D
avid Yusefzadeh’s career as a professional chef was off to a fast and furious, even sizzling start. At 19 he was already cooking for President George W. Bush at a Ritz Carlton in Georgia. After a stint in the south, he moved north where he triple majored at the University of Minnesota, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition, Sociology, and Agricultural Economics. With his degree in hand, Yusefzadeh jetted off to Hong Kong in 2009 where he landed a position as Sous Chef at the world-renowned Mandarin Oriental hotel. He spent two years there before coming to America where he continued his career as a Sous Chef at the Mandarin Hotel in Boston. Yusefzadeh was in the US for only a few short months when intense cramping in his abdominal region and severe intestinal bleeding landed him in the hospital. A colonoscopy revealed he had Chron’s disease, an inflammatory bowel affliction. “At first, I started taking some pills to control the inflammation, but the side effects gave me hot flashes and made me nauseous. I went through five different medications over the course of 8 years,” says Yusefzadeh. “The pills helped control the inflammation, but they also weakened my immune system.” Yusefzadeh was augmenting the pill protocol with rounds of low-dose chemotherapy when friends began mentioning the benefits of cannabis.
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CANNABISREVIEWQUARTERLY.COM
STORY BY STAASI HEROPOULOS PHOTOS SUBMITTED
INTERVIEW WITH
David Yusefzadeh PROFESSIONAL CHEF AND FOUNDER OF PLANT JAM AND CLOUD CREAMERY
