The future of marijuana cuisine is officially here. This weekend, Culinary and Cannabis, Orange County’s first-ever cannabis food and wine event, is taking place at the Venue By Three Petals in Huntington Beach from noon to 4 pm. Hosted by Sugar & Spyked, the alcohol-infused dessert company, Culinary and Cannabis will feature 10 chefs focusing on marijuana-infused savory dishes and desserts, and a vinter who’s developed the first cannabis-infused wine. And here’s the best part: this ain’t going to be a Cheech and Chong stoner fest. Rather, the event is designed for attendees to taste as much as possible and become educated on the proper ways to use cannabis in the kitchen—which means not over doing it with THC.
“We made everything CBD based so people can remember what they learned,” says Tamara Anderson, CEO of Sugar & Spyked and host of Culinary and Cannabis. “There’s nothing fun about eating an edible and going into a cannabis-induced coma. But it’s especially important for people who are just starting to explore the world of cannabis to have a good initial experience—otherwise they’ll never want to try it again.”
(Anyone who’s ever eaten an entire edible knows how true that statement is.)
But the goal of Anderson’s event, she explains, isn’t solely to showcase culinary chefs and taste delicious food. It’s supposed to teach people how to make cannabis-infused dishes and deserts with safe doses at home. “A lot of edibles don’t taste good,” she says. “They’re way too strong and they taste like you’re eating the plant, which isn’t a pleasant experience…There’s no reason an edible can’t taste good and be low dose.”
The food education will be lead by Chris Sayegh, who’ll also provide instructions on extractions, dosing, and how to make cannabis butter and oil. This portion of the workshop, according to Anderson, is perhaps the most important aspect of the event because without learning these basics, cooking with cannabis can become a paranoid, stoney nightmare. “A lot of people who make edibles don’t extract correctly,” says Anderson. “Even some of the companies who sell edibles in dispensaries don’t extract correctly. They also don’t know how to dose properly either, which is what makes Chef Chris Sayegh’s education so important.”
The event extends beyond the culinary world, too. Attendees will have an opportunity to receive cannabis oil massages, speak to lawyers about marijuana laws and mingle with the industry’s up-and-coming ganjapreneurs. There will also be a cannabis book fair, with most of the authors available for book signings.
In order to attend Culinary and Cannabis, you must have a valid marijuana recommendation and ID. But if you don’t have your rec card—never fear! A doctor on site will write recommendations for those who need it.
“We’ll definitely have more events like this in the future,” says Anderson. “But the goal for this first Culinary and Cannabis event is for everyone to walk away having learned something new.”
Event will take place at the Venue by Three Petals from 12 p.m.-4 p.m.: 18582 Beach Blvd #7, Huntington Beach, CA 92648. You can buy your tickets here.
