, Todd had already established many accounts with local restaurants.

In 1996, Todd founded King of Mushrooms, a purveyor of sustainable foods specializing in mushrooms, truffles, and other wild edibles. His company has become one of the top purveyors on the west coast thanks to excellent customer service, pricing, and quality products. King of Mushrooms loyal clientele, friends, and family are what keep King of Mushrooms thriving, and Todd's company is constantly evolving in efforts to become more efficient and green.

Todd is also a passionate advocate for food safety concerning wild foods that are harvested sustainably. Proper identification, which is extremely important when handling and consuming mushrooms is one of Todd's major concerns as well. Todd is a life-time member of the San Francisco Mycological Society, as well as many other fungus-focused groups such as the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz. Todd also participates in many mushroom and truffle events throughout the year where he sells, lectures about, and identifies mushrooms for curious attendees. Todd is very knowledgeable and has traveled as far as Italy to give lectures on mushrooms and truffles, and is known as an expert in his field.