Hidden Gems: Meet Tamara Norris of Quandary Lake Mushrooms

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamara Norris.

Hi Tamara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
We launched Quandary Lake Mushrooms as a women- and minority-owned business to bring the freshest and finest gourmet mushrooms to local tables. We love fine cuisine and high-quality food and are focused on creating unique mushroom products to elevate the every day for home meals. Currently, we are developing a mushroom sauce (did you know that ketchup was originally made with mushrooms?) and mushroom pate that is unlike any other product you can purchase in the store. We care about the environment and use good growing practices and we support our community- we are committed to giving 5% of our profits to Benevolence Farm in Graham, NC, a working farm and social enterprise that promotes sustainable livelihoods for women impacted by the criminal legal system. Our four co-owners are mostly retired, so we also place a premium on having fun as we grow fabulous mushrooms and our business! 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We are very fortunate to have a business mentor with SCORE who has guided the development of our business plan and provided hours of consultation and support. He also happens to specialize in business planning for small farmers, so he has been a tremendous source of information and connected us to other small farmers. But growing mushrooms can be a challenge. You are basically creating the perfect environment to grow fungus – so you have to work hard to grow gourmet mushrooms and not competing mold! We have benefited a lot from the experience of other mushroom growers, who are very generous with their expertise. Launching a value-added food product has also been a real education – from experimenting with product development to getting prepared to get needed certifications, etc. It’s all been a fun learning curve but not a get-rich-quick scheme! 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
Quandary Lake Mushrooms provides the freshest gourmet mushrooms to local tables, transforming ordinary dishes into epicurean delights. We encourage people to take their cuisine to a new level – to ‘Gourmet Everyday.’ Our mushrooms are delicious and nutritious superfoods loaded with immune boosters and antioxidants. These are special fungi you can’t find in a grocery store. Guided by our passions for fine cuisine, a healthy environment, and strong communities, we established Quandary Lake Mushrooms in Swepsonville, North Carolina. We are proud to be a women-and-minority, friend-and-family-owned company that contributes a portion of our profits to a local nonprofit that helps woman develop skills in sustainable farming and small business practices. 

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
It is a great time to be growing mushrooms! Mushrooms are in keeping with all the trends toward healthier foods that are good for the environment. The mushrooms we grow (oyster and chestnut) are high in antioxidants and vitamins, and they make an excellent meat substitute. Their umami flavor adds depth and delight to lots of dishes. Mushrooms don’t require land to grow (ours grow in a controlled environment inside grow tents), the substrate they grow on (we use wheat straw) makes great a soil amendment at the end of the growing process, and mushrooms are being put to use in creative ways as building materials, in environmental remediation, and even made into leather for clothing! We believe the interest in gourmet mushrooms will only grow in the future, especially as people realize they are much tastier than the white button mushrooms you get at the grocery store. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.quandarylakemushrooms.com

Dave Norris, Tamara Norris, Shelley Felker, Barbara Leach