Cannabis dinner table was set for an elevated evening!
There is something magical when you bring together open-minded people of all walks of life with one common denominator, cannabis.
On March 11 The Evergreen Market hosted the very first cannabis dinner event in Washington State titled, ‘A Culinary Journey: Exploring the marriage of food, wine and cannabis.’ Among those attending were state politicians, cannabis industry reporters as well as members of the retail, growing and production markets.
A medley of industry folks and everyday people made for engaging and diverse conversations.
The idea behind the dinner was simple. Create an event focused on elevating an evening centered around culinary adventures with wine and cannabis as the pioneers. When asked about the dinner theme, co-founder of The Evergreen Market, Eric Gaston elaborated, “The theme of the evening was just exploring the use of cannabis as a way to enhance another experience, rather than as an end to itself.”
TEM co-founder Eric Gaston speaks about the expanding cannabis industry.
“While consuming cannabis has always been a social experience, I really wanted to focus on the intentional use of small doses of cannabis as a way to enhance a food and wine experience. The great thing about cannabis is how it frees your mind and thoughts to be fully present in the moment, giving your undivided attention to whatever you choose to focus on. Too much weed can result in a ‘rabbit hole’ effect where you are kind of trapped in your own thoughts, but in smaller amounts the ability to hyper focus can be controlled to a higher degree,” shared Gaston.
What made this dinner so special were the many moving parts and people that came together to create one meal. It could have been entitled the first supper, because it really felt like history was being made.
The Drink
Evergreen Aviator
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz Elderflower liqueur
1 oz gin
1 capful of Blueberry Craft Elixir
Lemon twist garnish
The Evergreen Aviator was served during Happy Hour, a gin based drink containing a cannabis elixir.
Chef Ricky in action!
All food was infused with homemade kief butter created by Chef Ricky of Mortar N Pestle, who utilized kief donated by Green Barn Farms, perfecting the kief extraction recipe from years of practice in his own kitchen. The wine came from Kerloo Cellars who provided everything from Grenache Rosé, Grenache Blanc, Grenache and a Malbec for the dessert pairing.
“The idea of ingesting a smaller amount of cannabis in order to really process the food and wine that is being consumed is super interesting and honors the food and the wine that is being enjoyed,” said Gaston.
What ensued was an evening of thoughtful conversation between passionate and diverse individuals, with cannabis enhancing the flavors in the dishes, of which non had any taste of weed, creating a greater engagement between guests.
The Nutty Co Girls are all smiles at Washington State’s very first cannabis & wine dinner.
“Anything that is worthwhile in life is going to be a product of passion, creativity, and love. Food, wine, and cannabis all share this,” explained Gaston about the event.
Although many people will make the distinction that eating cannabis-infused food alongside alcohol can be detrimental to the experience, Chef Ricky made sure that the four course meal was infused only enough to give each guest roughly 8-10mg of THC by the end of the evening, which the state considers to be one serving.
The Menu…
Appetizer
Mushroom Duxelles, pâte brisée made with infused butter.
Mushroom Duxelles (tarts) with infused pâte brisée (crust).
Salad
Winter Caprese, infused with olive oil drizzled on top.
Fresh mozzarella, grapefruit and baby arugula studded with pomegranate and a simple dressing of cannabis infused olive oil.
Main
Salmon topped with blackberry bureau blanc alongside broccolini and a potato puree.
Chef Ricky drizzles cannabis-infused blackberry beurre blanc over fresh king salmon.
Dessert
Orange Chocolate Mousse, infused with kief butter.
The chocolate mousse was infused with kief butter, but the cream could also have been infused.
“I am hopeful that experiences like this will open people’s minds to the possibilities of cannabis use as a way to enhance other activities being done, the realization that cannabis can make a great experience even better,” Gaston added.
Happy Hour was full of smiles and engaging conversations.
Enhanced by wine and wondrous conversation, the energy and discourse between parties was miraculous and eye opening. This could be the future of cannabis; prestigious, elegant and fun dinners that bring together a variety of people with a few similar denominators, like an appreciation for the cannabis plant and all that it can offer.
Eastern Washington’s Green Barn Farms donated kief for the cannabis-infused butter used throughout the evening’s menu items.
Special thanks to Chef Ricky and his team for the dinner preparations. Huge thank you to Stephen of Green Barn Farms for donating the products to make kief-infused butter. Thank you to Kerloo Winery for supplying the wine for the event. Thanks to the Escala for the beautiful space.
There was something mesmerizing about people mingling intermixed with marijuana cocktails and appetizers. Nothing tasted of cannabis, yet the room felt elevated as a whole. Everyone was talking, listening, smiling and engaging with people completely opposite of themselves. I had the chance to sit between the wine maker and a politician, both supporters the industry. I felt blessed.
The perfect dinner conversation when sitting between a state politician and a local wine maker.
The conversation was flowing, with cannabis drinks being poured and micro amounts of THC consumed, people discussed the future of the plant and the opportunities that await- like more of these dinners! We look forward to the direction this industry is growing and the opportunities created.
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