Paul McManus, Valemount’s resident gourmet mushroom guy, has closed down his business and is moving to the coast. McManus says he is moving to Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast to help his sister run her Airbnb. Her husband died about a year and a half ago from COVID-19 and needs help running the business. McManus isn’t sure whether his mushroom business will continue on in Gibsons. The former lab tech has been growing gourmet mushrooms on and off for 30 years, and until COVID hit, had supplied mushrooms to Mike Wiegele’s restaurant. For the past 4-5 years he has grown a variety of mushrooms from his growing container in Valemount – Oyster, Lions Mane, Shiitake, Reishi and Turkey Tail. “I have no problem admitting that it’ll be very hard to leave here,” he told the Goat. /LAURA KEIL
