Planning a Cannabis Feast

(A review by Michael Fattah)

Watching Munchies on a YouTube stream recently made me think about how far the social acceptance of cannabis has come and how much further it still needs to go.

The program started with a great setting at Owl Farms of Aspen, Colorado, at the Hunter S. Thompson House for a gourmet cannabis dinner presented by classically trained French chef of Chase/Chase, Chris Lanter, and “Munchies” host David Debener.  The show lead right into the history of the farm and some background on cannabis, the science of infusions with Chef Chris Lanter, and talking to local Aspen government officials about the acceptance of cannabis.

Introducing caregiver “B” to make various strain recommendations to Chef Chris for the meal was interesting because they brought attention to the medical side of cannabis. The show also focused on the need for ‘recreational’ cannabis for this application, which meant buying at the local dispensary, the Green Dragon, in Aspen, because of recreational/medical rules in Colorado. (1) I thought this was an interesting perspective on the medical side as it brought to viewers’ attention the fact that there is a difference between the two.

Having a biochemist on the show providing a lot of quick and informative points to educate the viewer was great for the beginner/novice user. Being a chef with a background in food and baking sciences, I understood the terms used during the show. Technical terms were explained to make the information a little more user friendly. I think they left out that the most important part when teaching someone anything is a complete formula.  Note: A formula is a list of ingredients; a recipe provides the direction for those ingredients.

Preparations started out with four grams each of various strains (2) Bubble Gum, Golden Goat, Death Star & Purple Passion infused into four types of oils: butter, coconut, olive & sunflower. There was no discussion on conversion to milligrams and how to calculate servings for proper dosages, so here’s my explanation of their logic.

● 4 grams (g) of flower material  @ 20% – 30% THC
● 4 g = 4000 mg. @ 25% =  1000 mg THC
● 1000 mg/10 servings = 100 mg THC per serving.

Therefore…

● 4 g flower material into 100 g oil for infusion (4 g Cannabis / 100 g Oil)
● Ratio is 1 part Cannabis Flower in 25 parts oil (butter, olive, sunflower or coconut oil); a 1/25 ratio.

Overall, I feel this episode of “Munchies” was well-rounded. (3) Anita Thompson, owner of the farm and widow of the deceased icon, welcomed the viewer into the ‘70s by hosting the event in her nostalgic home. The educational cooking demonstration was informative and entertaining with both a chef and a biochemist taking part. Cooking was followed up with a great meal and guests satisfyingly sharing thoughts after each course.

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(1) Click to view current MMJ rules in the state of Colorado (pdf).
(2) Watch the Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fqbA24iM68]

Michael Fattah is a professional chef in the Fort Lauderdale/Palm Beach/Miami area, where he has provided event catering, baking consultation, and personal chef services to Southern Florida residents for over 20 years.  He can be reached through his website, https://www.bakingcuisinesolutions.com/.