James Mann grew up in Appalachian foothills of Ohio, foraging mushrooms and other wild edibles with his grandpa. He moved to Columbus to go to culinary school, where he dove into cooking gourmet food at the top restaurants in Columbus. Making connections with creative chefs gave him an opportunity to purvey wild mushrooms for their best dishes, and over the years he grew a list of local mushroom spots that he returned to each season. He eventually made his way to Sweden to work for Faviken, a Michelin-starred restaurant where they grew, foraged and cooked all their food on site. When he returned, he spent a few years growing cultivated mushrooms at Swainway Urban Farm in Clintonville.

Now he leads foraging walks and dinners for the public, offers processing workshops and other land management services. In the deep winter he focuses on making furniture using traditional building techniques and local hardwoods.