First American owned mushroom café finds a home in Asheville

By Taylor Thompson

Click here for updates on this story

    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — A new café has made its home in Asheville and it’s causing quite a stir!

Not only is The Pot Stirred the first American owned mushroom café, it’s also 100% women and LGBTQ+ owned.

Partners Taylon Breanne and Aislinn Dugan opened the café back in March of 2022 with the goal of normalizing the use of mushrooms.

Taylon has lived in Asheville for the last nine years and has been making products for Carolina Hemp Company. That was the company that helped start the café. Taylon said they had an open space and asked her if she wanted to open one there.

At first, Taylon said she was hesitant as she’d never run a café before. But, she said the more she worked with Carolina Hemp, she realized a café would be a great way to normalize the use of mushrooms.

“To normalize plant and fungi medicine because people that come and get a coffee everyday, you know it’s not as scary,” she explained.

She said it was an easier way to get more people to try medicinal mushrooms that they may have otherwise steered clear of. Not only does the café help people experiment with a new type of medicine, but it’s also an alcohol-free zone.

Taylon explained how back in 2010 she was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which has meant she’s had to avoid alcohol.

She said that she’s had a hard time finding alcohol free environments in downtown Asheville and wanted to start a social setting where people could hang out without alcohol.

She felt like many others were in her shoes — not wanting to give up socializing just because they’re giving up alcohol.

“I think that one of the most enjoyable things about it is the people that I’m meeting, they’re all in this kind of mushroom, you know, taking their health back into their own hands,” she said.

She said the café has been able to not only create a network of people who love mushrooms, but are also working to be sober and live healthier lives.

Taylon said that they do get a lot of questions from first timers at the café about how this works, and frankly how it’s legal.

She explained that their mushrooms are 100% legal and are strictly medicinal mushrooms. She said that while they’re not going to make you ‘trip,’ they are great for brain clarity, anxiety and depression.

“They’re finding a lot of scientific data to back up what Chinese medicine has taught us forever, which is that there’s a lot of medicine just here on the earth with a lot fewer side effects,” she said.

For those who are skeptical about the taste of mushrooms in their coffee, Taylon explained that they infuse the mushrooms into their simple syrups so that no one actually tastes or has a weird texture with the mushroom.

When they first opened, Taylon said there were a lot of questions, but now that people are learning more about mushrooms, she said it’s becoming a really exciting thing.

The cafe’s event coordinator, Amanda Krause, explained the business as being a way to encourage people to have their everyday coffee while enhancing their experience and forming community.

“Just like you eat a portabella mushroom at a restaurant, all of these mushrooms that are here, they’re totally legal, they’re medicinal mushrooms,” she said.

Their menu of drinks has different options and flavors of Cannabis Coffees, Mushroom Brews, Cannabis Cocktails, Jun Elixirs, Alcohol Free Wine and Herbal Teas.

Amanda said that overall, their menu offers a feeling of goodness and there are no negative side effects.

“It really doesn’t matter race, creed, color, class, we’re all one and we’re all able to unite here and make a space for communication and taking steps towards a greater world,” she expressed.

Taylon said that one thing they are battling right now is that the company they joined their lease with has exited and left them in an unsure position of being able to take over the whole space.

She explained how they’re in the works with their landlord now to see if they can take the entire space over and add in a mushroom social lounge.

She said that while they are up against a few people from out of town looking at the space, she’s hopeful the landlord will believe in their concept and that it will continue to grow.

“We’ve put a lot of heart and love and intention into this,” she expressed.

She’s hopeful that more people will continue to come and visit The Pot Stirred and help them to keep on going and growing.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.