This story first appeared on Civil Eats. Mushrooms are having a moment. Denver and Oakland recently became the first two U. Across the country, individuals and entrepreneurs have been working in their communities to bring mushroom culture to an even larger audience. One such leader is self-taught mushroom grower William Padilla-Brown, who wants to enable everyone, mycology background or not, to profit from the fungi frenzy in an ecologically sustainable way. Over the last few years, the year-old living in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, has emerged as a leader — and somewhat of a celebrity — in the mushroom community. He leads largely by example.