interview
ALASKA LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH
JENNIFER GOCHENAUER BEFORE BUDTENDING YOU WERE A SERVER AT RAMEN HOUSE. WHICH JOB DO YOU PREFER, TENDING BUD OR TENDING RAMEN? (laughs) Budtending for sure. It was fun working at a restaurant, but it wasn’t a good long-term thing for me. DID YOU EVER GO TO WORK STONED? No! I was always the kid who never broke the rules during school hours, or work hours even. Work hard and play harder after, right? I use Cannabis after work.
“THAT’S WHAT DO YOU TAKE YOUR I LOVE ABOUT PAST EXPERIENCES OF RETAIL, OR LOVE THE ALASKAN FOR ANIME, INTO SUMMER – YOUR BUDTENDING YOU HAVE THE PRACTICES? I do. UNIQUE ABILITY I’ve been in the service industry for about 13 TO MEET NEW years and every job FRIENDS FROM I’ve had has given me EVERY CORNER the tools to prepare OF THE GLOBE.” me for the awesome job of budtending. I think being personable – by listening to them and paying attention to their body language – is very important. You can tell if they want to chat, or not, because it is important to give them their necessary space.
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LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
THESE ARE QUALITY SKILLS TO HAVE FOR THE NEW TOURIST SEASON, YES? That’s what I love about the Alaskan summer – you have the unique ability to meet new friends from every corner of the globe. Cannabis is the thread that gives us something in common. People who come from the UK tell me how much American weed is over there versus the weed they're buying here, and it puts me in shock. They say the weed is cheaper and better in Alaska. YOU’RE A NATIVE ALASKAN, RIGHT? I am Holikachuk Athabascan. I grew up in Grayling and always played outside with friends. But I also loved to tag along with my grandpa when he needed to check his snares, go for a boat ride or blueberry picking.
GANJA GUYS
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HE’S A big fan of practicing yoga and riding bikes, but an even bigger fan of anime. Right now, she’s into Demon Slayer and she’s always looking for the next big story arc to take her away! Follow her on Instagram @cosmic.fancy
june 2022
101 E INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RD ANCHORAGE, AK AKGANJAGUYS.COM @GANJAGUYS.AK (907) 206-4420 11AM-11PM SUN-THURS 11AM-MIDNIGHT FRI & SAT
STORY by ALASKA LEAF STAFF @AKLEAFMAG | PHOTO by O’HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
