Chef Gene Gonzalez's mushroom growing journey

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to eat what I harvested.

- YVETTE TAN

While this is nothing new, what made the experience different was it was served in one of the iconic restaurants of the city I grew up in.I have never known San Juan without Cafe Ysabel. To me, it is synonymous with old San Juan. Its chef and owner, Gene Gonzalez (who also owns and operates the Center for Asian Culinary Studies [CACS]) has been a fixture in the local culinary scene for as long as I can remember. When I dropped by Cafe Ysabel for this interview, he also invited me to pick my own mushrooms and immediately served them in a consomme after.

Gonzalez began growing mushrooms during the pandemic after someone gave him a grow bag. "All you have to do is take care of it, keep it under ideal conditions, and it will fruit."

He began trying out different kinds of mushrooms, sourcing them from all over the country back when they were still hard to find online. "I was creating my own growing media. Now you really don't need to do it. You can just buy the bag, keep it under good conditions, and start harvesting."