^ I Support Local Community Journalism Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of the New Times clear. Now that adult marijuana sales are legal in Arizona, Mary Jane arrives for dinner. And things get fancy, with 4-course cannabis-infused meals prepared by expert chefs and served in high-end eateries. “In this day and age we can literally penetrate anything from water to 5-star multi-course meals,” says cannabis chef Derek Upton. “Personally, I love making gnocchi and poured Bolognese. It’s one of my all-time favorite dishes when it comes to convenience. ”Upton has been serving a Cannabis-infused Stars dinner on the rooftop pool at The Clarendon Hotel and Spa in downtown Phoenix every month since spring as part of the Elevated Under the series : An educational dining experience. ”(The next event, scheduled for Friday, June 11, will include guest star chef Adam Pawlak, who will be featured on this year’s season of Hell’s Kitchen, hosted by Gordon Ramsay.) Territory Dispensary in Chandler is hosting its first fancy cannabis dinner at a private wedding location on Saturday June 26th. This event includes mocktails, hors d’ouevres and three courses prepared by Chef Patrick Rusche including roasted wild mushroom risotto with a lightly fried quail egg. Until recently, this type of dinner has been under the radar, necessarily secret events until decriminalization of marijuana in Arizona. Upton says he has been hosting “underground cannabis dinners” for years, and Rusche says he has been developing medical meal plans for a handful of clandestine customers with diseases like diabetes and cancer for more than a decade. Rusche says he was inspired by entrepreneur chef Payton Curry, who co-founded Brat Haus restaurant in Scottsdale and the edible brand Flourish. Curry was an early proponent of cannabis cooking and started hosting some of the first “private” cannabis dinners in 2013. These four course fine dining events were usually held at the personal invitation of the chef and details were kept off the internet due to legal concerns. Even though medical marijuana has been legal in the state since 2010, people didn’t want them to indulge, says Rusche. “A lot of people didn’t want their information out there because of state illegality or the knowledge that they had an infused dinner. It could be seen as a risk for my clients. “So how do these dinners work, legally? The organizers say there can’t be cannabis for sale – and there isn’t. All of the cannabis for the food infusions is donated by individuals or a local pharmacy, so the events are exchanges customer to customer. “As long as they are 21 years of age or older, guests can consume what we serve,” says Kelly Fox, Marketing Specialist for Territory Dispensaries. “The dinners are not just about the medicinal properties of cannabis, they are also about how it refines the food, “says Derek Hauser, kitchen manager at the Curaleaf pharmacy in Glendale.” My favorite handicrafts are caramel and mango-glazed shrimp. The shrimp are always a hit with a well-dosed mango barbecue icing. Caramel is so sexy – its rich, buttery taste and texture mask all of the cannabinoids in Select Press Products for Enhancement of drinks. He’s been a professional cannabis cook for about five years and says it has been “incredibly rewarding” to make edibles that have provided medicinal benefits for a range of diseases. Guests at cannabis dinners are given medicinal tinctures to add to their dishes at the events are moderated by the chefs who talk about the different varieties in the infusions, the dosages and the different ways to use them for wellbeing . “In terms of food [at the Territory dinner]”We’re going to leave the orders without medication just so people can walk all night,” says Fox. “The entire meal is treated with about 15 milligrams. We keep the dose low and also offer the option to prepare a completely drug-free dinner. ”Dinner tickets at Territory Chandler are $ 150 per person, and all proceeds go to The Joy Bus, a local nonprofit that helps people with cancer supplied with healthy meals. It’s a group that Rusche has worked with many times. “We hope that we as a team can show our appreciation by donating to The Joy Bus for what they are doing for this community,” he says. “The Territory Dinner is very important to me because The Joy Bus does what I want to do: provide healthy, tasty and fresh meals to people struggling with diseases.” There will also be a silent auction, theirs Proceeds will go to charity. “This is not an event that Territory wants to make money at,” says Fox. “We want to create a really cool experience and also benefit a really worthwhile community organization.” Upton says dinners at The Clarendon, which cost $ 250 per dinner ticket or $ 50 for a gallery seat without dinner, don’t about “a stoner culture”, but about education. “As a cook and a cannabis advocate, it is my duty to display cannabis in a way that people from all walks of life can relate to, and that is food, not nibbles, brownies or sweets, but real food made by a chef Love is prepared. ”He says. “It’s about the well-being of the body and building a community for this larger purpose. “Bringing people together over food and cannabis is a beautiful thing, and I promise the experience will be worth it.” Keep Phoenix New Times Free … Ever since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix , and we want it to stay that way. We offer our readers free access to concise coverage of local news, food and culture. We produce stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with bold coverage, stylish writing, and staff who have won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Award to the Casey Medal for the Deserving Journalism. But with the existence of local journalism under siege and the setbacks in advertising revenues having a bigger impact, it is now more important than ever for us to raise funds to fund our local journalism. You can help by joining our “I Support” membership program which allows us to continue to cover Phoenix without paywalls. Niki D’Andrea has covered topics such as drug culture, women’s basketball, pirate radio stations, staying in Scottsdale and fine wine. She has worked for both the New Times and Phoenix Magazine and is now a freelancer.
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