Michele Stueven

When snowbird Jim Shaffer emigrated from his frigid Michigan roots to the warm breezes of the Coachella Valley, the only thing he really missed was finding fresh mushrooms to satisfy his love for fungi. After spending a few hundred hours on YouTube, he created his own farm in a spare bedroom, and within three years, his Canyon Creek Mushrooms could hardly keep up with the desert demand. The one-room operation started in 2019, when Shaffer built his first fruiting room in his garage, followed by an incubation room and a lab. What was just meant to be a source of…

Celebrating its 15th year, Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week returns to the Coachella Valley from Friday, June 2, through Sunday, June 11, with 10 days of dining deals at local restaurants. 

The Black-owned Crowns & Hops Brewery has been seven years in the making, but owners Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter are just getting started. They’ve taken over the old Morningside Bowling and Recreation Center on Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood across from the historic Academy Theater, with grand plans of returning it to its original family friendly hub of the neighborhood. With a target date of this fall’s football season, the 14,400-square-foot space will feature an on-site brewery, full service restaurant and communal meeting space designed by Ashburn and Hunter as a place for the community to gather and feel welcome,…