Meet Ward Watson | COO of The Mushroom Spot

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ward Watson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ward, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I realize that mushrooms of all kinds, whetherr, medicinal or gourmet where not really easy to find. The first step of our mission is to make mushrooms more accessible people. Mushrooms in fungi in general have a lot to offer beyond that. Even we wanted to be a community center for everything. It has to do with mushrooms and fungi food fashion. Finding them growing them. Education and classes

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As Covid began to affect my employment at many of the restaurants, I took the opportunity to partner with an old high school friend and pursue and interest we both had; culinary mushrooms. It has been hard to get the small business loan and start this ambitious business with limited funding, but I think we are meeting the challenge with ingenuity and flexibilityh. The Mushroom Spot is your place for all things fungi. We hope to open a Mushroom Spot in every city in the US. Starbucks, here we come!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would like for my friend to experience many things from this area, not just the things you hear about. I always consider myself a cultural tourist … so I would treat my friend as such. Seeing downtown Greenville is a must … but there are many things … history, natural beauty, industry, culture and diverstiy. I would like to go to Victoria Vinyards in Cleveland, SC for a lunch and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. Then maybe a drive down the gravel road to see the beauty of Lake Jocasee from Jumping of Rock. Maybe grab a pint at The Swamp Rabbit Brewery in TR. Drive down White Horse Road and find a good dish of esquites and show my guest what epazote is. Stop and have some soul food at OJ’s diner. Walk down mainstreet and see some live music performers on the street. Grab a snack at Up on The Roof.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Julia Kerrigan from The South Carolina Upstate Mycological Society..

Website: https://www.mushroomspot.store

Instagram: @mushroomspotsc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ward-watson-71082621/

Facebook: Mushroom Spot

Youtube: @ProjectFungidbaTheMushroomSpot