LOS ANGELES: Cannabis may join the herb and
spice rack in California kitchens as the most populous U.S. state
prepares for the possible legalization of recreational marijuana in
November.
Chef Chris Sayegh is leading the way by taking
haute cuisine to a higher place with his cannabis-infused menus in
private homes for as much as US$500 a head, or in "pop-up" banquets
around Los Angeles for US$20 to US$200 a person. For now, diners must
show their medical marijuana cards.
Sayegh, 23, who cut his teeth in the
kitchens of top restaurants in New York and California, said
incorporating cannabis into his recipes creates an entirely new
consciousness for diners that goes beyond the effects of a fine wine.
"To me, this is a cerebral experience," he
said during a demonstration at his Hollywood apartment last week.
"You're eating with a different perception with each bite, with each
course. You're literally changing your brain chemistry and you are
viewing this food differently than you did five minutes ago, 10 minutes
ago."
Edible marijuana products are nothing new,
and the market for them has evolved into a multimillion-dollar
industry. Cannabis dining, on the other hand, is a relatively new
concept, and Sayegh wants to bring it to the masses.
Marijuana has been legally permitted in
California for medical purposes since 1996, and voters are widely
expected to pass a measure on the upcoming November election ballot to
legalize pot as a recreational drug for adults statewide.
Sayegh said he began experimenting with cannabis cuisine after growing tired of pot-baked brownies and other snacks.
"It really wasn't until I started to break
it down into a science that I realized that cooking with cannabis ...
was much, much different than baking with it," he said.
In the kitchen, Sayegh uses oil containing
an extract of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component
of cannabis, and a "vaporizer" to infuse ingredients with THC.
"You'll never taste the cannabis in my
cooking unless I specifically want you to taste it because it's not a
pleasant taste. ... It throws off the whole flavor of the dish," he
said, adding that he "micro-doses" his dishes to the desired potency of
individual clients.
At his apartment last Friday, he prepared
an elaborate three-course meal for a friend. Carrot confit gnocchi with
cannabis-infused pea emulsion was followed by New York strip steak with
parsnip puree and a "medicated" red wine reduction. The finale: a sticky
toffee pudding with toasted coconut and pot-infused chocolate.
(Reporting by Omar Younis; Editing by Steve Gorman and Richard Chang)
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