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inside
contents 10.2018
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Cul in ary Confidence
Famous Canadian Chef Matty Matheson is not shy, giving CULTURE the exclusive story of his career, his new cookbook and the imminent legalization of cannabis in his home country. O n the C O V E R :
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Contemporary Chefs The innovation of modern cannabis food is well on its way, thanks to these successful cannabis chefs. Elevating Edibles Cannabis-infused cuisine has been on the rise since the birth of the brownie—check out what these new cookbooks have to offer. Industry Insider Jake Heimark of California-based PLUS products makes overcoming the challenging regulations of the edibles market look easy.
12 Letter from the Editor news 16 News Nuggets 17 By the Numbers 18 Local News 20 Legal Corner 22 Healthy Living reviews 23 Edible Reviews 24 Company Highlight 26 Entertainment Reviews 27 Cool Stuff in every issue 50 Shooting Gallery 52 À La Carte 54 Growing Culture 55 News of the Weird
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Online Exclusive! d Ohio Limits CBD Sales to Dispensaries dTurn
Pumpkin into Delightful Infused Recipes
Vol 10 IssUE 4
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Editor-In-Chief Jamie Solis associate Editor Ashley Bennett Editorial coordinator Benjamin Adams Editorial Contributors Matthew Abel, Hilary Bricken, Devon Alexander Brown, Jasen T. Davis, Alex Distefano, Caroline Hayes, David Edmundson, Pamela Jayne, Heather Johnson, Carl Kozlowski, Emily Manke, Madison Ortiz, Denise Pollicella, R. Scott Rappold, Paul Rogers, Ed Rosenthal, Kimberly R. Simms, Lanny Swerdlow, Simon Weedn, Laurie Wolf Photographers Steve Baker, Kristopher Christensen, John Gilhooley, Joel Meaders, Mike Rosati, Eric Stoner, Bruce Wolf Art Director Steven Myrdahl production manager Michelle Aguirre Graphic Designer John Venegas Associate Publisher & Bob Waters Advertising Director Account Executives James Ballam, Alex Brizicky, Angie Callahan,, Kim Cook, Eric Bulls, Rocki Davidson, Casey Roel, Annie Weber, Vic Zaragoza office manager Mikayla Aguilar Distribution Manager Cruz Bobadilla Publisher David Comden Culture® Magazine is published every month and distributes magazines at over 600 locations throughout the Southern California. No articles, illustrations, photographs, or other matter within may be reproduced without written permission. Culture® Magazine is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.
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LETTER
FROM
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EDITOR
Cooking Up a Community
C
ooking is an activity that demonstrates a person’s culture, their taste and their heritage. It’s a form of nonverbal communication in which love, nutrition and art intersect. Food is often the focal point of life’s biggest celebrations and most valued traditions. Overall, preparing dishes and treats for others to enjoy is a way to speak to the heart, from the heart. Like food, cannabis brings people together from all walks of life. And the combination of food and cannabis only further solidifies the passion and love for a plant with properties that know no bounds. This is why every year, we here at CULTURE enthusiastically pay tribute to cannabisinfused food with our annual Edibles Issue. October is arguably one of the best months of the year, because it is when we focus solely on the many important roles that edible cannabis holds within our community. On one hand, there are a large variety of unique and delicious edible cannabis products, and in this issue, we highlight why edibles have been a leading choice for the medical community for so many decades. On the other hand, the recreational consumption of edible cannabis is continually fine-tuned and perfected, as trained chefs from across the country experiment and create, constantly pushing the envelope to infuse cannabis into their high-end dinners and cooking classes. Gone are the days of cannabis simply being ground and thrown into recipes―CULTURE
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connected with six cannabis chefs who are far from amateurs, as they pair complementary strains, choose the perfect terpenes and stay mindful of responsible dosing when creating their cannabis-infused dishes and flavors. CULTURE also linked up with famed Canadian chef, author and VICELAND extraordinaire Matty Matheson, who reveals his most cherished dishes and the inspiration behind them in his brand-new cookbook, just before recreational cannabis sales launch in Canada on Oct. 17. Although cannabis chefs are on the rise, we don’t always leave all the fun to the professionals. After all, cooking with cannabis is a growing trend, even for home cooks whose culinary acumen might not be up to par to make it in the professional world. Luckily for home cooks, the latest era of cannabis-centric cookbooks have budding chefs covered, as we recap the top contenders published within the past year. Join us in kicking off one of the most mouthwatering issues CULTURE has to offer, year after year. Our community is described as a whole lot of things, and this month, we’re proud to say that it is absolutely delicious. c Cheers!
Jamie Solis Editor-in-Chief
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NEWS
nuggetS
LAX Announces that Cannabis is Permitted in Airport Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) announced on Sept. 26 that travelers can carry cannabis at the airport, so long as they are able to pass U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checks. “In accordance with Proposition 64, the Los Angeles Airport Police Department will allow passengers to travel through LAX with up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and eight grams of concentrated marijuana. However, passengers should be aware that marijuana laws vary state-by-state and they are encouraged to check the laws of the
states in which they plan to travel,” the announcement read. According to Los Angeles Airport Police Spokesperson Alicia Hernandez, cannabis has technically been legal at the airport since January 2018 with the implementation of Proposition 64. But the TSA reports to the federal government, so it’s unclear if TSA agents will continue to confiscate cannabis or alert authorities. California’s John Wayne Airport and Oakland International Airport also report that only TSA agents can stop passengers for possessing cannabis.
Edibles Sales Projected to Grow 25 Percent Over Next Four Years According to the latest numbers released by TechNavio, a market research report firm, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of cannabis edibles sales in legal states is projected to increase 25 percent over the next four years. “A major sector of the cannabis market is made up of cannabis edibles, also known as cannabis-infused foods,” according to FinancialBuzz.com. "A market report by TechNavio
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Costa Mesa Issues 13th Cannabis Business Permit In a 3-2 vote, the Costa Mesa Planning Commission granted a conditional use permit to the city’s 13th cannabis business on Sept. 24. Pivot Naturals, a cannabis manufacturing and distribution facility, plans on refining cannabis oil into a powder mixture to be used in tablets, food and beverages. The company will convert an existing 5,283-squarefoot facility into a major cannabis operation. The decision to grant the permit followed controversial arguments.
estimates that the edible products market will witness considerable growth during the period 2018-2022 at a CAGR of over 25 percent by the end of the period. Edible products are used for both medical and recreational purposes, depending on their cannabinoid compounds.” While some people prefer to stay away from edibles due to their delayed release of cannabinoids, sales continue to grow at a consistent pace as more consumers become educated on the benefits of edibles and titration.
Most of the meeting’s heated discussion was focused on the company’s hours of operation. “I haven’t heard any substantive reason for why we would say that this industry cannot operate 24 hours a day but another industry can,” said Planning Commission Chairman Stephan Andranian. The commission ended up settling on allowing Pivot Naturals to open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
The number of Californian cannabis samples that were tested between July 1, 2017 and Aug. 29, 2018 by the Bureau of Cannabis Control: (Source: ABC News)
10,695
The total number of cannabis companies that have received approval to operate from the Costa Mesa Planning Commission: (Source: Los Angeles Times)
13
The number of people who were recently charged with misdemeanor charges from the Los Angeles Police Department in connection to illegal cannabis businesses, cultivation sites, extraction labs and delivery services: (Source: Los Angeles Times)
515
The number of dispensaries that began selling recreational cannabis in Long Beach in late-August and early September: (Source: Long Beach Post)
6
The estimated percentage of U.S. adults who said that they consumed cannabis in 2017: (Source: The Washington Post)
The estimated percentage of American cannabis-infused edibles sales that reflects its compound annual growth rate between 2018 and 2022: (Source: Technavio)
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The estimated amount of money, in millions of Canadian dollars, that Health Canada plans to invest in cannabis education over the next six years: (Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
100
The number of medical cannabis dispensary applications that were submitted to the state of New Jersey prior to the application deadline in mid-August: (Source: NorthJersey.com)
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Kushstock Festival WHEN: Sat, Oct. 20 WHERE: Heritage Field, 12000 Stadium Wy., Adelanto WEBSITE: kushstock.life Now in its sixth year, the Kushstock Festival only continues to get bigger and bigger. After a few changes of plan, the festival is coming to Adelanto. Three stages will feature musical acts such as Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and many more artists that are still to be announced leading up to the event, not to mention live art demonstrations, live glassblowing, Skater’s Paradise and the Ring of Fire wrestling. This event represents the cannabis community at its best, especially with sponsors
such as GreenWolf, Vader Extracts, Spectrum Hydroponics, Brother’s OG, Moon Rocks, House of OG, Mary Jane Edibles and J-Pods. Aside from entertainment, many cannabis companies have submitted their best cannabis products to the Kushstock competition, which will award the best indica, sativa, hybrid, vape cartridge, edible, BHO, topical and CBD product. It’s one of the largest cannabis festivals in the area and is definitely an event that you don’t want to miss! CultureMagazine.com
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NEWS
LOCAL
Eastside Food Festival
Recreational Rollout R e c r e at i o n a l s a l e s f i n a l ly begin in Long Beach
By Benjamin M. Adams
L
ong Beach residents had to wait nearly nine months for recreational cannabis sales, after Proposition 64 took effect last January. With nearly half a million residents, Long Beach is the second-largest city in Greater Los Angeles after Los Angeles itself—so creating a recreational market impacts the area greatly. Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia approved recreational sales back on July 13. Thirty days later, on Aug. 13, the Long Beach Recreational Cannabis Ordinance took effect, but not a single dispensary was approved to sell recreational cannabis at that time. The first four dispensaries in Long Beach that were finally approved to sell recreational cannabis passed final inspections on Aug. 30. This bettersafe-than-sorry approach to recreational cannabis was not unlike the approaches taken by many other Californian cities. On Aug. 31, recreational sales officially began in Long Beach. On that same day, four dispensaries were approved. At that time, only a handful of large Californian cities such as West Hollywood, Santa Ana and Los Angeles had come up with legislation allowing recreational cannabis sales, with varying success. On Sept. 5, two more dispensaries were added, bringing the total to six approved dispensaries. The dispensaries that are approved to sell recreational cannabis at the time of writing 18
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are One Love, Long Beach Green Room, The Station, Connected Cannabis Co., Stone Age Farmacy and LB Collective Inc. Adam Hijazi, general manager of The Long Beach Green Room and The Station, told local reporters that he is “extremely” happy to begin selling recreational cannabis. Other dispensary chain owners are looking at both medical and recreational opportunities in Long Beach. “We’d planned on opening last month, but when we saw how close we were to legal recreational use we decided to wait and open our doors for medical and recreational at the same time,” Steve Ashbel told CULTURE. Steve and Michael Ashbel are co-owners of MMD Inc. with locations in Hollywood and Long Beach. MMD Inc. was the first Hollywood facility to get approval for recreational sales. Once everything is said and done, and per Chapter 5.90 of Long Beach’s municipal code, a total of 32 dispensaries are allowed to open in the city. No new dispensaries can open unless one of the 32 businesses either surrenders their license or if it is revoked. These 32 dispensaries were selected through a complex lottery system—complete with a cage and ping pong balls. Those same businesses will also be the only ones that can apply to sell recreational cannabis. Those businesses must prove that they are “upstanding” as a medical-only establishment for six months. MMD Inc. is among the relatively short list of dispensaries that have the option of applying to sell recreational cannabis. “Long Beach decided that the 32 already approved medical dispensaries would get to apply for recreational,” Ashbel said. “We support each local community and how they best decide to roll out recreational use. We’ve been in Hollywood since 2006, so we understand how important it is to be part of the community and that things will evolve as needed.” The city imposes a tax on medical cannabis at six percent. All types of nonmedical cannabis businesses are subject to a 10.25 percent sales tax, and recreational cannabis is subject to an additional eight percent tax on top of that. But if patients at a recreational cannabis business present a county health card, the taxes are waived. c
The Eastside Food Festival has a little bit of something for everyone! Bring your appetite so you can grab some grub from over 35 local establishments covering nearly every type of food. With such a variety of culinary creations, even the pickiest of eaters will find something that they like. But food isn’t quite as exciting without a bit of entertainment, so be sure to check out live performances by comedians Eric Andre and Eric Wareheim, and live music from Alec Bleeker, Neil Frances, Alex Winston and The Radio Flyers. For those who live to experience that bass drop, live DJS will also be performing, such as KCRW’s Travis Holcome and Mario Cotto. Plus there will be a live podcast recording of Yelling About Pate & Snackie Tunes, and a discussion from Bon Appétit contributor Marissa A. Ross. Proceeds from the event will benefit the PATH Organization. WHEN: Sun, Oct. 21 WHERE: Mack Sennett Studios, 1215 Bates Ave., Los Angeles WEBSITE: eastsidefoodfest. com
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NEWS
LEGAL CORNER
Changing Landscape
Explaining The intricacies of buying or selling cannabis dispensaries in Los Angeles
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Is the dispensary even on the city’s EMMD list? The DCR has done a fantastic job of continually updating its EMMD list on its website. Checking that list is the very first step for any reliable due diligence. If the dispensary is not listed, ask the sellers why that’s the case. At this point, with the window for EMMD licensing closed, failure to appear is going to be a huge and fatal red flag that’s fatal unless the selling dispensary can provide viable proof that they are in valid pursuit of EMMD status from the DCR or appealing a DCR denial of EMMD status.
2.
Licenses are not transferable. Many people don’t realize that commercial cannabis licenses are not transferable under California state law. The same goes for commercial cannabis licenses in the city of L.A.—they cannot be bought and sold as individual assets; only the entity that holds them can change owners (meaning, you’re looking at purchasing the company that holds the license). Therefore, any EMMD that’s trying to sell you one of its licenses (or one of its future licenses) is not recognizing that it can only sell its membership interests or stock, and not the licenses themselves, under state and L.A. laws and regulations.
3.
Phase 3 may be a dead end. If part of your purchase agreement is that the EMMD status will help you secure additional retail licenses in phase 3 (the general public phase of licensure in LA), you really need to be careful with that performance obligation. In phase 3, the city is already obligated under Prop. M to issue retail licenses to social equity applicants on a 2-to-1 basis relative to other general public (non-social equity) applicants. Since over 160 EMMDs already exist in L.A., this means that before even a single retail license issues to a general public (nonsocial equity) applicant, the city must first-issue over 300 retail licenses to social equity applicants. Couple that with the fact that Los Angeles has undue concentration caps for retail licenses and the writing is on the wall that retail licensure may not be possible for non-social equity general public applicants in phase 3, and that includes for nonsocial equity EMMDs seeking additional retail licenses.
4.
This isn’t your daddy’s M & A. Mergers and acquisitions in regulated industries are a different animal, because the transaction has to fit with regulatory vetting and approval before anything really becomes effective between the parties. Cannabis M & A is no different and, in fact, is probably worse since it’s an emerging industry and because commercial cannabis activity remains federally illegal. Once a California cannabis business has its annual license, if it wants to sell its membership interests or stock to bring in a disclosable “owner” (i.e., among other things, anyone or any entity that owns 20 percent or more in equity), it will first need to seek approval from the state agency that issued its licenses. That’s not uncommon in states with robust cannabis regulations. What people may not know, though, is that the DCR also wants to know about changes in ownership and has full authority to reject the change request based on its scrutiny of the incoming owners. c
By Hilary Bricken
I
n March of 2017, Angelenos voted in favor of Proposition M, which is a licensing and regulatory piece of legislation implemented and overseen by the city’s Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) and the Cannabis Regulation Commission. Under Prop. M, the city is licensing cannabis businesses in three phases, the first of which was exclusively for “Existing Medical Marijuana Dispensaries” (EMMDs). EMMDs are basically grandfathered Prop. D/Pre-ICO operators that met certain compliance criteria set forth by the city under Prop. M. As of the writing of this article, there are only 164 EMMDs in the entire city of Los Angeles. This low number of dispensaries in “This low number potentially the largest cannabis market in of dispensaries in the world makes the p o t e n t i a l ly t h e secondary market for largest cannabis purchases of these storefronts incredibly market in the hot. In turn, here are world makes the the major bases to secondary market cover when buying an EMMD in the city for purchases of of Los Angeles under t h ese storefronts Prop. M:
i n c r e d i b ly h o t. ”
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NEWS
strength of an edible can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more to be felt. Consequently, with smoking it is easy to titrate, or regulate the amount needed to feel the effect not controllable with edibles. It is this possibility of an overdose that has given edibles such a bad rap. Despite these warnings, this doesn’t mean that one should be wary of consuming cannabis, as the cannabinoids in cannabis can provide inestimable health benefits, whether it is for pain, insomnia or as a substitute for alcohol. It doesn’t matter how cannabis is ingested, whether it is through smoking, eating, sublingual absorption or whatever—what is important is that the cannabinoids in cannabis should be consumed—they just shouldn’t be overconsumed. Whether a novice or a seasoned edible consumer, the following guidelines should always be kept in mind.
HEALTHY LIVING
Essentials of Edibles
A sensible approach to medical cannabis edible consumption By Lanny Swerdlow, RN LNC
S
ales of edibles are increasing exponentially as they offer several advantages over inhaled cannabis. Edibles are smoke-free, discreet, longlasting and can be more effective in treating certain ailments such as pain and insomnia. While there are many benefits, there are also pitfalls as well. But the best way to ensure that cannabis consumers (either beginner or experienced) have a positive edibles experience, there are a few important things to note. First and foremost, an excessive amount of psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can result in a very uncomfortable experience—especially for a firsttime or inexperienced consumer. The consumption experience is amplified when eaten, as the THC in cannabis is metabolized by the liver and is converted to the metabolite 11-hydroxy-THC. This metabolite passes rapidly into the brain producing a stronger
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psychoactive effect than smoked or vaporized THC, which, when inhaled, bypasses the liver resulting in a slower penetration into the brain and significantly lower psychoactive effects. An overdose from cannabis occurs when the consumer ingests too much THC, overwhelming their endocannabinoid system—most specifically in the almond-shaped collection of cells deep within the brain called the amygdala. Secondly, consumers should be wary of the length which an edible’s effects last. Unlike smoking cannabis, where the time for onset of the psychoactive effects is just a few minutes, the
Cannabis affects everyone differently. A dose level for one person that seems tame may knock someone else out of the ballpark. First-time consumers should start with no more than 5mg and wait at least two hours to ascertain its effects before consuming more. Always use products that have been properly tested and have their THC and other cannabinoid levels printed on the package. Be especially cautious with homemade edibles. The standard dose is considered to be 10mg THC. California law mandates that packaged edibles cannot have more than 100mg of THC and must be divided into clearly identifiable servings of no more than 10mg each. Alcohol should not be consumed along with cannabis as alcohol can significantly intensify cannabis’ effects making what might have been a very pleasant experience into a nightmare.
“The experience is amplified w h e n e at e n a s t h e T H C i n c a n n a b i s i s m e ta b o l i z e d b y t h e liver and is converted to the m e ta b o l i t e 1 1 - h y d r o x y -T H C . ”
Mistakes do happen. Fortunately mistakes with cannabis are uncomfortable but not deadly and there are actions that can be taken to counteract effects that are too intense. This includes but is not limited to consuming cannabidiol products, drinking water or taking a nap. c
REVIEWs
edible
Indian Spiced Chai Cannabis Latte
Available wherever: Therapy Tonics & Provisions products are carried.
October is the best time of year to try the Indian Spiced Chai Cannabis Latte (25mg) made by Therapy Tonics & Provisions in California. It’s a vegan, organic, sativa-infused coffee drink with an exquisite balance of sweet and spice—making it perfect for starting any autumn day or journey. You can enjoy this chilled lip-smacking pick-me-up, which can be added to your coffee or latte, or simply consumed on its own. Lovers of mellow yet productive sativas will appreciate the energizing, pain-relieving and mindfocusing effects of an Indian Spiced Latte with just one shot (two teaspoons equal 8mg of THC) from the 10-ounce bottle. Save your other two servings for later in the day, tomorrow or whenever you need to clear your mind, ease distracting pain or uncomfortable anxiety, or put a much-needed skip in your step. No matter what your experience with infused cannabis drinks is, be sure to spice up your autumn with an Indian Spiced Chai Cannabis Latte. Purchase them wherever Therapy Tonics & Provisions products are carried! Available wherever: Kushy Punch products are carried.
Cannabis Infused Gummy Formula: Indica If you’re in the market for a discreetly delicious edible that you can use throughout the day and night without detection, then Kushy Punch has you covered. Ringing in with 100mg of THC per package and just 10mg per square, these gummies quickly became the new favorite of reviewers at CULTURE. The Indica variety pulled through with the promise made by generations of indica strains before—the effects of just one bite-sized square took about an hour to kick in. When they did, reviewers welcomed the increased appetite, anxiety relief and deep relaxation, which eventually led to some much rest. The cannabis taste in the plum flavored Indica gummies was not too strong, making it no surprise that this edible product was crafted by professional confectionary chefs using full spectrum cannabis oil. Kushy Punch gummies come in a variety of flavors and effects, making them the perfect on-the-go edible for any time of day or night, depending on the effects desired. Kushy Punch Gummies are also available in Hybrid, Sativa, Recover (THC+CBD) and Kushy CBD varieties. CultureMagazine.com
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REVIEWs
company highlight
Bhang Corporation (310) 560-5296 www.gotbhang.com How would you describe your company? What is your specialty? When Bhang launched, it took a growing cottage industry by storm and demonstrated just how precise and sophisticated a cannabis company could be when it came to creating edible products that were safe, discreet and above all, phenomenal tasting. Developed and led by Scott Van Rixel, a Europeancertified chef de cuisine and master chocolatier with 25+ years of gourmet chocolate experience, the Bhang team is known for producing the most-awarded line of cannabis-infused chocolates and products on the planet. The Bhang brand is an international powerhouse and consists of many premium products in addition to its award-winning cannabis chocolate. What is our specialty? Bhang is best known for innovation. Bhang’s premium CBD line has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people since 2011 and true to form, we are ready to launch our new “cannabis-inspired” line of terpene-enhanced products to the mass market very soon.
that continue to be all things Bhang—delicious, consistent and safe. We are not afraid to challenge convention in order to enhance experiences for consumers. Competitors copy us, but without our extensive gourmet food background, it is hard to meet Bhang’s premium standards for quality. In 2018, all companies in California are forced to get a few things right such as compliant packaging and clean cannabis oil. Bhang has always led the industry by doing everything a consumer would expect since day one with product liability insurance, nutritional fact panels, fair-trade, sustainably-sourced cacao and always including only third-party, lab-tested, clean cannabis. The truth is, Bhang started out as the brand you could trust to be delicious, consistent and safe. We didn’t need the government to force us to figure it out. We came from the gourmet food industry and brought our extensive compliance knowledge along for the ride. We didn’t invent cannabis chocolate, we just perfected it. How and why did your company start up? Celebrated Chef and Master Chocolatier Scott Van Rixel and cannabis industry
What do you offer consumers that others don’t? Bhang continues to innovate with new and exciting products in development 24
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insider Richard Sellers joined forces in 2010 to launch Bhang and take the newly burgeoning edible cannabis industry by storm. We blazed the trail and demonstrated what it meant to produce safe, premiumquality cannabis products, beginning with the multiaward-winning legendary Bhang chocolate bars. With the changing landscape of medical and recreational cannabis, what do you see as the biggest challenges to your progress as a company? Any advantages? We all have the same challenge with banking, and I believe that and taxation are the two biggest challenges. The interpretation of the law is also problematic. You can ask five different lawyers the same question and get
five different answers. The advantage we have is that we are an innovation-driven company, so we’re used to blazing the trail. What words of advice would you offer anyone seeking to enter the world of cannabis business? Understand that the days of over-inflated profit margins are over. Unless you’re willing to accept real, market-driven margins and treat this as the legitimate industry it is, you shouldn’t enter this world. It used to be if you were willing to show up and willing to play (i.e. take a risk), you got a seat at the table. Those days are long gone. You need to know what you’re doing. This is real world entrepreneurship. You risk losing everything, if you don’t know how to run a business. What do you hope to accomplish in the cannabis industry? Bhang’s mission is to be the most-recognized and trusted cannabis brand on the planet. c
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REVIEWs
entertainment
BOOK
From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen Snoop Dogg Pub. Chronicle Books Branching into cooking as the co-host of the Emmy-nominated show, Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, Snoop Dogg is now making his love for the culinary arts even more official with the launch of his first-ever cookbook, From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen. Known for his love of cannabis, you won’t find any cannabis recipes in this book, although some of Dogg’s favorite recipes like Easy Orange Chicken or Baked Mac & Cheese will deliver as the most scrumptious munchie food. Let the “Doggfather” take you on an edible journey to the factory of flavor. (Jacob Cannon) 26
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Release Date: oct. 26 Available on: PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
MOVIE
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? GAME
Red Dead Redemption II Dev. Rockstar Studios Pub. Rockstar Games In terms of American history, nothing is more classic than the aesthetic of the Wild West—which is why Rockstar Games’ original Red Dead Redemption game became a big hit when it released eight years ago. Now a sequel is finally making its way to next generation consoles, offering a new open world adventure set in 1899 just as the era of the Wild West ends and the 20th century begins. Ride horses, lasso enemies, travel with your outlaw gang and marvel at the beautiful landscape of the United States in its prime. (Nicole Potter)
Dir. Morgan Neville Focus Features In a world that often seems cold and callous, it’s easy to forget that children can be especially affected by the atmosphere and events that surround them. For over three decades Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a source of reassurance, positivity and education for millions of children in the United States and beyond. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? profiles Fred Rogers himself and takes viewers through a thorough profile of his life and the nearly immeasurable impact of his show. Loaded with all of the wholesome Mr. Rogers content anyone could want, the film is as heart-warming as it is thought provoking. (Simon Weedn)
MUSIC
The Pact Slothrust Dangerbird Records On its third fulllength album, Boston, Massachusettsbased trio Slothrust delivers its tightest and most cohesive record yet with The Pact. Working with producer Billy Bush (Garbage, Against Me!), the band finally strikes a balance between the ’90s alt rock that it explored on its debut record, Of Course You Do, and the more polished indie pop stylings that it pushed toward on its second release, Everyone Else. Combining the big sound and smooth production of pop rock with the raw, frayed edge of grunge, Slothrust comes out swinging for the fences with The Pact and hit a grand slam homerun. (Simon Weedn)
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REVIEWs
1. Grill Cube BBQ Going camping or glamping this autumn? This tiny mobile outdoor cooking grill is perfect for quick getaways in the great outdoors. The device is less than 6.5 inches cubed, it weighs only 3.1 pounds and is made out of lightweight aluminum and steel. It’s perfect for grilling or roasting kebabs, steak, chicken, tofu or useful to boil a small kettle. It is made in Japan, where you can find miniature versions of just about anything. A tiny removable tray slides out from underneath and can store charcoal. Price: $88 More Information: japantrendshop.com 2. Cannabis Sativa Kitchen Sea Towel Let guests who enter your kitchen know that you’re a cannabis consumer in a classy way with this 28-inch by 18-inch flour sack kitchen towel featuring a beautifully stitched hemp plant design. It’s handmade and fashioned out of cotton, and it features a scientificlooking hemp plant depiction reminiscent of botanical cannabis or hemp diagrams of the 19th century. It’s subtle enough to blend in and not clash with your kitchen décor, and do so without making a loud statement. Use it to dry your hands over the sink or display it as a decorative flair piece. Price: $16 More Information: etsy.com/listing/580790100/ cannabis-sativa-kitchen-tea-towel
3. FoodCycler™ FC-30 Do you really care about the planet, or are you all just talk? It’s time to stop being wasteful with your food leftovers. The FoodCycler™ FC-30 converts food waste into nutrient-rich compost. If you’re into cannabis cultivation, this kitchen appliance may come in handy. Old school cultivators used eggshells or spoiled milk (which kills powdery mildew) as D.I.Y. fertilizer, but this composter converts food scraps at a 90 percent conversion rate from food scraps to “foodilizer.” The whole process can be finished in as little as three hours. The FoodCycler™ FC-30 soil is also great for growing tomatoes, flowers or other plants. Price: $349 More Information: nofoodwaste. com/products/foodcycler-fc-30
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4. Rolling Pin: Engraved Marijuana Leaf Throwing your next cannabisthemed party is piece of cake with this engraved wooden rolling pin. Create dozens of embossed cookies with fan leaf patterns in a single roll. Put your back into it! The rolling pin is 10 inches by two inches, the perfect size for cooking a few dozen cookies with the cannabis leaf design. It makes a little bit of work go a long way. Its old-fashioned appeal makes it ideal for gifts as well. If you’re a seasoned kitchen professional, this rolling pin works with fondant, crust, marzipan or any dough-like substance. Price: $23.50 More Information: etsy.com/ listing/384434686/rolling-pinengraved-marijuana-leaf
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Matty Matheson continues to make edible m a s t e r p i e c e s , o n a n d o ff t h e s c r e e n By Benjamin M. Adams
C
hef Matty Matheson is
following of nearly half a million followers
undoubtedly among the
on Instagram while becoming one of
most animated personalities
the top-paid chefs in Canada due to his
you’ll ever witness on-
larger-than-life personality. But Matheson
screen. Born and raised
doesn’t care where good food comes
on the rough streets of
from—whether it hails from a hole-in-
Parkdale, Toronto, the
the-wall gas station or from an esteemed
young Canadian bad boy chef grew to
five-star restaurant. His quest for the best
international stardom after partnering with
grub takes him anywhere and everywhere,
a string of wildly successful restaurants.
regardless of the eating establishment’s
From Oddfellows to La Pallete, Le Sélect
social standing. Only the taste matters.
Bistro and Parts & Labour, Matheson became well-rounded in the art of culinary
about what you can find in his first
perfection in a variety of restaurants
cookbook and memoir, Matty Matheson:
spanning multiple cultural backgrounds.
A Cookbook, which is due for release
Through his unstoppable popularity
30
Matheson confided with CULTURE
on Oct. 9, as well as his rise to fame and
on YouTube and on two VICELAND
his thoughts on recreational cannabis
series entitled Dead Set on Life and
legalization happening in Canada on
It’s Suppertime!, he’s amassed a loyal
Oct. 17.
OCTOBER 2018 CultureMagazine.com
a
n
Photo by Aaron Wynia
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You’re about to release your first cookbook. How were these dishes and recipes selected? The book is broken down in a certain way—half of the book is family, and half the book is restaurants. The beginning of the book is about my dad’s parents and my mom’s parents, then my parents and my in-laws. My grandfather had a restaurant in Prince Edward Island, so it’s a lot of maritime food, a lot of seafood, some diner recipes and recipes from my grandmother, like chowchow, mustard pickles and grilled beef tongue. My mom’s grandparents are Acadian, so it’s more like meat-andpotatoes-type stuff, roast and Rappie pie, an Acadian classic dish. Then my parents’ dishes are kind of the stuff that I grew up on. There’s a chicken curry broccoli casserole and mostly other family stuff. My in-laws are Irish and Italian-Canadian, so there’s Italian food and stuff like that. So, that’s the first half of the book—my foundation and where I come from. Then, the second half of the book is all my restaurant stuff. I learned how to cook in French restaurants, so a quarter of the book is recipes from Le Sélect Bistro in Toronto, [Canada,] and it’s been there for like 35 years. The other restaurant is La Palette, which has been around for 15 to 18 years or so. Then we get into Oddfellows, which was my first restaurant that I opened when I was 26. And then Parts & Labour is where 32
OCTOBER 2018 CultureMagazine.com
we close it out. It represents my lineage so far, and then I kind of tell my story throughout the book and use these recipes to tell stories about my life. You’ve hosted and produced multiple series on VICELAND. How did you end up connecting with some of the best film production crews in the business? Through friends. It was really a very organic, unplanned kind of thing that happened. When they started doing MUNCHIES, like the very first MUNCHIES with David Chang, I started hitting up my dudes in Canada, because I’ve been friends with them since like the early 2000s, like 2003. VICE used to have stores. One of the stores was across the street from my bistro, so I’ve known Photo by Pat O’Rourke
all the VICE guys at the store. Before, VICE was just about drugs, photographers and sex, and there was never really anything I could contribute. And then when they started to cover food, I was like, “Me, me, me, me, ME!” And then when everyone started talking about VICELAND doing a TV network, they came to me and said, “You want to shoot a TV show?” And I said, “Yeah, let’s go.” We did three seasons of Dead Set on Life. And then I don’t think the world needs more white men traveling the world and trying to identify different cultures. So I said, “Why don’t we just try to do a really fucking crazy cooking show?” And they were down. And then we made It’s Suppertime! And we did 24 episodes of It’s Suppertime!
Hot Turkey Sandwich p. 46
Broccoli-Chicken Cheddar Curry Casserole p. 90
Lamb Dandan Noodles p. 263
Dead Set on Life premiered on VICELAND in 2016. Recently, it received two Canadian Screen Award nominations. What do you think led to its success? I just think that the thing VICE has done really well is give different people an opportunity, people that don’t really fit the mold of people that should be on television. I think that the way that I talk, the way that I
look and the way that I think about things is very different than a lot of people on television. I was up against some of the biggest shows in Canada, unscripted, and all of these award shows are very political. I didn’t win anything, because they gave it to the biggest shows—I think Property Brothers won. But it was funny, because it was Dead Set on Life up against like five home renovation shows. Photos by Quentin Bacon
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Tell us about your new restaurant in the works. It’s going to be the greatest restaurant in Canadian history. I really want to do this restaurant justice and let it speak for itself. I’m going to play this one close to my chest. I’m not talking about it at all. I haven’t said the name of it. I’m just lying to people, straight up. But that’s exciting, right? It is. It’s my first restaurant. I have a backer, obviously, but it’s my restaurant. I own majority. It’s my vision. My execution. I put together
“ c r l a o t b t t a
[ M y f i r s t o o k b o o k ] e p r e s e n t s m y i n e a g e s o f a r , n d t h e n I k i n d f t e l l m y s t o r y h r o u g h o u t t h e o o k a n d u s e h e s e r e c i p e s o t e l l s t o r i e s b o u t m y l i f e . ” the team. I’m very excited to show my country to the world. I just want to get back. For the last four of five years or so, I’ve just been traveling the world a bit. I’ve set up a second career for the last five years. We’ve done Maker Pizza, which has been done really well. I’m really proud of Maker Pizza. But this restaurant is definitely going to be a “Matty restaurant.” It’s going to really show where I’m at. I’m a very different person than I was almost 10 years ago when I opened Parts & Labour. That’s for sure. This restaurant is going to shine light on who the fuck I really am right now.
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Photo by Aaron Wynia
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You’re currently one of the highest-paid chefs in Canada. How did your decision to go to culinary school set yourself on the right path in your younger years? I don’t know. Everyone has such a different path. I think going to culinary school helped me a lot. I think what I learned there I couldn’t have learned anywhere else. I really enjoyed it. I still stay in contact with some of the chefs. In high school I didn’t give a fuck. But there, I had to be on time. I had to be shaved every day. I hate being not on time. I hate not showing up prepared for anything. Some of the foundational stuff that cooking school has taught me has stuck with me forever. It will always be ingrained. That part of my makeup is a massive thing. Chef Bevan, Chef McCain, Chef McFadden. All of those dudes used to be a big part of why I am who I am. I definitely cherish the time that we had in cooking school. But other times, I’m like, “Cooking school isn’t for everyone.” And school maybe isn’t for everyone. I dropped out of my school. I got everything that I needed out of it. I didn’t need the piece of paper, but it certainly was a great experience. People trust your instincts when it comes to selecting a fine restaurant establishment. What do you look for in a restaurant? I don’t know—good food? I love so many different kinds of restaurants. I love really fancy restaurants. I love spending a ton of money and eating high quality sushi. I love eating at Waffle House. I love eating at gas stations and getting chicken finger subs. I love the span of food and hospitality. I love going into a place and no one knows who the fuck I am. I just want the food to be tasty.
constantly get recognized everywhere you go because of that international exposure? Not really from TV but more from YouTube. They always say, “I love you from YouTube.” That’s the thing—everyone has the internet. I hate it when people don’t know who I am, but they know that they’ve seen me. I always find that kind of crunchy. People are always like, “Aren’t you that one guy?” I’m like, “Sure, but you don’t even know who I am?” Who gives a fuck? Wouldn’t you find that annoying? Like someone comes up and they’re stoked, fine. But I don’t want to tell you who the fuck I am. I’ll be enjoying a coffee. I was just in Copenhagen and some guys came up to me and said, “Hey, aren’t you that guy?” I don’t need to be your buddy. And
c u l i n m e a c o u l a n y w h
I don’t need to take a photo with you. But if you like me, and know who the fuck I actually am, then I will take a photo with you. Do you have any food-related tattoos? No. I keep that separate. I never got tattoos because I’m a chef, I got tattoos because I was a punk kid who hated society, man. People always ask me if I have a knife tattoo. Why the fuck would I have a knife tattooed on me? Do you have like a pen and paper tattooed because you’re a journalist? Do you have a fuckin’ pen and paper tattooed on your forehead? Does a welder have a welder tattooed on their forearm? A lot of chefs do have chef-related tattoos, but culturally, I don’t have any industry tattoos.
“ I t h i n k g o i n g t a r y s c h o o l h e l p e l o t . I t h i n k w h a I l e a r n e d t h e r e d n ’ t h a v e l e a r n e e r e e l s e . I r e a l l e n j o y e d i t .
o d t I d y ”
You’ve appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers and Last Call with Carson Daly. Do you
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Photo by Quentin Bacon
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OCTOBER 2018
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Front cover photograph copyright © Daniel Ehrenworth
When Canadians cross the border into the states, what do they think is the strangest thing about Americans? Your fear. Your fear of impending doom on your country and that you have to destroy everything to feel safe while all of you guys are basically destroying each other. It’s very similar. Imagine if Canada was as big as the United States. What are you guys,
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OCTOBER 2018 CultureMagazine.com
like 300 million people? There’s only [36] million in Canada. People ask why we’re so happy. We’re happy up here because we’re not crawling over each other. I think that’s what makes the culture different. When we go into the states I just find it different. I love the United States, though. Americans are American, like they’re extremely proud. We go other places, and people are more reserved.
Recreational cannabis is becoming legalized in Canada on Oct. 17. What is your opinion on Canada embracing the plant? It’s just another thing for people to regulate, control and make money off of. People are going to be high, and they’re going to treat it the same way as alcohol. If you get pulled over, and you’re fuckin’ faded from three blunts, then I’m sure you’re going to get in trouble. I haven’t done a lot of research into it. I definitely don’t smoke weed. It’s just another legalized substance. People are doing it anyways, and I don’t think [legalization] is going to make more people smoke weed. If you want to smoke weed, do it, and if you don’t, then don’t smoke weed. People do drugs. Some people are successful with it and others are not. It depends on the person. What are your plans in the next upcoming several months? What can we expect? My cookbook comes out Oct. 9. We’ll be doing a pretty good American tour. We’re doing a Canadian tour. We’re doing an Australian tour. All that stuff. We’re pretty much booked until Christmas. And then my restaurant will hopefully open in April/May, and that will take up the rest of my year. But everything changes so fast, so who knows? The concrete events include my new restaurant opening in 2019 and my book release. I’ve got a new baby coming, so I’ve had a little bit of family time. This year was pretty chill, but next year will be amazing. c
www.abramsbooks.com/mattymatheson | www.instagram.com/mattymatheson
“ P e o p l e a r e d o i n g i t a n y w a y s a n d I d o n ’ t t h i n k [ l e g a l i z a t i o n ] i s g o i n g t o m a k e m o r e p e o p l e s m o k e w e e d . I f y o u w a n t t o s m o k e w e e d , d o i t , a n d i f y o u d o n ’ t , t h e n d o n ’ t s m o k e w e e d . ”
Photo by Aaron Wynia
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Contemporary chefs are crushing the cannabis cooking scene By Madison Ortiz
S
ure, edibles are sweet, but they don’t all have to be sugary desserts. In fact, popular chefs from across the nation are each making an effort to modernize cooking with cannabis, by steering away from the typical pot brownies, focusing on various
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OCTOBER 2018 CultureMagazine.com
infusion techniques and creating strategic pairings based upon cannabinoid effects and terpene profiles. Responsibly-dosed breakfast, lunch and dinner is served; now we invite you to dig in and elevate your perception of cooking with cannabis. CULTURE caught up with six chefs who are leading the way in the cannabis food space.
Chef Daniella Davis
Chef Nathan Santana
Chef Daniella Davis is owner and executive private chef of Dine in with Daniella, where she caters cannabis pop-up events, in addition to offering one-of-akind private chef services in Southern California and New York. Cooking since age five, Davis has been a chef on the rise for the last seven years. An avid cannabis consumer and sickle cell warrior, Davis made an important decision to steer away from opioid pain medication. She dabbled with making edibles for personal consumption, until March of this year, when she launched the first of her bi-monthly pop-up events, themed Cocktails and Cannabis, which was extremely successful. “I’m doing different themes every event so people can see the versatility (of cannabis), it’s not just strictly limited to desserts,” Davis shared. Her great reputation as a chef of non-cannabis-infused foods has contributed to the phenomenal attendance she’s received at each event, in addition to her reach amongst her peers in the cannabis community; among her guests were cancer patients, epilepsy warriors and peers from her sickle
“I’m doing different themes every event so p e o p l e c a n s e e t h e v e r s at i l i t y ( o f c a n n a b i s ) , i t ’ s n o t j u s t s t r i c t ly l i m i t e d t o d e s s e r t s . ” cell support group. Her second pop-up in May had a Brunch theme, which included a CBD cocktail bar along with an array of foods and condiments, each uniquely infused with a low dose of medical grade cannabis oils, butters and terpenes. In addition to a BBQ-themed pop-up back in August, she’s hosted 15 private dinners since March, catering to the medical cannabis community. Davis prefers to be interactive with her clients, inquiring their individual needs and, if they desire, walks them through the recipe from start to finish, sharing information on strains and dosage, alongside cooking technique. chefdaniella.com
Chef Nathan Santana hosts seven-course, highend cannabis infused dinners, pop-up style, via his company “Cultured: Create & Destroy.” Experimenting in his home kitchen since childhood, Santana dreamed of culinary school. After working on the line, he moved to Los Angeles, California in 2014 at age 20 to pursue this dream, ultimately obtaining his master’s degree. Experiencing the overdose of his best friend via painkillers, Santana strongly prefers to consume cannabis to alleviate his pains associated with a snowboarding injury, which also helps him sleep. Recognizing an opportunity within the cannabis food scene to “get more gastronomic with it,” Santana and his partner Botafarm Genetics aim to change perspectives with their pop-up dinners. “It’s not just about getting high; it’s about the food too, and it’s about utilizing the herb for flavor. [...] It’s more about enjoying the experience and conversing about it,” Santana said. Santana pairs his partner’s genetics, grown specifically for flavor and scent, with his food in every way imaginable—crumble butters, pasta dough infused with THC oil, and even shaved cannabis on top of the food. “[Cannabis is] so flavorful. If you work with it correctly, there’s so much flavor that comes out of it.” In addition to his pop-up dining events, Santana is the executive sous chef (Chef de Cuisine) at The Wallace in Los Angeles, California. Santana and his partner’s goal is to turn their business into a Michelin-star restaurant that utilizes cannabis in a variety of different ways. instagram.com/chef_nate_santana CultureMagazine.com
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Chef Ricky Flickenger
Chef Jessica Catalano
Author of Cannabis & the Art of Infusion, Ricky Flickenger of Washington is a self-made chef, with a degree in Psychology. Formerly working with teenagers who were overcoming eating disorders, Flickenger turned his lifelong passion for food into a career. About seven years ago, with experience working in restaurants and bakeries under his belt, he began to teach people how to cook. Fast forward to November 2012, Washington (alongside Colorado) became one of the first two states to legalize cannabis recreationally via Initiative 502. Flickenger found that he personally enjoys medicating with low-dose edibles in the evening to help alleviate high anxiety, panic attacks and sleeplessness. Early on, Flickenger noticed some unfavorable details regarding food quality and inconsistency with the dosage of some cannabis edibles. “When I started buying edibles, things were mostly sweet; they didn’t seem to be as concerned about quality as just [offering] a vehicle for the THC to get inside of you.” Additionally, Flickenger struggled to understand labels, which were declaring the same milligrams of THC dosage in products, yet presenting drastically different effects. Determined to help others implement exact dosage, he has been teaching a 15-minute method to readers of his elevated cookbook, with an end result infusion that barely changes color and has little-to-no cannabis flavor. “I try to show people [they can] make virtually any dish into edibles,” he said. Flickenger also offers a mobile chef service in which he goes to a client’s home, prepared with all ingredients and equipment needed, and he teaches them how to cook (with and without cannabis). To widen his audience and make this information more accessible, Flickenger sells interactive recipes that are available on his Patreon page. Patreon recipes are currently not cannabis-based, due to unclear regulations regarding the legalities of doing so on that platform, but he insists all his recipes can be easily infused using the methods he describes in his book.
Chef Jessica Catalano was one of the first chefs in the world to pioneer strain-specific cannabis cuisine. She authored a book, The Ganja Kitchen Revolution: The Bible of Cannabis Cuisine, which pairs every recipe with strains chosen for their complementary benefit to the dish. “When it comes to cannabis there’s all different flavors and terpene profiles [...] associated with strains and phenotypes. I started a blog [with] free recipes, and within four months it was such a hit that I got offered a book deal.” Catalano has always been interested in cooking and had a strong desire to go to culinary school, but in pursuit of a career with more financial stability, she began her professional journey in Buffalo, New York, where she went to school for clinical psychology. At 23, Catalano went to Colorado and got her EMTS certificate working in a detox unit, and shortly after enrolled into culinary school. Now working as a chef for private dinners and events, Catalano loves cooking in accordance to the seasons, in addition to “ethnic recipes with cultural significance.” Catalano described a recipe for a Vietnamese dish, Lemon Kush Spring Rolls. “The terpene profile from that strain really enhances the flavor profile of all the fresh vegetables,” she said. Checked off her bucket list in 2015, Catalano cooked for Snoop Dogg at an exclusive party for the 2015 X Games in Aspen, Colorado. Today, she’s living in the suburbs of Seattle, Washington, raising her three-year-old daughter, Mary Jane, and working on her own time for public and private events. Catalano hopes that her work will help change the misconception that “cannabis tastes disgusting.” “If done in a proper way, [...] it really can be a wonderful thing to cook with, just like we cook with basil, oregano or rosemary.”
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jessicacatalano.com
Chef Alecia Winters
Chef Brandon Allen
Chef Alecia Winters of Michigan is the owner of Pretty in Pink Edibles, has been featured as a cannabis chef in Forbes and placed in the top 19 home cooks in America on season 9 of MasterChef. As a young single mom, Winters ensured that her son had a healthy balanced diet, learning new techniques from cooking shows and tutorials. Her relationship with cannabis started at 18, when she started smoking to alleviate anxiety and panic attacks, but became more pro-cannabis when family member reached out seeking help getting off opioids. “It really opened my eyes; I did a lot more research,” she said. With experience being criticized by loved ones for being a cannabis consumer and promoter, she wants to help alleviate this feeling for other moms. “There shouldn’t be a shameful feeling when it comes to wanting to naturally treat your depression or anxiety.” Winters aims to open an infusion kitchen where she plans to teach others how easy it is to prepare infused food. The ultimate goal in her future infusion kitchen is to teach people how to incorporate cannabis cooking in to their daily lives based upon their dietary restrictions. A simple recipe Winters recommends is CannaMilk; she infuses it with a strain that has stimulating effects and then adds it to her morning coffee. Although Winters’ conversations regarding cannabis were not aired in “There shouldn’t season 9 of MasterChef, be a shameful likely as that storyline was clashing with her feeling when it persona as a daycare owner, she hopes to comes to wanting nail her audition and t o n at u r a l ly t r e at return next season, utilizing the cannabis your depression or storyline more appropriately. a n x i e t y. ”
Chef Brandon Allen of San Diego, California is a professionally trained chef specializing in paleo and ketogenic cuisine and is director of R&D at the Trichome Institute. Allen suffered from a back injury shortly after culinary school and went in search of a holistic approach to healing. He made a drastic shift from a vegan to a ketogenic lifestyle and reintroduced cannabis as medicine, via microdosing with edibles. With his new diet in mind, he wanted to learn how to make his own edibles, which led to a desire to understand how to pick the best ingredients, which included cannabis. Allen began doing online research about how to determine quality of cannabis and stumbled upon the Trichome Institute, where he was eventually received certification in an interpening course; yet his thirst for more led him to regularly read medical journals. Allen began sharing social media content in March 2017 and within a month he was tagged in a post that led to him becoming the first-ever “High Times Top Cannabis Chef.” Allen has invented the phrase “consumption determines function” to summarize the science behind his thought process. “I try to make sure that the things I’m serving others and myself are going to provoke the function that I want. Food and cannabis have a synergy and they can be “ I t r y t o m a k e s u r e t h at true medicine together.” Allen feels that it’s important the things I’m serving for cannabis chefs to others and myself are understand the science going to provoke the behind effects of individual f u n c t i o n t h at I w a n t. cannabinoids and terpenes when digested versus when Food and cannabis have a inhaled, allowing them to be synergy and they can be scientifically accurate with true medicine together.” their pairings. c chefbrandonallen.com CultureMagazine.com
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Reliable Recipes
B a k e a n d c r e at e w i t h t h e s e n e w cannabis cookbooks By Kiara Manns
P
to conduct more scientific
culinary shows. For the chefs at
research on the plant’s
home who are thinking of diving
rogressive legislative
capabilities, legislation also
into the kitchen with cannabis,
moves for cannabis
brings curiosity and creativity
there are more than a few
lead to positive
to cannabis products. Edibles
cookbooks to provide guidance
changes for people
have long since existed as both
along the way. From desserts
both within and
a recreational and medicinal
and drinks to full course meals,
outside of the
method of consumption. Popular
these latest publications
cannabis community. Along
streaming service Netflix and the
can help perfect and create
with access to broader medical
VICELAND network now offer
delicious edibles to “wow” any
treatment and the ability
different versions of cannabis
dinner guest.
Edibles: Small Bites for the Modern Cannabis Kitchen
Bong Appétit: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Weed
Author: Stephanie Hua
Author: Editors of MUNCHIES
Edibles: Small Bites for the Modern Cannabis Kitchen offers snacks on top of snacks for readers with a sweet tooth. This collection of bite-sized desserts promises to go, “boldly beyond pot brownies” by delivering low-dose treats in a variety of ways. Author and creator, Stephanie Hua, also is the founder of Mellows™, gourmet cannabis-infused marshmallows. With the collaboration of Coreen Carroll, the two embarked on the mission to whip up recipes for every skill level. Veterans of the culinary art and newbies to the kitchen can enjoy desserts that are quick to make or have a go at recipes that require more attention to detail. Within the pages of Small Bites readers will find recipes to Spiced Superfood Truffles, Strawberry Jam Pavlovas and many more flavorful creations. Hua incorporates either cannabutter or oils in each recipe, providing thorough descriptions on dosage and portioning information. Small Bites for the Modern Cannabis Kitchen hits shelves Nov. 6, giving you just enough time to practice a few recipes to impress guests for the Thanksgiving holiday. 44
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Based on the popular VICELAND television show of the same name, Bong Appétit: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Weed packs in flavorful dishes to showcase the complexity and art involved in creating cannabis-infused foods. Fans of the VICELAND series will be happy to know they can now bring the adventurous nature of the show to the counters of their own kitchen. Readers can expect to shift their own cooking skills into high-gear with the 65 different recipes ranging from cocktails to entrées. The creators of the Bong Appétit cookbook also take the time to break down the science of infusing cannabis into various ingredients such as oils, butters and even alcohol! The cookbook pulls for the expertise and knowledge of Bong Appétit hosts Vanessa Lavorato and Ry Prichard, as well as Elise McDonough, a specialist in the art of edibles.
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Marijuana Stoner Chef Cookbook: A Beginners Guide to Simple, Easy and Healthy Cannabis Recipes
The Perfect Marijuana Recipes Guide: Active Ingredient in Weed Author: Perry Anderson
Author: Rina S. Gritton Rina S. Gritton promises to supply recipes with the reader’s health in mind. Marijuana Stoner Chef Cookbook: A Beginners Guide to Simple, Easy and Healthy Cannabis Recipes walks through the processes of preparing infused teas, coffees and cocktails, along with a handful of meals and snacks. “There is something for every occasion in this book. The recipes are quite easy to follow,” Gritton shares in the opening pages. The book works as a userfriendly guide to set the foundational building blocks for navigating the kitchen with cannabis. Along with teaching how to craft edible cuisines, Marijuana Stoner Chef Cookbook gives at-home chefs an understanding of what cannabis is, how to better one’s health by consuming it and the best methods to cook with it! At the completion of a few recipes, anyone who may have had hesitations about cannabis-infused cooking will find themselves more comfortable and confident in their cooking skills.
Let’s Get High. 25 Awesome Cannabis Recipes to Try A u t h o r : K a r e n R ay Author Karen Ray has several cookbooks on the market that cover all types of dining from meal preps to appetizers. Her latest project, Let’s Get High. 25 Awesome Cannabis Recipes to Try takes on cannabis-infused meals to celebrate the rise in popularity of the plant’s presence in the kitchen. “The purpose of the book is to show creativity and effectiveness within the art of cooking cannabisinfused foods,” Ray explains at the start of the book. The breakfast section of the book is packed with waffles, muffins, bacon and more with many of the preparation times taking 20 minutes or less. Ray’s main dishes range from soup to chicken wings, but the bulk of her 25-recipe-book consists of tasty snacks and delectable desserts. Those looking for a healthier snack option might consider her spin on a cannabis-infused salad, while others craving something sweet might consider the Banacannasplit Delight. The quick and simple cookbook will match perfectly for those hoping to create big tastes without a lot of the headache. 46
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In its introduction, The Perfect Marijuana Recipes Guide offers a rundown on medical cannabis for those who may be unfamiliar with its benefits along with several conditions that often are treated with cannabis. The beginnerfriendly book encourages first-timers and eases the reader into preparing several dishes. “This cookbook was designed to help individuals like yourself learn how to effectively mix great good with high quality marijuana,” the opening paragraph states. The step-by-step guide helps lay the groundwork for key terms and common ingredients involved with making edibles. Readers can find several main dish recipes along with instructions for drinks, snacks and cannabutter. Written by Perry Anderson, The Perfect Marijuana Recipes Guide is the perfect entrance into the world of cannabis-infused cuisine.
The Easy Cannabis Cookbook: 60+ Medical Marijuana Recipes for the Sweet and Savory Author: Cheri Sicard Cheri Sicard serves readers more than the average cooking guide by providing information on the history of medical cannabis, a dosing guide, special equipment, safety and 60 cannabis-infused recipes. The Easy Cannabis Cookbook: 60+ Medical Marijuana Recipes for the Sweet and Savory covers a wide range of meals with potency levels available for each and every recipe. Sicard hits every mark on the menu with categories on staple items for cannabis cooking, breakfast, soups and salads, main entrées, snacks and desserts. Anyone looking for a diverse collection of foods to prepare should look no further than The Easy Cannabis Cookbook. Learn how to craft cannabis vinaigrette, cannabis syrup, caramel dip, shrimp creole, chicken curry and so much more. Take a peek at the cannabis timeline that appears at the bottom of the pages for a quick history lesson while perfecting your culinary skills. Many of the recipes also include tips and tricks for easier preparation and storing methods. c
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Industry Insider
High-Tech to High-Potency J a k e H e i m a r k o f PL U S d i s c u s s e s h i s journey into the edibles industry By R. Scott Rappold
J
ake Heimark doesn’t come across as your typical seller of cannabis edibles. The 31-year-old holds two degrees from an Ivy League university and until recently, worked in the upper echelons of a little company known as Facebook. He’s clean-cut, doesn’t smoke cannabis and can talk at length about topics like neuroeconomic modeling. But he just might be the future of the cannabis edibles industry. He’s the founder and CEO of Palo Alto-based PLUS, which in less than two years of business has become one of California’s top-selling edibles brands. The company is in the early stages of a public offering to raise $15 million in stock sales in Canada, with an eye on a massive expansion. 48
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His formula for success: Microdose gummies that are meticulously tested, taste great and are packaged for easy and discreet use. In July of this year, PLUS was the top-selling edibles brand in California for the month, with $2.3 million in sales, according to BDS Analytics. “The more emphasis you can place on delivering a consistent high-quality product that’s doseable, the more successful you’ll be. People need to feel the exact same
“When a market goes from medical t o r e c r e at i o n a l , a different type of customer e n t e r s t h e m a r k e t. They’re looking for different things. A lot of people have been trained not to smoke all their lives, so edibles a r e a n at t r a c t i v e a lt e r n at i v e . ” thing every time they’re using it. It needs to be something they can use without feeling like they’re damaging their bodies, and it needs to be portable,” said Heimark. “We literally started in a garage in Palo Alto. Now we’ve got one of the bigger cannabis food manufacturing plants in the state.”
S.
Stepped in Gum
After graduating from Brown University in 2011 with degrees in economics and biology, he went to Facebook, working to prevent credit card fraud. But when Colorado legalized recreational cannabis, he moved to Denver and joined a startup company. It was while crunching numbers of recreational cannabis sales that he had the “a-ha” moment. “During auditing and compliance you get to look at all the numbers. It was while doing that I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, look at what is happening with edibles,’” he said. “When a market goes from medical to recreational, a different type of customer enters the market. They’re looking for different things. A lot of people have been trained not to smoke all their lives, so edibles are an attractive alternative.” “I had enough food manufacturing in my family to be dangerous, so we created a product called PLUS Gum.” The cannabis-infused gum delivered THC sublingually under the tongue, instead of being digested in the stomach and passing through the liver, so it hit the consumer in minutes instead of an hour. The product was launched in Colorado to initial success, and when California voted to legalize recreational cannabis in 2016, Heimark decided his path to success lay in what was due to become the world’s largest legal cannabis marketplace. “We moved to California and launched the gum product. And it was a complete failure,” Heimark said. Sales lagged far behind expectations, and in hindsight Heimark believes PLUS Gum was “too far ahead of the market.” It was discontinued at the end of 2017. “Edibles are scary to many people. Everybody has a story about how their cousin or brother or someone their cousin’s brother knew who had a bad experience with an edible. The idea of something new and something that is scary is a bad combination until you’ve built that trust,” he explained.
Lessons Learned
After “we licked our wounds” from the gum debacle, the PLUS team went right back to work. Heimark comes from a family background in the food manufacturing industry and put that to work on a gummy candy product. An edibles brand, he learned, has to build trust in a market before trying to get customers to commit to a new experience. And building trust means a consistent dose of THC that matches what it says on the label. So in developing the new line of gummies, the top priority was testing. Heimark hired a chemist to test every batch with not one, but two high-pressure liquid chromatography machines. Other cannabis companies
Rose and Vanilla for Valentine’s Day. Many edible brands in California’s nascent recreational market were taking the opposite approach—big doses—and PLUS had clearly found a niche. Said Heimark, “From the moment we launched a gummy product, we couldn’t keep up with demands.” The Palo Alto garage became a 12,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, with 75 employees. PLUS is building into a 40,000-squarefoot space, with room to expand to 120,000 square feet. The company decided to launch an initial public offering on the Canadian stock exchange to fund this growth. Heimark, who said he “very occasionally” partakes in edibles (only PLUS products) is pushing forward, because he sees a bright
contracted with outside labs, but PLUS had its own. “By focusing on getting data after every single run or multiple times during each run, I think that allowed us to elevate the quality and consistency of our product in a way that customers can get that same experience every time. That’s a really hard thing for many people to do. The lab quality in California is just not there yet,” said Heimark. Launched in 2017, the gummies come in four flavors, in tins of 20 five-milligram pieces, discreet and perfect for the microdosing, onthe-go cannabis consumer. For those who don’t want the high, there’s a CBD-only variety. PLUS had the capability to launch limitedtime flavors for special events, like Rainbow Sorbet for Pride Month and
future for the edibles industry. “We’re still at the very early stages. You walk around dispensaries, and you see cookies and brownies and things that you don’t actually see that often when you walk around health foods stores, and I see no reason why the cannabis edibles industry won’t look a lot more like Whole Foods shelves in five years, with very innovative products and brands,” he said. And he hasn’t given up on relaunching a fast-acting infused gum. “As the market matures and customers get more comfortable with edible products, I think [the gum] will be a really hot product . . . I think we’ll probably bring it back in the future. But as of today, we’re just trying to keep up with the gummy demand.” c
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SHOOTING GALLERY
2018 socal CANNA cup golf invitational @ aliso viejo country club
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Instructions:
Makes about
3
D e l i g h t f u l ly S w e e t
dozen
K e e p y o u r f a l l c e l e b r at i o n s c l a s s y with infused candy recipes
H
alloween can be a magical time of year for children, but being an adult has its own perks, such as developing a taste for higher quality desserts. Instead of trickor-treating for store-bought, lowquality generic candies, try treating yourself and other adults to high-end,
homemade candies that are expertly infused with cannabis. From the smoothest chocolate to salted caramel, these are the flavors that are worth experiencing this holiday. As always, be sure to store these homemade edibles safely and away from children and those who are under 21.
C h o c o l at e y P e a n u t Butter Truffles
Ingredients: 1 cup smooth peanut butter 1 cup crunchy peanut butter 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted cannabutter 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips Cinnamon (optional)
1. In a bowl, combine the peanut butter, sugar, unsalted cannabutter and vanilla extract. Mix on low until all ingredients are blended smoothly. 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, portion out mixture to the size of a walnut, about two inches in diameter. Use your hands to roll each portion into a ball. Place the balls onto the parchment paper and refrigerate for 45-60 minutes, or until balls are firm. 3. Simmer water in a saucepan, and place a glass bowl on top of saucepan. Be sure the water does not touch the bowl. Using this double-boiling method, add your chocolate to the bowl, and stir it while it melts. 4. Once the chocolate is fully melted, place a peanut butter ball into the bowl, and coat it thoroughly with chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Place ball onto to the parchment paper, and repeat this process, one by one, until all truffles are coated in chocolate. 5. Take leftover chocolate and carefully pour line designs over the truffle balls. You can also add cinnamon, chopped nuts, sprinkles or other decorations before the chocolate hardens. 6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, and store in an airtight container. Keep refrigerated.
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Instructions: Makes about
6
dozen
1. Line a baking dish with parchment paper, and coat with nonstick cooking spray. 2. In a large pot, combine the white and brown sugars, corn syrup, heavy cream, unsalted butter and cannabutter. Set the oven at medium heat, and stir mixture together on the stove until fully melted. Place candy thermometer on the side of the pot and into the mixture, but not touching the bottom of the pot. 3. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and bring the candy to 250°F. This can take up to an hour. You can stir the mixture every so often, and be sure to keep an eye on the temperature.
S a lt e d C a r a m e l s Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cannabutter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
2 cups heavy cream
Nonstick cooking spray
4. Remove mixture from heat once it’s at 250°F, and stir in the vanilla extract. Carefully pour the mixture into your lined baking dish. 5. Cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Cool at room temperature overnight. 6. The following day, cut the caramels into rectangles, and store in an airtight container.
Candied Almonds Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cannabis sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups whole raw almonds
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup raw pecans, chopped
Instructions: Makes about
2 cups
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Combine water, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cannabis sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan. On the stove, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
3. Add the almonds and chopped pecans to the mixture until the mixture turns into a syrup. Once all the water has evaporated, pour the almond mixture onto lined baking sheet. 4. Separate almonds evenly using a fork. Cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, and store in an airtight container. CultureMagazine.com
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GROWING CULTURE
U rban Farm E x periment C o ntinued By Ed Rosenthal
I
t’s now Sept. 12, and we’re revisiting the Californian urban farm from last month’s column. The plants were placed outdoors during the last 10 days of July. It took a long time, because there are more than 2,800 irrigated containers that are 20-gallon soft pots. When the plants were first set they looked forlorn. They had some leaf die-back, and then they got sunburned because the leaves of the indoor plants were affected by the UV light when they were exposed. They bleached a bit, curled a little and looked sad. Soon after placement, however, they started to look better. New growth, that is, the branches and leaves, have a fine field-green color and are far larger than indoor foliage. Now, six weeks later, the plants have grown considerably and have just been allowed to flower. To keep the plants upright and give all the branches exposure to the sun, they have been woven into a six-inch square plastic netting. Normally these plants would have been tipped into flowering by the longer nights in mid-August. To keep the planters growing vegetatively, a caretaker slowly walked a 400-watt HPS lamp slowly down the rows each night near midnight. Another HPS light mounted on a rolling cart also supplied
The field is about an acre and holds about 2,800 20-gallon containers. 54
Agricultural netting was installed on each row. It is held together using an improvised “W” method of attached 8’ long bamboo poles. Plant stem and branches are woven through the plastic so no tying is required.
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dark-breaking light. Breaking the dark period halfway through the night resets the countdown so the plants never receive the 10 to 11 hours of uninterrupted darkness they require each night to start flowering. Night lighting was stopped on Sept. 7, so the plants should ripen between the last week of October and the first week of November. Several rows of plants were not treated with flashed light. They started flowering in mid-August and have another four or five weeks until ripening. They are considerably smaller than the treated plants. However, they have tight premium buds that will definitely ripen before bad weather typically sets in. The next step is to prepare for harvesting and processing. We anticipate a minimum of about half a pound per plant, so preparations must be made for processing. We plan to clip the buds off the plants while they are sill in the field and then hang them to dry. Everything is still in the planning stage because there are several options: Hang the whole plants. Process when dry. Hang the branches with buds to dry. Then de-stem the buds and manicure them using auto machines. Clip the plants and run them through a de-budder machine. Clip the buds or use de-budding equipment and manicure the buds using a roller machine. Then place them in trays to dry. Cut the buds from the plants in the field. Then slice the stems off the plants using power equipment. Then run the branches through de-budding machines to gather the leaves. Dry or freeze the leaves for further processing. c
This plant is in about the first week of flowering. It is slowing vegetative growth in favor of reproduction.
Close-up of bud. The plant is starting to rapidly produce stigmas, the white pollen catchers.
T I PS OF TH E MONTH Get ready for harvest. Make sure that you have the tools you will be using to cut, clip and manicure your harvest.
If you have the time and energy, cut each bud as it matures. If only part of a bud has matured, cut that portion, leaving the rest to ripen.
Outfit your grow space for drying. Items you might need include an oscillating fan, dehumidifier, heater or air conditioner to keep the space regulated at 70-75 degrees. Place trays and racks of strung string to hold the bounty.
Once the buds are sufficiently dry, package them in glass, metal or hard plastic. If the buds sweat, forming condensation in the container, they are too wet and should be dried more by opening the package or re-hanging.
Store with a 55 percent humidity pack and place in refrigerator. For long-term storage, place in freezer.
Plant flowering for three weeks. The plant is placing all its energy into the flowers.
Close-up of bud. The small nugs are very tight.
Copyright by Ed Rosenthal. All rights are reserved. First North American Magazine rights only are assigned to culture Magazine. No other reproduction of this material is permitted without the specific written permission of the author/copyright holder.
News of the
Weird
By the Editors at Andrews McMeel
LEAD STORY—RUDE AWAKENING Former English soccer star Gary Mabbutt, 57, traveled to South Africa in July to visit his daughter, who works at Kruger National Park, but it wasn’t the exotic big game that left the most lasting impression on him. While he was sleeping, he later told the BBC, “ . . . a rat has come into the bedroom, climbed into the bed and has decided to chew on my foot,” which Mabbutt couldn’t feel because he suffers from Type 1 diabetes and has little feeling in his foot. The rat “made quite a big hole in my toe, going down to the bone, and ate underneath my foot.” Mabbutt was finally alerted to the rodent’s presence when it bit his thumb and he saw his bloody foot. He flew back to the United Kingdom, where he underwent surgery and spent a week in the hospital. “All the opponents that I’ve played against,” he said, “and I finally get taken out by a rat.” AWWWWWWW! A first date spent surfing in Santa Cruz, California, last October ended in an unconventional first kiss when 56-year-old Max Montgomery collapsed from a heart attack on the beach. His date, Andi Traynor, a 45-year-old anesthesiologist, leaped into action, performing CPR until paramedics arrived.
Montgomery underwent bypass surgery the next day, and he assured Traynor that she was under no obligation to keep seeing him. “Who wants to date someone who just had a heart attack? But she told me she was not going anywhere,” he told The Daily Mail on Aug. 29, and in fact, the two are still together, having sealed their relationship with a “real” kiss. COMPELLING EXPLANATION Colorado Springs resident Klete Keller engaged the services of a female dog-sitter through an app called Wag! for his pet, Jimbo. But Keller’s tail was not wagging when he returned home early the morning of Aug. 27 to find two shirtless men sitting on his couch and “an open bottle of personal lubricant and a camcorder on the end table,” Keller told Fox 21 News, “so it’s pretty self-explanatory what was going on.” When reached for comment, the unnamed dog-sitter said her keys were stuck in her car and she “didn’t have WD-40 . . . so I ended up grabbing what I had in my car, for things, that you know, I do on my personal time.” But Keller also noticed what he suspected was “bodily fluids” on the couch and said Jimbo was locked in a bedroom, sitting in his own urine and acting terrified. “It was just, just a total mess and I can only imagine what poor Jimbo saw in there,” Keller said. The sitter did admit that she shouldn’t have invited guests over, but it’s a good bet her former 4.96 out of 5 rating on Wag! is going to take a hit. CultureMagazine.com
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