This is no longer your old-fashioned ‘pot brownie’, that you attempted to make in your parents’ kitchen, while they were out of town.
Cannabis and food is now a high-end luxury experience.
Cannabis in the culinary industry has been budding and has flowered into a full-fledged dining experience that the deepest of foodies are searching for. Various chefs have shed light on this modern industry in both the search of an elevated experience and the raw benefits of infusing the dried flower into everyday dining.
Chef Miguel Trinidadis a graduate from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, with multiple restaurants and a plethora of experience under his belt. Ahead of his time, he started his mission to bridge the culinary world with the humble cannabis plant through food and education. In true culinary fashion, Trinidad began to infuse cannabis into Michelin “level” dishes and ambiance at his restaurant, 99thFloor. Trinidad’s goal was to allow for an elevated dining experience, where your high would build gradually into a euphoric energy, shying far away from the overwhelming high old school edibles would pattern to do. Dosage can be varied and tailored according to the guest, however Trinidad aims to keep his meals within a 15-20 milligram threshold. Where once a Michelin level dining experience would be curated around wine pairings and seasonality, Trinidad has taken his culinary experience to pair different flower strains with various ingredient profiles; thus creating a new wave of cannabis in the kitchen.
Chef Monica Lo, a professionally trained chef and creator of Sous Weed, a cannabis cooking online emporium, has explored all areas of cannabis infused food and has taken a health forward approach in the manner. Unlike other chefs in the industry, the self proclaimed ‘Sativa Diva’, focuses her culinary cannabis infusions in its most pure form: raw. She uses it as a nutrient-forward herb to enhance flavour and health benefits in everyday meals. In its raw form, the psychoactive ingredient of the flower is not activated, so Chef Lo’s primary cannabis infusions do not reflect the elevated experience seen in Trinidad’s pursuit; it simply adds another dimension to cannabis in the kitchen.
Chef Scott Peabody, the executive chef at San Francisco’s, Nomiku has taken an all-encompassing holistic approach to the use of cannabis in his cuisine. Although Nomiku, does not host a cannabis-friendly menu, he has pursued his love for the flower outside of the brick and mortar restaurant. He has pushed to find the balance between THC extraction and flavour, his subtle and purposeful use of cannabis in his cuisine has fans raving about the flower’s herbaceous and elevated qualities.
Whether cannabis has been used to take the diner to new heights or provide the health benefits so many desire, it has come a long way from bitter chocolate infused highs. With professional culinary experts spearheading its modern push, cannabis is now a sought after ingredient many need to add to their pantry.