Faves No. 198

favorite finds from the front lines of food

The Cannabis Edition

A glass bong full of porcini mushroom broth and smoke at the French Laundry in Yountville.

Photo: Soleil Ho / The Chronicle

Its not just my opinion…..chefs have identified cannabis infused foods as a smoking hot top trend for 2019. Time to look into those private supper clubs and maybe a trip to Canada. (CNBC)

Firmly planted tongue -in-cheek creativity is on deck for insiders at the French Laundry. Amazing food writer Soleil Ho had the pleasure of being served “dirty bong water” and I am jealous. (SFGate)

But what to drink? CBD beer is making waves in Colorado and will hopefully lead to impactful change.

“The biggest challenge, by far, has been the convoluted legal environment,” says Mason “Dude” Hembree, president and co-founder of Dad & Dude’s International, an Aurora, Colorado-based company that operates a brewery and restaurant. The father-son pair make the CBD-infused beer General Washington’s Secret Stash, a 6.5% abv IPA brewed with 4.2-mg. of CBD per pint ($7 a draft pour at their restaurant; $16 a 6-pack of 12-ounce cans). The company debuted the product in 2015 at the Great American Beer Festival and faced legal repercussions soon after. They re-released the beer this past December, when the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill passed with provisions that officially removed hemp and its extracts from the controlled substance list. (Shanken News Daily)

Who else is in the mix? Lagunitas Brewing Co., owned by Heineken, has also experimented with CBD and THC brews. Southern California’s Two Roots Brewing makes alcohol-free, cannabis-infused beers, including an IPA, lager, stout, blonde ale, and wheat beer, all of which come in 2.5-mg. and 5-mg. THC varieties (all $8 a 10-ounce can; $38 a 6-pack).Keith Villa, creator of Blue Moon, is taking aim at the THC beer category with his Ceria brand. Ceria’s flagship Grainwave Belgian White Ale has 5-mg. THC per 10-ounce bottle. Launched in Colorado last year, Ceria partnered with Growpacker Inc., a contract manufacturer of cannabis edibles and beverages, to enter Southern California last month. Villa also plans to debut Ceria in Nevada and Massachusetts looking ahead. (Shanken New Daily)

Martha Stewart knows “A Good Thing” when she see it. She has hooked up with Canopy, the largest cannabis company in Canada. (CNN) Know what else is good? The chocolate cake trailer she did with Snoop. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! (YouTube) Here is Martha’s Snoop page (MarthaStewart.com)

The cannabis/food tipping point is HERE people!

Faves No.193

Favorite finds from the front lines of food.

This brings meal planning to a whole other level! Recently visionary chef Dan Barber and his partners launched a new seed company, Row 7 Seeds.  Instead of ability to be transported, uniformity and yield, these plants are bred for flavor.  "The beginning isn't the farm," said Dan Barber. "The beginning is the seed, because that's the blueprint that sets the stage of what the farmer is able to do with good farming."  (Eater , New York Times )

Possibly the coolest thing you will see this week.....or longer! A WATER WHEEL POWERED SPIT!!!!

In other crazy news, LIDL is now selling a new product at their check out counters.....locally grown cannabis.  It's a good thing they have all kinds of deals on munchie-able snacks!  (Guardian)

Michelin Stars? James Beard? What is the difference? Well, here you go - a handy dandy guide to restaurant awards! (Eater)

Fresh? Frozen? Fresh Frozen? Most consumers don't go for items down the frozen aisle, but why? Is it time to become an arctic explorer? (NPR The Salt)