Spore to Store

Urban Mushroom Symposium

Join us on Friday, March 7, 2025

Discover the future of urban mushroom cultivation at the Spore to Store: Urban Mushroom Symposium 2025. Whether you are a researcher, grower, chef, or urban agriculture enthusiast, join us for a day of cutting-edge research presentation and practical cultivation and grower insights. Discover how scientific innovation is shaping the future of urban mushroom cultivation and production.
Register Now!

Meet our Speakers for 2025

Dr. John Pecchia

Penn State University
Associate Research Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology

Dr. Chris Cornelison

Kennesaw State University
Assistant VP for Innovation and Commercialization, Director of Intellectual Property Development, and Associate Professor of Microbiology

Dr. James Gratzek

FoodPIC, UGA
Director of the Food Product Innovation & Commercialization Center

Dr. Laurel Dunn

University of Georgia
Associate Professor and the Extension Coordinator in the UGA Department of Food Science and Technology

Matthew Kulinski

Georgia Grown/Regulatory
Director of Marketing

Jacki DeHart

Georgia Department of Agriculture
Field Supervisor with the North District of the Food Safety Division

Caitlin Jackson

Georgia Center of Innovation
Director of AgTech

Costas Simoglou

Georgia Center of Innovation
Director of Energy Technology

Allen Carroll

Fungi Farm
Mushroom Educator, Laboratory Operator, and Owner

Emma Reigel

Gowin Valley Farms
Co-founder and President

Gabriel Harrison

Gowin Valley Farms
Co-founder and Lead Mycologist

Our Schedule

Take a look at our itinerary for Spore to Store: Urban Mushroom Symposium 2025 (subject to change as sessions are being planned)
8:30

Arrival

Attendees Start Arriving
8:45

Opening

Opening and Welcome to the UGA Griffin Campus
9:00

Keynote Speaker

John A. Pecchia, Penn State Mushroom Research Center
10:00

First Session

Dr. Chris Cornelison, KSU College of Science and Mathematics
11:00

Coffee Break

Provided Onsite
11:10

Second Session

Dr. James Gratzek (University of Georgia Food Product, Innovation, and Commercialization Center) and Dr. Laurel Dunn (University of Georgia Food Science Department)
12:00

Lunch / Round Table

Catered Lunch and Round Table Discussion
1:00

Third Session

Matthew Kulinski and Jacki DeHart, Georgia Department of Agriculture — Georgia Grown Program / Regulatory
1:45

Coffee Break

Provided Onsite
2:00

Fourth Session

Producer Track: Allen Carroll, Owner and Founder of Fungi Farms, Inc. — Innovation Track: Caitlyn Jackson and Costas Simoglou, The Georgia Center of Innovation
3:00

Fifth Session

Producer Track: Emma Reigel, Gowin Valley Farms — Culinary Track: Chef Seminar
4:00

Closing

Conversations and Goodbyes, We Depart Energized with New Connections and Ideas

Check Out Our Supporters

These Vendors and Organizations Are Helping Us Bring the First Urban Mushroom Symposium to Life! They Will Be With Us Onsite for the Event!