We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Clay Ehmke a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Clay thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

I am seeing a huge boom in interest in Mycology and Foraging Wild Edibles in the past few years after a large growth in plant-based eating! My goal is to merge the two and change modern vegan cuisine, put an emphasis on the importance of the wild world around us and sustainability and how these intersect.

Clay, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a vegan chef that specializes in cooking with wild, foraged mushrooms. I, myself, am a certified forager and spend nearly as much time in the woods as i do in the kitchen. We have a brick and mortar restaurant, The Haunt, in historic downtown Savannah, Georgia.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2020, at the peak of COVID, i lost ownership in my restaurant that was my first venture and meant the world to me. For a few months I almost considered leaving the industry for good but eventually picked myself up, came up with a plan and decided to come back with a new wind and new strength and follow this dream that was coming together.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

Every single month is a financial close call. It is always near doom followed by the narrow edged pathway of possibility through the trials. We have made it this far.

Contact Info:

• Website: thehauntsav.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/thehauntsav
• Facebook: facebook.com/thehauntsav