Born and raised in Denver, Graham Steinruck has a special connection to the majestic Rocky Mountains – a sentiment shared by those who call Colorado home. Like many, his love and fascination for the outdoors has largely sculpted him into the person he has become. Raised by two Colorado-transplants from out East, Graham’s mother and father fostered his appetite for adventure and cooking alike.
“Infusing wild, local, and organic ingredients is the key to my culinary success,” says Graham. He’s worked in both catering and as a private chef, even having the opportunity to cook for the Governor’s Christmas Party. With years of experience, Graham is skilled in locating and identifying many Rocky Mountain fungi, and knows just how to prepare each mushroom species to accentuate their flavor and texture attributes.
Graham is also passionate about macrophotography, and you’ll never catch him on the trail of fungi without his camera and lenses.
In studying Environmental Design at the University of Colorado, Graham learned the importance of protecting our global biosphere. In reading Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Save the World by Paul Stamets, Graham became inspired to better the world we live in. “Paul Stamets made me want to dedicate my life to fungi and helping our planet,” recalls Graham. “I was amazed by his description of several different remediation techniques that clean up the environment … with mushrooms!” Gary Lincoff, David Arora, Vera Evenson, Ed Lubow, and Linnea Gillman are just some of the many people that have progressed Graham’s love for fungi.
As owner and operator of amateurmycology.com with his partner James Wieser, Graham has had the amazing opportunity to use mycorestoration and mycoremedation in real world applications. James and Graham have developed a cultivation method they call “Forest Floor Cultivation”. This gives the plants in association with the mycelium/substrate 6 specific benefits to the plants/cultivator. Amateur Mycology has been developing an extensive culture library of local and native species of mycelium using a portable inoculation chamber/clean room, as well as many other projects too long to list here. For more information, visit amateurmycology.com.
Cooking, sustainable design, macrophotography, and the knowledge of others led Graham directly into what is now his life’s passion – and likely his obsession – the world of fungi. “I am amazed by the wealth of information mushrooms have to offer to the world,” says Graham.
Graham Steinruck served as the 2012 editor of SporesAfield, the newsletter for the Colorado Mycological Society, as well as the vice president of the club in 2011. He volunteers for the Arkansas Valley Mushroom Club as a chief identifier. He is a presenter at the Telluride Mushroom Festival and a regional representative of the Radical Mycology Convergence in Washington State. He is a radio host for an online radio show called ‘A Fermented Affair’ on blogtalkradio.com where he discusses fermented food and drink as well as mushrooms. He has been a nurseryman at several local greenhouses and is the current webmaster of amateurmycology.com, garylincoff.com, and mycotours.com. He is certified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a Wild Mushroom Identification Expert. He lives in Denver, Colorado. For more information visit grahamsteinruck.com.
