Sensi Magazine - Boston (May 2018)

B OS TON

THE NEW NORMAL

5.2018

bhang

meet ROXBURY’S RESIDENT QUEEN of cannabis

yoga

travel SPECIAL

ISSUE

YOURSELF

GET GOING! High-Minded Global Hot Spots

SPRING BREAK STARTER KIT : 5 Great Gear Finds from Around the Hub

Quincy

RISING A long simmering cultural face lift to the Mighty Q is luring people down the Red Line for a night out

CBD Spotlight: 3 Homegrown Brands to Know + Traveling in style with the go-to suit guy for the New England Patriots + More

contents.

ISSUE 3 // VOLUME 1 // 05.2018

FEATURES 26

Wanted: A Place to Gather

SPECIAL REPORT

Cannabis is a social drug. Why are there so few places to use it in public?

32

Island Getaway

38

Quincy Rising

44

Bhang Yourself

In Jamaica, you’ll find everything you need for your party.

Long ignored by the trendy and the hip, Quincy’s simmering renaissance is breathing new life into the mighty Q.

Meet Roxbury’s queen of cannabis yoga, Jacki Ortega.

EVERY ISSUE 5 Editor’s Note 6 The Buzz 1 0 CrossRoads

44

BEND + BLAZE Take your yoga practice to a higher level.

14

18 HighProfile CHRIS CUOZZO:

WHATEVER SUITS YOU

4 8 {SoBOS} WHERE IN THE WORLD?

ZELDA 1 4 LifeStyle SPRING SOJOURNS

STARTER KIT

18

SUIT YOURSELF! Chris Cuozzo makes Boston look good.

Sensi Boston is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2018 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

sensimag.com MAY 2018 3

sensi magazine ISSUE 3 VOLUME 1

5.2018

EXECUTIVE

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Ron Kolb

CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

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PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

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EDITORIAL

2018 CONVENTION SCHEDULE BURLINGTON, VT NORTHAMPTON, MA PORTLAND, ME PROVIDENCE, RI

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MEDIA PARTNERS Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy 4 Boston MAY 2018

YES YOU

editor’s

NOTE

YOU WOULDN’T KNOW IT BY THE TENOR OF THE WEATHER, CONSIDERING IN LATE APRIL WE WERE STILL SEEING SNOW SHOWERS AND THE ASHEN SKIES OF DEEP WINTER, BUT SPRING IS ACTUALLY, LEGITIMATELY HERE. WITH IT ARISES THE NATURAL DESIRE TO EMBRACE THE SEASONAL EQUINOX AND ALL THAT MEANS FOR EXPEDITIONS AND SOJOURNS IN THE ADOLESCENT DAYS OF THE NEW YEAR.

That could mean everything from escapes to the

“suit guy” for the Super Bowl-winning members

elsewhere places of the world to weekend jaunts to

of the New England Patriots and the jet-setting

the Cape. Or treks through the natural wonderment

class alike. There’s also a story about the fact that

of the Green and White Mountains stretching through

while you weren’t looking, Quincy—yes, Quincy—is

Vermont and New Hampshire, or getting lost for a

becoming a gastronomic glory zone thanks to

weekend in Maine’s Acadia National Park. A week

the recent renaissance in the City of Presidents.

eating street food in China. Or just watching your

So for those on the hunt for a print magazine

cousin’s beach house in Rhode Island because he has

aiming to be a new go-to for fusing the good-life-

a nice hot tub. All applicable here.

well-lived for the cannabis curious and the canna-

We’re assuming that you, dear reader, don’t need a

bis pro alike, or just for locals housing a thing for

tutorial on how one of these kinds of issues may read,

kicking up the Big Fun, in the mantra of the swag-

or what it will contain. A breezy pass or a dedicated

flush duo of Tom and Donna from Parks and Rec-

cover-to-cover full read of the mag will contain what

reation’s “treat yo’self” sense, enjoy the May issue

lifestyle publications pushing a travel-themed pack-

with your favorite strain of the good stuff that makes

age your way are wont to push. “Go here, eat this, buy

life worth it. Whatever you consider that to be.

this, try this place out, use this on the go, know about this place” and so on. You know the drill.

But in addition to that, there are ample nationally facing cannabis-culture-related stories. On the local front, take special note of the rise of CBD products around the Hub (especially if you have chronic pain and discomfort or if you just like dosed hot sauce made in Massachusetts). Also note our profile of the

Dan McCarthy

MANAGING EDITOR SENSI BOSTON

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Mass Cannabis Chefs // PRIVATE CHEFS

Boston Gardener // GARDENING SUPPLY

OxyGreen, Inc. // NATURAL INSECTICIDE

Cloudponics // AUTOMATED SMALL SPACE GROWING

Positive Dif Holistics // HOLISTIC HEALTH SERVICE

Green Goddess Supply // PERSONAL HOMEGROWN BIOCHAMBER

Pro Garden Solutions // HARVEST CONSULTING

Green Matters, LLC // SUPPLY CHAIN

Revolutionary Clinics // MEDICAL DISPENSARY

GreenHouse Payment Solutions // PAYMENT PROCESSING

Sira Naturals // CANNABIS PRODUCT INNOVATION

Irie Bliss Wellness // CANNABIS & HEMP WELLNESS

sensimag.com MAY 2018 5

THE NE W N O R M A L

the

buzz

CBD spotlight

GET THESE

CANNABIDIOL PRODUCTS

on your RADAR

NOW.

The rise of CBD in popularity and seemingly-everywhere interest has raised questions about the curious state of its legality. (Be sure to look up lectures by people like Joy Beckerman, a former Secretary for the Vermont Hemp Council and nationally recognized legal expert on CBD to find out more). But there’s no denying that CBD is on the tip of every novice or infrequent cannabis user’s list of entrance points into legal cannabis. Here are three local products to know about.

6 Boston MAY 2018

1

Q // Why a salve? Any plans to create tinctures, concentrates, or edibles, or will it be all topicals?

I approached product creation from the perspective of what I would want for myself while playing sports, doing yard work, or otherwise being active. I prefer using CBD topically, because that was how it was most effective for me

A new infused salve balances PLANT-DERIVED OILS and CBD for SWEET-SMELLING pain-relief success.

There is no shortage of homegrown companies launching all manner of CBD-infused products, from edibles to topicals to oils, right here in the Hub. Sourcing all plant-derived essential oils from local and national producers, one of the fresher products to hit the scene is the Bostonborn Ralph’s Organic Garden. We caught up with founder and owner Alex Brandon (Ralph is his dog) for a quick Q+A on how he got into the blossoming regional CBD industry.

Q // Why did you begin working with CBD?

when I had back aches or muscle soreness. Salves are more appealing to me than lotions because there is the possibility of more natural ingredients when the product is oil-based.

Water-based products such as lotions require more preservatives to keep from spoiling, while salves are also very easy to carry around in your pocket while out and about.

I’m certainly brainstorming and testing additional products for down the road, but we’re very excited about this product after all that went into creating it and ensuring even the tiniest of details were considered.

Q // Have you given CBD to your dog?

No, he’s only four and a half years old, healthy, and a pretty chill guy. I do know plenty of pet owners who have switched their pets to CBD from the pain and anxiety

I began working with CBD last summer. Landscaping is

medications provided by pharmaceutical companies. I have

hard work and is generally paid by the hour, so in that

heard really positive feedback from them about CBD as an

environment, it’s important to be able to push through pain

alternative for pets, and I am reading more about it.

in order to complete a full day of work. I met other landscapers who said CBD worked for them, and I realized it worked for

Q // Any plans to reach national consumers?

me as well (being able to work longer meant earning a larger

For now we operate regionally, with the goal of helping

income), so it was a great thing for me during that time. A

people in the community where we live, but we will be

CBD topical made sense to focus on, since it is a product that

partnering with stores throughout New England that share

I knew I would buy for myself.

our values and similarly promote wellness. sensimag.com MAY 2018 7

the

THE NE W N O R M A L

hot rain

buzz

2

LOCAL CANNABIS CULTURE AND

PRODUCT BRAND BRINGS THE

HEAT WITH NEW LAB-TESTED CBD

HOT SAUCE.

For those who have been privy to the series of underground gourmet meals the crew at MIPSCare—a Boston-based medical cannabis caregiver, product manufacturer, and culture brand—have been throwing for a network of winking in-theknowers for some time now, the release of their own CBD-infused hot sauce will be plum news. Because the same caliber of quality is found in the 90 mg bottles of Chuva (Portuguese for “rain”), infused with 18 percent full-spectrum CBD-rich hemp oil. That works out to a little more than 4 mg per 3‒4 dashes you can put on whatever you like slathered in home-grown heat and flavor, courtesy of a secret blend of chilis, basil, pineapple, and spices.

PICK UP A BOTTLE AT Laced Boston 426 Mass Ave., Boston $20 For more on MIPSCare, follow @MIPSCare on Instagram.

8 Boston MAY 2018

3

POWER to the

PEOPLE

New York-based CBD-infused coffee company making waves among Hub cannabis enthusiasts and New England coffee snobs alike.

New Englanders tend to be very serious about their coffee, in terms of devotion to brands as well as everything from sourcing practices to brew style. So the fact that the New York state-based Flower Power Coffee Co. has been winning over fans in the Hub with its lineup of water-soluble, CBD hempoil-infused, pre-bagged coffees is a feat. Perhaps it’s that the brew itself is strong and offers a range of flavor profiles. (Tip: go with The Guru’s Wake-up Call if you like a nice morning smackin-the-face by your java.) A 6-ounce cup has about 5 mg of the 99.96 percent isolate (each bag has about 30 mg in total and is good for one standard French-press sized pot), which is a recipe for getting your morning going on the right foot.

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sensimag.com MAY 2018 9

{crossroads}

by RICARDO BACA

10 Boston MAY 2018

WHERE IN THE WORLD Exploring the grittier, more rewarding side of cannabis tourism.

Want to know how spoiled we are in Free America?

as the local handle for hash and nod yeah, and a few

Here’s how spoiled: When we think of cannabis tour-

minutes later you’re passed a hand-rolled cigarette

ism, we think of bud-and-breakfasts in century-old

with the waxy charas spread generously throughout.

Victorian homes, guided garden tours via swank limo

The familiar sting immediately hits the back of your

buses, and Friday nights spent learning the intricacies

throat upon your first inhale, but the aftertaste is as

of rolling both sushi and joints—before consuming

unique as the subcontinent itself. Your new friends tell

said sushi and joints.

you about the Himalayan tradition of charas, and you

Not a bad vacation. But as many of us know, mari-

rub your hands together as they make a similar hand

juana tourism throughout most of the world is less

gesture, mimicking the ancient hash-making technique.

glam and more glum.

The modified cigarette makes one more round before

Sometimes we need to check our state-legal privilege at the door and remind ourselves how lucky we

you and your new friends head back inside for more tea, maybe a few beers and a more elevated conversation.

are to be alive right now in these sky-high times (Ham-

Not a bad vacation, right?

ilton reference intended, weed pun definitely not).

Or maybe you’re reading a book inside a canal-side

Most of the world still lacks access to safe cannabis

coffeeshop in Amsterdam when a young couple asks

products, a regulated retail environment, and sensible

if they can share your table. They’re sharing their stash

drug laws, and so the concept of cannabis tourism takes

from home, a far superior product to the dried-out gar-

on an entirely different meaning in Morocco, India, and

bage you just bought from the counter, and an hour

even the Netherlands—all legitimate cannabis heri-

later you’re following them back to their flat, which is

tage communities.

home to a surprisingly sophisticated 10-plant grow.

Though let me tell you: This grittier, more dangerous

They pour you a glass of wine before the tour, and

side of cannabis tourism is infinitely more rewarding

when they open the door you squint your eyes to let

than its counterparts in Free America, hot-boxed limo

them adjust. When you ask them why their flower is so

bus be damned.

much better than the coffeeshop’s, they tell you that,

Imagine with me: You’re in a trendy Mumbai bar chat-

while the Dutch government tolerates limited retail

ting up some locals over chais when one of them asks,

sales and permitted use, it is still illegal to cultivate

“Would you like some charas?” You recognize the word

cannabis in the Netherlands, a policy regulators are sensimag.com MAY 2018 11

contemplating changing. An intense chicken-and-egg

after a big rush of check-ins and carefully introduced

conversation follows before they bid you a lovely eve-

myself to the clerk:

ning by pointing out the nearest tram line and sending you on your way with a week’s worth of home grow.

“I’m a journalist. I am not looking to buy drugs. I am looking to see these fields of cannabis and talk to a lo-

Totally not a bad vacation.

cal villager about the hash-making process and the im-

As someone who loves to travel I must add: I am not

portance of the cannabis trade for he and his family.”

recommending you break local laws while traveling.

The desk clerk, who appeared to be no older than

Many of us have seen Brokedown Palace and read Mid-

14, looked at me assuredly and said, “Yes, sir. So you

night Express, and we all know how this scenario some-

want to hike to the waterfall. I would be happy to ar-

times tragically ends.

range a guide for you and your wife, sir.”

But I am telling you to live a little—and if your part-

I was mystified. Did he understand what I said?

ner were to ever forward you an article about hiking

Surely he did. I said the word cannabis like three times,

among massive valleys of cannabis plants in the Rif

and I pointed up the mountainside while making hand

Mountains above Chefchaouen, Morocco, a month be-

motions that somehow were meant to convey entire

fore you’re actually traveling to Chefchaouen, Moroc-

vistas of African-grown cannabis.

co, then you pack your boots and start doing your research, immediately.

“You do understand what I’m hoping to see?” I asked the kind boy.

And this is where the story gets personal. While friends of mine had these experiences in Mumbai and

“I do, sir,” he said sweetly. “And I think you will like this hike to the waterfall very much.”

Amsterdam, my real-world cannabis tourism experience

I will never forget what happened that next day. Be-

came in Chefchaouen, when I approached the hotel desk

tween the tiresome, 8.5-mile hike and our indefatiga-

We make your Cannabusiness dreams come true.

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BUT I AM TELLING YOU TO LIVE A LITTLE— AND IF YOUR PARTNER WERE TO EVER FORWARD YOU AN ARTICLE ABOUT HIKING AMONG MASSIVE VALLEYS OF CANNABIS PLANTS IN THE RIF MOUNTAINS ABOVE CHEFCHAOUEN, MOROCCO, A MONTH BEFORE YOU’RE ACTUALLY TRAVELING TO CHEFCHAOUEN, MOROCCO, THEN YOU PACK YOUR BOOTS AND START DOING YOUR RESEARCH IMMEDIATELY.

ble guide, the unsinkable people we met along the

policy. Traveling to foreign lands, and incorporating my

way, and the humble family we drank tea and made

passion for this substance into my trip’s itinerary, cher-

hash with at our destination, the unparalleled views

ishing that off-the-beaten-path experience over the

and the compelling cultural and political discussions,

out-of-the-box commodities of the 420-legal world

that special day lives on in technicolor in my memory.

and recognizing that we still have a long way to go be-

As for the rest of that magical Moroccan day? I’m

fore this plant is fully understood the world over.

saving it for my memoir. Though I will add that that remarkable waterfall-less hike told me I was on the right life path.

This was exactly what I was supposed to be doing with my life. Writing about cannabis, writing about drug

RICARDO BACA is a veteran journalist, thought leader, and founder of The Cannabist. His content agency Grasslands works primarily with businesses and individuals in the cannabis and hemp industries on thought leadership, publicity, and marketing projects via thoughtful, personalized content campaigns.

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2131 Washington Street Boston 02119 www.boston-gardener.com sensimag.com MAY 2018 13

{lifestyle}

by DAN MCCARTHY

14 Boston MAY 2018

SPRING SOJOURNS STARTER KIT A checklist of prime travel gear from key local independent shops around the Hub. You’ve got your plane/train/ferry tickets ordered,

FOR THE GLAMPER

your hotel and Airbnb reserving skills have been put

Ball and Buck Signature Expedition Duffle Bag

to the test and proven victorious, and you even have

If part of arriving anywhere is arriving in style, it’s hard

a new neck pillow for napping on the road/in the sky.

not to notice the person stepping out of a cab with this

Seems like you have everything. So make it extra-ev-

handsome carry-all flanking the other luggage. This

erything by checking out this lineup of solid get-out-

hand-made-in-Minnesota-exclusively-for-the-Bos-

of-dodge gear and accessories to make your next trip

ton-retailer, limited-quantity stunner features a

both time well spent and sartorially on point thanks to

rugged, hard-bottom design, ample side and hidden

these local independent shops and creators.

pockets, and an interior lined in camouflage—in case a bear is coming at your hotel room and you need cover. $798, BALLANDBUCK.COM

sensimag.com MAY 2018 15

FOR ROAD MIXOLOGY IN A PINCH

FOR THOSE MORNINGS AFTER FRIED CHICKEN

Road Soda: Recipes and Techniques For

AND BBQ ROADSIDE NOSHING

Making Great Drinks Anywhere by Kara Newman

Ursa Major Bamboo Face Wipes at SaultNE

Sure, this is a cannabis-focused magazine, but we’re

Mantra of life on the road: grime happens. There are

not here to dump on anyone who also fancies a per-

truck stops, gas station refills, rest areas, or even the

fectly made barrel-aged negroni or, say,

time when you spilled a tub of Beluga

an “Ultimate Airplane Daiquiri.” So keep

caviar all over your lap mid potato-chip

this guide handy when such cravings

slather. Therefore it’s good to stop in

strike you midway through a journey

and see the crew at the glorious SaultNE

from New England down the East

on Tremont Street in the South End. Be-

Coast (or just between your apart-

sides the slick threads and fun accesso-

ment and that timeshare in Nan-

ries to be found (see: business cards that

tucket you have). It’s carried at the

simply say “Stop Talking” to hand anyone

beloved Somerville craft bar and

who needs one), they carry the Ursa Major

mixology store the Boston Shaker,

line of 100 percent naturally derived, individu-

where you can also stock up on your

ally wrapped bamboo face wipes to add moisture, ex-

road tools outlined in the book. Nice. $20, THEBOSTONSHAKER.COM

foliate dead skin, and spruce up on the road—good for all skin types. And all caviar spills. $24, SAULTNE.COM

FOR THOSE COLD SUNRISES AND BRISK SUNSETS

FOR ANYTHING, INCLUDING MAYBE A

Ministry of Supply’s Mercury

BADGER ATTACK. OR BUILDING A CAMPSITE.

Intelligent Heated Jacket

ALSO GOOD FOR THE BEACH.

That Ministry of Supply was born out of a cadre of

1620 Workwear Fitted Indestructible Hoodie

stylish and sartorially minded entrepreneurs at MIT

Haverhill’s 1620 Workwear USA, a disruptor to the

should make sense when you’re considering picking

classic workwear outerwear industry (think: Dickie’s,

up one of their righteous, smart-heated jackets. The

Carthartt) are offering the first premium

voice-controlled garment (think: Amazon’s Alexa as-

line of high-tech workwear meant to

sistant for your coat) is lined with three carbon-fiber

look good, feel incredible, and pre-

heating elements that are lightweight and flexible to

vent injury, and it’s bolstered by

your form, and a smart thermostat on the jacket re-

cutting-edge stretch-woven fab-

acts to your body providing up to 10 watts of heat-

ric sourced from a Bay State mill

ing power instantly. There’s also an

used by the NFL for uniforms and

integrated app for optimizing your

by the US military for soldiers in

jacket’s performance over time

Afghanistan thanks to its super

and use, and the construction

durable, elastic and abrasion-re-

also repels wind, snow, water,

sistant yarn, and tech-driven movability

and odor. Does not repel traffic

and support. Brandishing extra fabric patches on el-

on the Mass Pike, sadly. $345,

bows for those that wear them down to the bone, the

MINISTRYOFSUPPLY.COM

natural, breathable, and contour-holding cut will make this a go-to hoodie-steal for anyone traveling with the owner of one. Guard it well. It’s awesome. $98, 1620USA.COM

16 Boston MAY 2018

Home Growing

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{highprofile}

by DAN MCCARTHY

WHATEVER SUITS YOU On-call suit guy for the sartorial-minded and Super Bowl champions alike is ready to sort out your stylish demands.

Long before he was the go-to custom suit master

even if what you want are a fresh pair of MC Hammer

for everyone from the jet-setting corner-office crew

pants. He learned the importance of hard work and

to the suitless aiming to nail that job interview to

the pride of earning something. “It rings true with me

members of the New England Patriots, Chris Cuozzo

today, and I do the same with my daughter.”

has had an eye for the trends of the day and a mind for modern style.

In college, Cuozzo says he was exposed to a higher level of fashion brands and haute style (Burberry, Dior,

“My first memory of menswear is being in the third

Armani). By the time he entered the workforce via

grade,” Cuozzo says. “Back then, the Burlington Mall

consulting in the finance and pharmaceutical industry

had this store that sold high-end menswear, and a kid

fields in the early aughts, Cuozzo realized his tastes

in the fifth grade I looked up to wore stuff influenced

didn’t match his particular tax bracket. The answer:

by his older sister, who was in high school: Skidz over-

Target.

alls with one flap undone and hanging off you, tight

“I’d go to Express and Target and all these spots for

roll when you pegged the pants. IOU shirts. Z-Cavaric-

suits and shirts off the rack and got friendly with tai-

ci jeans. You name it.”

lors in Woburn,” he says. “I’d find suits and then have

Born and raised in blue-collar Woburn, MA, Cuozzo

my tailor taper them, change out the buttons. So what

says while his screen-printing, business-owning par-

if I just changed the thread holding down the button,

ents didn’t understand where his “such expensive

made that thread pink. I’d do those small tweaks my-

tastes” were coming from, they instilled a work ethic

self, but hemming a pant or taking in a jacket, I would

centered around setting goals for what you want—

hand off to my tailor. She’s awesome.”

18 Boston MAY 2018

sensimag.com MAY 2018 19

By the end of the decade, Cuozzo had taken his love

30, and it was one of best moves I ever made.”

of customizing menswear and accessories and jumped

By 2015, Cuozzo had the confidence and the added

on the then-trend of men’s shirts accented with ec-

know-how to “step on the gas.” He took his former

“A lot of guys come in here and say, 'I DON'T KNOW, I JUST WANT A CUSTOM SUIT,' and that’s great.

We can absolutely walk them through everything.

But for the guys that really know what they want, they can go wild. THIS IS THEIR PLAYGROUND.” centric patterns and fabrics in the pockets and cuffs, a

company, Dressed by CC, and launched a brick-and-

style popularized by designer Robert Graham and the

mortar storefront to complement the on-demand,

many bros who wore him. With the average shirt hav-

custom-style services that remain his core mission.

ing a price tag of more than $200 at Nordstrom, Cuoz-

Located in Lynnfield at a neo-Assembly Row-style

zo realized he could cut the middle Graham out, as it

megaplex, the minimalist white on poured-concrete

were.

showroom design aesthetic is more art gallery and DJ

“I’d buy a shirt that I could afford, and then make

throwdown room than retail storefront. But that’s

my own version. I would get buried in compliments,

kind of the point. Cuozzo’s brand mixes haute couture

and people would come up and ask where I got it. It

with hipster eccentricity, yet aims to service Joe Six-

just may have been a shirt off the rack at Banana Re-

pack looking for guidance for his wedding day.

public and fabric from Joanne’s Fabrics, which I would

Dan Campbell, Cuozzo’s partner who manages the

take to my tailor. And then boom, I made five for my-

retail storefront and works in tandem on styling and

self.”

design projects, says that their goal is not only to cater

By 2012, Cuozzo had launched an online portal for

to the elite but to become the sought-after stylists for

others to benefit from his flair for DIY high style, and

anyone seeking an edge by taking their established

that evolved into the website Dressed by CC, an online

style and personalizing it.

source for men’s, women’s, and kid’s options. “It was small and part-time. It satisfied a passion,” he says.

“A lot of guys come in here and say, ‘I don’t know, I just want a custom suit,’ and that’s great. Chris can

He eventually switched careers to fashion full-time,

absolutely walk them through everything. But for the

kicking off his new path with a stop working for Alton

guys who really know what they want, they can go

Lane, a New York-based custom menswear company

wild. This is their playground.”

that opened on Newbury Street. It was his first leave

Cuozzo generally works with high-end Italian fab-

from a stable job of five years, a step back in pay, a

rics, such as the famed Dormeuil from Naples. Sample

longer commute to the Back Bay, and a personal lit-

books line the walls of the fitting area at the store-

mus test of sorts. But it was going to be worth it. “I

front, where Cuozzo—whose model good-looks and

realized it would give me an education, introduce me

ice-sculpture-come-to-life muscular physique fit the

to people and clients, the right people,” he says. “I was

part while draped in the stuff—demonstrates the continued on pg. 25

20 Boston MAY 2018

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“It’s pretty cool being the 'SUIT GUY' for the Patriots,” he says with a megawatt grin. sheer variety of them all. But working with the stylist

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“I go to a customer’s house and help him choose

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Cuozzo says his word-of-mouth business is flood-

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CANNABIS is a social drug.

Why are there so FEW PLACES to use it in PUBLIC?

26 Boston MAY 2018

S P E C I A L

R E P O R T

WANTED :

A PLACE TO

GATHER

by LELAND RUCKER

ALTHOUGH SOME STATES NOW LET ANY ADULT PURCHASE MARIJUANA FOR RECREATIONAL OR MEDICAL USE, ONLY ONE ALLOWS THAT PERSON TO CONSUME IT LEGALLY IN A PUBL I C SETTING SUCH AS A COFFEE SHOP OR BAR. FOR MANY, ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM OUT OF STATE, THAT CAN BE A DAUNTING PROSPECT. SAY YOU’VE JUST BOUGHT AN EIGHTH OUNCE OF DURBAN POISON, PERHAPS YOUR FIRST LEGAL CANNABIS PURCHASE EVER, AND YOU’RE DYING TO KNOW IF IT’S AS GOOD AS IT SMELLS. NOW, WHERE CAN YOU

In Denver, you could join a private tour bus that stops at dispensaries, glass-blowing demonstrations and grow

FIRE IT UP?

ington, you’re pretty much out of luck— all have laws against social clubs or lounges.

houses. Or you could join a private club, where you can

In states where cannabis is legal, you’ll need to do

bring and use your own product, or book a cannabis-in-

your own research if you expect to find the limited

fused dinner at a local farm. In California, where medi-

number of activities to enhance your experience in

cal marijuana has been legal for more than two de-

public. Tourist bureaus are not allowed to advertise

cades, there are already a few private clubs in select

cannabis businesses to states where it’s not legal, and

cities that allow cannabis use, as well as occasional

there aren’t a lot of websites with solid information.

cannabis-infused dinners, wine-and-cannabis pair-

(SEE SIDEBAR ON THE NEXT PAGE FOR SOME GOOD ONES.)

ings and Puff Pass and Paint classes.

The longtime prohibition on marijuana has taught

“It’s important for people to have a safe space to con-

millions of Americans who use it to be discrete in pub-

sume, says Heidi Keyes, who is based in Oakland but

lic. Today you have the option of pulling on a vaporiz-

owns and operates Puff Pass & Paint classes that mix

er, which reduces the odor of smoke, or consuming

cannabis and art in several states. “If they’re buying it

edibles or tinctures when you’re in public. Still, the

legally, they should be able to consume it legally in a

advantages to allowing places for people to consume

place where they don’t have to hide it.”

are considerable.

In some legal states, there are few options. Keyes

Public houses were essential elements in the transi-

operates a Puff Pass & Paint class in Portland, and a

tion after the US reversed alcohol prohibition in 1933,

group called Tokeativity holds events for women

and today everyone expects to be able to go to bars and

around Oregon. If you’re in Alaska, Nevada, or Wash-

taverns to consume. Designated cannabis lounges or sensimag.com MAY 2018 27

clubs would help alleviate a nuisance many cities would

Pass classes that mix cannabis with activities pottery

rather not face: giving people tickets for discretely using

and needlepoint (Puff Pass Pottery and Puff Pass Pin-

a legal substance in parks and outside hotels and other

cushion), and the Mason Jar Event Group offers sea-

public buildings, which just seems wrong. It would also

sonal dinners that pair cannabis with a fine dining

shift some of the responsibility for keeping people from

experience.

over consuming on the establishments where it is consumed, just as is done with alcohol.

In 2016 Denver residents voted to allow consumption lounges and businesses. The requirements for

“There are not many places for someone to go and

an establishment to get a license are extensive and

use these products and enjoy them in a setting that’s

restrictive— perhaps the toughest being that the

similar to your own life,” says Susannah Grossman,

club must have the support of some local community

spokeswoman for Utopia All Natural Wellness Space

organization. At this writing, only one business, the

and Lounge, a cannabis spa now in the application

Coffee Joint, located next to a dispensary in an in-

process for a Denver city license. “We’re trying to put

dustrial district, has been given a license to operate,

something that’s familiar in a new context.”

while the Utopia spa awaits approval.

Tourists aren’t the only ones who might need a place

There are a few private, members-only clubs in the

to enjoy cannabis outside their own home. Many peo-

cities of Denver and Colorado Springs. The owners of

ple live in federally subsidized public housing, which

Tetra-9 Private Lounge and Garden, instead of applying for a club permit, opened Feb. 22 in Den-

FO R M O RE

ver for special events and private parties that allow smoking, vaping, and dabbing. Pa-

INFORMATION

trons must be 21, and anyone can sign up for

BOOKMARK THESE SITES TO BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH

there is the International Church of Canna-

The best place to start is POTGUIDE.COM, which includes generally cur-

members who use cannabis as a sacrament.

memberships beginning at $10 a month.And bis, based in an old Protestant church building in Denver, which today claims about 500

rent information about cannabis-friendly lounges, lodging, tours, and dis-

Bills to allow some kind of social con-

pensaries around the country. Also helpful is CANNABISTOURS.COM .

sumption statewide have been introduced—

Find more about Puff Pass Paint classes at PUFFPASSANDPAINT. COM, and Mason Jar pairing events at MASONJAREVENTGROUP.COM. The International Church of Cannabis website is ELEVATIONISTS.ORG . In California, start with POTGUIDE.COM and CANNABISTOURS.COM .

Women’s cannabis events in Portland are listed at TOKEATIVITY.COM. Happy hunting.

and ultimately rejected— in every Colorado state legislative session since 2014. A bipartisan bill in the current session would allow “tasting rooms,” with limited consumption and purchases, in already-operating dispensaries around the state.

In California, after medical marijuana was legalized in 1996, lounges attached to dispen-

prohibits all cannabis use, or rent a place that doesn’t

saries where people can consume thrived in a legal

allow smoking. Parents who don’t want their children

gray area before Proposition 64 was passed in 2016,

exposed could use a place to get away. And let’s face it,

legalizing adult use of marijuana in the state. Prop 64

cannabis is a social drug. Sometimes you might want

left it to individual cities to allow or disallow con-

to go out and enjoy a few tokes and some conversa-

sumption spaces. San Francisco is quickly moving

tion. This is a plant that practically begs to be shared.

ahead with plans to license all its existing lounges

Enterprising entrepreneurs in Denver found an ear-

and open more, and several other cities, including

ly loophole that allows buses, as long as the driver is

Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and West Hollywood, are

sealed off in the cab, to roam the city with consuming

hard at work getting rules in place.

customers. Today there is a thriving Denver tour-bus

“One of the things we did was look at that void

industry, including Loopr, Cannabis Tours, and My 420

where there wasn’t a consumption space to use prod-

Tours, that ferry people around city streets while they

uct if you’re a renter or a parent who doesn’t want to

sample dabs, new strains, vaporizers, and all the lat-

consume at home who needs a safe place, like bars,

est in smoking accessories. Keyes has added Puff

like we do with alcohol,” says Jackie Rocco, business

28 Boston MAY 2018

sensimag.com MAY 2018 29

development director of West Hollywood. She says the

year, legislators and the governor panicked and de-

city has been talking with lawmakers in other legal

cided on a wait-and-see approach. “They’re regrouping

states and getting feedback from as many points of

but have stated that they wouldn’t do anything until

view as possible, including law enforcement, and that

next year,” he says.

public safety is the main priority.

A similar thing happened in Massachusetts, which

West Hollywood is accepting applications for a to-

is set to open the first retail stores July 1. The state’s

tal of 16 licenses, and Rocco anticipates that the city

Cannabis Control Commission originally suggested a

could allow consumption clubs by the end of the year,

plan that would have allowed consumption lounges

although she says it’s more realistic that they will be-

under two licenses, one for cannabis businesses and

gin opening in spring 2019. “We stress that we want

a second for restaurants, theaters, and yoga studios.

operators to see this as part of our community and to

But after resistance from Gov. Charlie Baker, Attor-

dispel the myth that it’s something seedy,” she says.

ney General Maura Healey, and some key legislators,

Keyes, who is also a partner in the CannabisTours.

the commission backtracked. Though it began tak-

com cannabis tourism agency, has added a Wine and

ing applications last month and promises to revisit the issue after stores open, the state essentially punted on the topic until next year.

PUBLIC HOUSES were essential

“We shouldn’t be treating social consump-

elements in THE TRANSITION after

tion like it’s not happening,” says Jeremiah McKinnon, a board advisor for the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance. “The chair-

alcohol PROHIBITION was reversed.

man of the commission has said if we have

Today, EVERYONE EXPECTS to be

regulated alcohol, he doesn’t know why we

able to go to B A R S and TAV E RNS .

even though they did vote against it, have

can’t do it with cannabis. The commissioners, a commitment that when social consumption does become available, not to leave it

Weed tour in the Bay area and an Oaktown Essential

open-ended.”

Cannabis tour in Oakland. Sea of Green Events hosts

Though bars and taverns proliferate almost every-

tours and private events around the San Francisco

where in the country, many legislators are still anx-

area that include infused-­dining and a “deep dive”

ious about marijuana use and driving. “All these peo-

visit to a cannabis extraction facility. If you’re visit-

ple tell me that they’re scared about the driving,”

ing California wine country, which is also now can-

says Shanel Lindsay, a Boston-based lawyer and pa-

nabis country, you can find an occasional event that

tient advocate. “There’s the stigma and the fact that

allows you to nibble on gourmet food while hitting the

there isn’t a test to tell whether you are inebriated—

water pipe. Look for more of these kinds of infused,

which is a recipe for fear mongering.”

fine-dining pairings as legalization rolls out.

People are still being ticketed for public consump-

Why have legislators been so reluctant to move for-

tion in legal states, and minorities arrested and fined

ward? Nevada state Senator Tick Segerblom, who sup-

at a higher rate than whites. But police in most mu-

ported legalization and lounges, says it’s because pol-

nicipalities tend to treat public consumption on the

iticians are afraid. “It’s the strangest thing. Nobody is

streets as low-priority offenses. “It’s easier to just look

willing to step up and say, ‘Wait a minute, we have

the other way and realize it’s happening and ignore

bars,’” Segerblom explains. “People want them. It’s

it,” says Segerblom.

crazy to be selling this and getting tax revenue from it,

Will Luzier, a member of the Marijuana Policy Proj-

and we tell tourists that there’s no place you can use it,

ect who worked on the Massachusetts legalization

and you can’t take it home with you.”

effort, says that we’re still in the early stages of legal-

There seemed to be strong support last year for

ization, and after eight decades of anti-cannabis pro-

lounges after stores opened July 1 in Nevada, but Se-

paganda and fear, states will eventually work their

gerblom says that after Attorney General Jeff Sessions

way through this important issue. “I think once it be-

rescinded the Obama-era directive that suggested a

comes it become a little more normalized and part of

federal, hands-off approach to legal states early this

daily life, thrse ideas will fade into history.”

30 Boston MAY 2018

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island

retreat

by ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

BEFORE I VISITED

Jamaica THE FIRST TIME, ON A PRESS TRIP WITH THE TOURISM

BOARD IN 2011, MY FRIENDS TOLD ME HOW IT WOULD GO. AT SOME POINT BETWEEN LANDING AT

THE AIRPORT IN MONTEGO BAY AND CHECKING INTO MY ROOM AT THE RITZ-CARLTON, THEY ASSURED ME, A DRIVER OR BELLMAN WOULD ASK IF I HAD EVERYTHING I NEEDED FOR MY PARTY, AND THAT’S HOW I COULD PROCURE SOME GANJA. (IT’S NOT LIKE CANNABIS WAS A HUGE NOVELTY FOR ME, COMING FROM COLORADO, BUT THERE’S SOMETHING SUPER ENTICING ABOUT GETTING A TASTE OF THE PLANT THE ISLAND IS FAMOUS FOR ON THE ISLAND IT’S FAMOUS FOR.) The thing we all forgot to account for (maybe be-

cannabis farms. No one, ever, asked about my party.

cause we were from Colorado and used to its thriving

That’s for the best, of course. It’s a bad idea, and cer-

medical marijuana marketplace) was the undeniable

tainly not professional, to break the law of the country

fact that cannabis was still illegal in Jamaica— and

that’s hosting you on a trip you could never in a mil-

definitely not something the tourism board was high-

lion years afford—even if ganja is an essential part of

lighting on this particular spa tour. My press group,

many (most?) Jamaican tourists’ experiences. I didn’t

made up of writers for health and wellness magazines

need it, anyway. Getting hot rock massages while lis-

and websites, never met any Rastas or toured any

tening to ocean waves crash on the cliffs and eating

sensimag.com MAY 2018 33

fresh papaya every morning while looking out at turquoise Caribbean water provided plenty of elevation for mind, body, and soul. I went home refreshed and cleansed, and joked with my friends about my tolerance break in Jamaica.

In 2015, the Jamaican government decriminalized cannabis, legalized medical marijuana, and made it legal for Jamaicans to grow five plants per household.

Qualified medical marijuana patients from anywhere in the world can buy and use cannabis in Jamaica, and possession of less than two ounces will get tourists and locals a ticket instead of a jail sentence and a criminal record.

Jamaica is creating a global hub for medical cannabis and research, and cannabis-centered health and wellness tourism is a key spoke, one that Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett called “a very important part of the economic future of Jamaica.” The government is eager to grab its rightful share of the $494 billion cannabis tourism market, and tourism officials think they can capitalize on a “vibe and culture” that places like Colorado can’t offer.

where is the

That sounds like a party. I went back to Jamaica late last year, on my own, pretty sure I’d find everything I needed.

A COUN T Y FAIR, WITH RASTAS AND ITAL FOOD In Negril, there’s a giddiness. Everyone from cab drivers to business owners to growers talks about what a difference decriminalization has made for them. It’s a huge deal, especially for locals who can no longer lose the right to ever leave the island again over a possession charge. No more roadside extortion. No more crop eradication. For expats, no more threat of deportation because of a spliff.

34 Boston MAY 2018

Ganja isn’t technically legal, but plenty of enterprising people are getting away with treating it that way. a few gray areas in the legal and regulatory structure remain. The nascent Jamaican cannabis industry feels like the wild Wild West, a lot like Colorado and California in the early days. People are building businesses first and asking permission second—largely because licensing fees are out of reach for small farmers and businesses—and no one seems too terribly concerned.

“They want $2,500 American,” the Wake and Bake Café owner told me, and laughed, when I asked if she was planning to go through the regulatory process.

“Do you know how many brownies I would have to sell to make that?”

I found the same attitude among the cheerful people

J A M A I C A’ S L I B E R A L R E C I P R O C I T Y POLICY ALLOWS MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE TO GET TREATMENT, A ND THE ISLAND IS QUICKLY BECOMING A GO -TO DESTINATION FOR MEDICAL AND WELLNESS TOURISTS SEEKING CANNABIS-BASED THERAPIES.

muffins, and pies alongside booths offering huge bou-

Guests at Coral Cove Cannabis Wellness Village

quets of cannabis branches and massive balls of hash

(CORALCOVEJAMAICA.COM), a four-star

at Rastafari Rootzfest, an annual reggae festival and

oceanfront resort in Negril, learn from

ganja market held in December on Long Beach in Ne-

experts in the cannabis medical and

selling cannabis-infused brownies, gummies, cakes,

gril. A government-sanctioned event where everyone has a pass to freely consume cannabis in public (which is, believe it or not, still illegal), Rootzfest had a reassuringly homespun feel to it, like a county fair with Rastas and Ital food.

Ital food is another cultural gem that falls squarely into the health and wellness zeitgeist Jamaica’s looking to represent—one I never learned about during my press tour in 2011. Based on their spiritual belief that the body is a temple and must be kept clean and pure, Rastafarians have been eating seasonally and locally as a matter of principle and wisdom for decades, long before Michael Pollan told his disciples to eat real food.

The Ital (based on the word vital) diet excludes salt, meat, dairy, eggs, preservatives, colorings, flavorings, and anything artificial, opting instead for fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs—including ganja, a holy herb considered key to understanding the self, the universe, and God. At Rootzfest, I went full joy on the Ital food, washing downing a plate of curried vegetable chunks with car-

holistic arts and have the opportunity to experience various forms of organically grown cannabis with responsible guided dosing. Week-long stays include classes, body therapeutics sessions, tours of cannabis grow facilities, access to cannabis medicine, and nutritious meals.

Doc’s Place International (DOCSPLACEINTERNATIONAL.COM), a health and wellness resort, has partnered with Apollon Formularies Jamaica, which specializes in medical cannabis-based pharmaceuticals, to establish the world’s first Global Center of Excellence for Medical Cannabis Therapy in Negril. Licensed physicians will treat patients at the state-of-the-art facility, which will provide hospitality-oriented services in combina-

rot, lime, and ginger juice as I soaked up the afternoon

tion with personal care and well-being

sun and listened to a speaker talk about all the cash

services in a safe, secure, professional,

grabs, from sugar to coffee to tourism, that have gone

and legal environment.

healthwellnesscannabis

It’s been a mere two years since the law changed, and

down in Jamaica’s history. “That’s not going to happen this time,” the speaker said of cannabis. “We’re smart enough now to prevent that exploitation.”

This party just got started. Jamaica, I’ll be back. sensimag.com MAY 2018 35

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QUINCY

38 Boston MAY 2018

by DAN MCCARTHY

LONG IGNORED BY THE TRENDY AND THE HIP,

QUINCY'S

SIMMERING RENAIS-

SANCE IS BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO THE MIGHTY Q. Those of the mind that the Hub’s nexus

is transforming the nexus. Yet in spite of being 10

of eating and drinking and the doings-

miles away from downtown (or an average slog on

of-stuff is confined to Boston proper,

the Red Line), Quincy struggles to register as a desti-

Cambridge, and Somerville, the idea of

nation dining spot for those who haven’t been keep-

surveying the spectrum of gourmand options found in Quincy has long been a dubious one.

ing up. That’s changing.

Matthew Freid, a veteran of Boston’s restaurant scene (jm Curley, The Beehive, Capo) is in the process

And there’s good reason for that.

of opening his first solo Quincy proper spot, Idle

Quincy is Quincy—a loaded com-

Hour. For him, there is no better place for someone

ment to be sure. The largest city in

planting a flag in the Greater Boston restaurant scene.

Norfolk County, which has been

“Having spent many years in Boston, I’ve had the

going under the knife both physi-

opportunity to meet a lot of restaurant industry friends

cally and spiritually in recent years,

from Quincy or who currently live there. They are the sensimag.com MAY 2018 39

ones who really turned me on to the idea of opening

kitchen for private dining parties, which allows chefs

outside of Boston proper,” says Freid.

to offer exclusive omakase-style “chef’s whim” din-

“For me, the draw of Quincy has been two-fold: I

ners. Liang says his family originally settled in the Q

see the shortage of employees and saturation of restau-

because his grandfather wanted his grandkids to be

rants in Boston, and I see an underserved community

based in a more suburban environment. Now, after a

with a lot of opportunity right down the road. As I

life spent in Quincy, Liang says the area now has

meet more and more people in Quincy, the common

“Boston-level restaurants,” if not better.

theme is excitement. People are really looking for-

“The culture, food, affordable living, and overall

ward to new places moving in,” he says. “The number

quality of life” are what Liang says keeps him on his

of people who have poked their head into the space

home turf. “We have great restaurants, good schools,

so early into construction has been great to see, and

awesome beaches, unbelievable diversity, rich histo-

everyone has been very supportive.”

ry. I think we have everything.”

Jimmy Liang, a Quincy local born in China who

Freid seconds that and says that guests are happy

grew up in the north part of the city, is the chef-found-

to have a great experience closer to home. “With the

er of J.P. Fuji group based in town. His Fuji restau-

residential growth in the area, I imagine there are go-

rants (named 2016’s Greater Boston Chamber of Com-

ing to be a lot of Boston transplants looking to get more

merce Small Business of the Year) already have

for their money. Restaurants are all part of that draw.

camps set up in hot hoods like Kendall Square, Ink

A great neighborhood bar and restaurant is an amen-

Block, and the Assembly Row mega work-live-play-

ity to the community.”

plex in Somerville. His flagship location opened in

One of the early new restaurants that quickly en-

Quincy Center early last year, and it’s one of the only

tered the foodie lexicon in town and around the Hub’s

restaurants in Greater Boston that has a full separate

cocktail classes is the Townshend in Quincy Center,

40 Boston MAY 2018

sensimag.com MAY 2018 41

traffic there knows) is the new Hancock-Adams Green

“ IT’S GOING TO BE LIKE A CLASSIC, SMALL

NEW ENGLAND TOWN

GREEN RIGHT HERE ON THE SUBWAY,” SAYS ADAMS.

slated to open late summer between the Old Town Hall building and the National Historic Landmark church of the Presidents. Just a reminder: the tombs of US President John Adams, his son John Quincy, and both their legendary wives are in Quincy granite sarcophagi underneath the church, and, yes, you can check them out.

“It’s going to be like a classic, small New England town green right here on the subway,” says Adams.

“The common is just the beginning. They’re working on a new Trail of the Presidents, kind of a Freedom Trail connecting all of Quincy’s historic landmarks, and they’re also talking about a new urban farm in the heart of the city. All pretty exciting.”

about a stone’s throw from the Red Line, where Devin

Adams and his team are launching another con-

Adams and his team have been something of trail-

cept, Belfry Hall, an “urban beer hall” with fun up-

blazers in the New Quincy scene. After living in Bos-

scale-but-accessible food at a lower price point than

ton for two decades, Adams says that Quincy, while

the Townshend. (And it should be a nice beer-centric

on the rise, still has that “feel of a wonderful, tight-

addition on top of the pop-up beer garden event se-

knit community that genuinely cares about each oth-

ries the city is working on).

er’s neighbors and businesses,” and notes the devel-

The vision of Pat McAuley is generating plenty of

opment happening all around the historic center. A

excitement as well, with his forthcoming Rewild Plant

major endeavor (as anyone who has been caught in

Food + Drink slated to open sometime this spring. It’s

Enjoythe Journey

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getting loads of buzz for avoiding the light beer and

Quincy, like a lot of old industrial New England cit-

fried food rep of Quincy to be America’s first vegan

ies, had undergone a downturn in the 1980s, with the

beer hall and cafe.

loss of heavy industry and the movement of retail to

If there’s a pillar of New Quincy’s draw for hospi-

the suburban malls, Keka recalls. “Alba was the first

tality, support for the community, and a true Ameri-

and only white tablecloth restaurant around for many

can Dream rags-to-riches story, it’s Leo Keka, the

years. Alba filled a need in the neighborhood, and we

founder and owner of the posh steakhouse and wine

have always had a great and loyal customer base. I know

mecca Alba. A refugee from war-torn Armenia, Keka

most everybody who walks through the door, and

brought Alba to Quincy’s shores nearly 30 years ago

many guests have been with us from the beginning.”

with barely two bits to pinch together and a pot to

The development happening all around the neigh-

piss in. Today, his flourishing restaurant is beloved

borhood led Keka and his team to branch out in the

by meat-seeking foodies and power brokers alike.

last year or so. Next door to Alba, he opened Zef Cichet-

Wine merchants love him too, as much for his sales

ti & Raw Bar about a year ago, focusing on small plates

as for his personalized vision of true hospitality, to

and a more intimate dining setting than the bustling

say nothing of his wine knowledge and the list the that

steakhouse flagship.

house that Keka built brandishes. (A source tells me

Should Quincy’s revival continue with things like

when Beyonce was in town last summer her people

a modern digital movie house, a comedy club, and even

were directed to Leo to help track down her favorite

a standalone sports arena, Boston nightlife should be

hard-to-find wine, Sassicaia.) Plus there’s the in-house

aware that the warm breath it may feel these days is

dry-aging of meats and the fact that you can get the

Quincy Center and its array of new dining options—

quality of some of the best steakhouses in Boston (and

Mediterranean, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Cajun,

NYC for that matter) in Quincy. And if there’s one per-

American, Italian and Irish options, all found within

son to hype why Quincy’s revival means so much to

a couple blocks of one another—breathing down its

both his life and his business, it’s Keka.

neck.

sensimag.com MAY 2018 43

44 Boston MAY 2018

by DAN MCCARTHY

Meet ROXBURY’S resident QUEEN of cannabis yoga.

When Boston born-and-raised Jacki Ortega was

line of Ortega Jewelry armwear and accessories–it

finishing up her teacher-training program from the

was clear right from the start that combining her

Down Under School of Yoga (which has outposts in

deep knowledge of cannabis as a healing medicine

Cambridge, Brookline, and Newton), the state was on

and her new life as a yoga instructor and practitioner

the verge of voting overwhelmingly in favor of legal-

was the go-to move to get her cannabis career off the

izing the adult use of recreational cannabis.

ground in the Hub.

A longtime cannabis user—which Ortega, who’s 33,

“At that point, I was already smoking weed and do-

says has been instrumental for her from general self-

ing yoga in my own time on my own journey,” Ortega

care and quality of life to artistic endeavors with her

says. “And I thought since yoga and cannabis is such

sensimag.com MAY 2018 45

a natural pairing, and it was such a natural pairing with what I was already doing in life, I wanted to bring that to other people.”

And in December of 2016, barely a month after voters legalized cannabis in the Commonwealth, Ortega held her first official Bhang Yoga session at a private space in Roxbury for a handful of excited clients. And while stoned yoga may not be the most novel idea in more weed-enlightened regions like Colorado and California, Ortega says the novelty of it locally has regulars coming back.

“My mindset changed as I learned how to connect to my breath and to this sacred plant—living in the present and just being in the moment, feeling connected to myself and to others, feeling a sense of accomplishment and inner peace after every personal practice or class I teach, feeling complete,” Ortega says through her personal biography. “I came for the benefits, stayed for the peace of mind, and became a teacher because I wanted to feel this way for the rest of my life and share the gift of cannabis-infused practice with others.”

Her Roxbury classes can be short, 30-minute affairs, or more advanced (for both yoga and cannabis), two-hour classes involving more than an hour of standard Vinyasa yoga flow capped with Cannabis 101 for the novice, which lets clients partake whatever way they choose (dabs, bowls, blunts, vapes, edibles). For the two-hour class, Ortega supplies choice strains compatible with yoga and physical benefits, while other classes center around the use of THCand CBD-infused topicals and massage oils. Additionally, Ortega hosts roving, pop-up classes and has even led outdoor cannabis yoga sessions at the Boston Freedom Rally for a few dozen weed devotees.

Ortega is careful to walk the wary through what to expect, especially those new to either yoga or cannabis. And she is quick to say that all levels are welcome at her classes, but says that if you’re a novice on the cannabis front, you probably shouldn’t begin with the two-hour session.

“It’s important that people know how cannabis affects them in advance, and if they don’t know, I help educate them on the basics between strain use, topicals, and edibles, so they get the most out of both the yoga and the cannabis as a therapeutic experience.”

Book your Bhang Yoga session at BHANGYOGABOSTON.SIMPLYBOOK.ME. 46 Boston MAY 2018

sensimag.com MAY 2018 47

{soBOS }

by DAN MCCARTHY

For your upcoming GETAWAY EXPEDITIONS to Maine, let a NINTENDO CLASSIC and GIN be your guide.

Picture a restaurant with a menu featuring a spectrum of twists on classics of Italian and Southern fare as well as fusion dishes. Make it a place that prides itself on using meats free of hormones and antibiotics, a largely locally sourced kitchen and produce roster, from goat cheese and pumpkins to fish from surrounding Maine rivers. Cocktails follow suit, with locally produced gins being employed judiciously (the only way to employ gin). Add in a nostalgia-laiden honeytrap for old-school gamers of the Gen X breed and their hipster counterparts, the ones that have pushed The Legend of Zelda 48 Boston MAY 2018

into the pop-culture canon emeritus. You now get the general idea and draw of the new-ish Yeto’s in Biddeford Maine, which takes inspiration of the Zelda theme by embracing what fans will recall is a love story shared between a pair of Yetis who used similar ingredients as hyped here to heal an ailing wife and their love life. Or something. Anyway, yeah. Maine. Legend of Zelda. Yeti love. Gin. All ready for you on your next scoot up into the bounty of eating, drinking, and big weird fun that Maine bestows upon the gleeful northeast traveler. Happy noshing. YETOSME.COM

sensimag.com MAY 2018 3

4 Boston MAY 2018