Chicago chefs serving lion's mane mushroom specials for Earth Day

A handful of Chicago chefs will be proffering special lion's mane mushroom sandwiches this Saturday as meatless Earth Day specials.

Why it matters: The coordinated effort features the tasty fungus grown locally at Four Star Mushroom Farm — a delicious way to reduce consumption of meat, which can take a big toll on the environment to produce.

Chef specials: Brian Jupiter at Frontier is frying the mushroom and topping it with tomatoes, fried kale, chimichurri and provolone.

• Sarah Stegner at Prairie Grass Cafe is making a crispy battered mushroom with Three Sisters Garden pea shoots slaw.
• Greg Wade at Publican Quality Bread is searing the shroom and topping it with salsa matcha, seared red onions, cheddar and arugula on pizza bianca.

The intrigue: We recently got a sneak taste at Luella's Southern Kitchen of chef Darnell Reed's smoked and seared mushroom sandwich ($15), garnished with creole cheddar aioli, arugula and a cheddar parm crisp on a sesame brioche bun.

The verdict: A deeply smoky surprise.