When it comes to marijuana munchies, people likely conjure up a wide array of snacks and fast food favorites that satisfy any and every high craving. A new series of dining experiences in St. Louis is taking this concept and elevating it – while also allowing diners to get slightly elevated in the process.
Swade Cannabis is collaborating with local chefs for its “Best Buds” series of pop-up dinners that feature cannabis-infused dishes that span various cuisines. The “canna-culinary experience,” which aptly kicked off April 20, combines cannabis and fine dining. The duo, while an unexpected one, is a natural progression for the industry, says iNDO chef and owner Nick Bognar.
“Everyone at iNDO is extremely pro-weed. We’re all so excited to do something like this,” Bognar said.“It's kind of amazing, actually, how many more people are cool with trying infused gummies or edibles, in general. And especially the demographics, too; such a wide range of people are doing this.”
Previous dinners featured offerings from Up Late and Pie Guy Pizza. The final two iterations will take place at El Molino del Sureste and iNDO. Instead of creating new tasting menus for the dinners, Bognar and Alex Henry, chef and co-owner of El Molino del Sureste, will be incorporating marijuana into dishes that are already on their respective menus. Henry, for example, likens marijuana to “epazote,” an herb commonly found in Mexican cuisine and used in El Molino del Sureste’s pepita dumplings. The chef is continuing to test other potential recipes ahead of the restaurant’s dinner in July.
“One of the things that we're going to play around is trying to infuse some tortillas,” said Henry. “The iffy part is if the heat that is required to cook a tortilla will end up killing the product that we put in there, so I anticipate probably a pretty high potential of failure on that. But, you know, that's why we're gonna R&D it first.”
While good food is at the forefront of the events, the safety and comfortability of diners is just as important. Bognar and Henry worked closely with the Swade Cannabis team to perfect the dosing for each of the dishes, ensuring that the high will be subtle.There will also be non-infused food and drink options so individuals can control their experience.
“If we can nail the dose and everyone can just feel elated, have a great meal and feel good, I think that's going to be just so awesome,” said Bognar. “It's gonna be such an amazing experience that way.”
To hear more about the dishes Henry and Bognar have planned for their “Best Buds” dinners, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
Related Events
What: “Best Buds” Dinner Series at El Molino del Sureste
When: June 24
Where: 5007 South Kingshighway Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63109
What: “Best Buds” Dinner Series at iNDO
When: July 16
Where: 1641D Tower Grove Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
