The Clever Root

Spring 2018

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s p r i n g 2 0 1 8 | 5 5 tech industry workers an Instagram- worthy matcha mint lemonade that's topped with fluffy cream and embla- zoned with a cannabis leaf imprint. Jamie Evans, a wine industry veteran who is preaching the gospel of terpenes and tannins alike with her company The Herb Somm, says, "I am so thrilled to see CBD being incorporated into mainstream menus like at STEAP. The more we can educate consumers on the benefits of cannabis and hemp-derived products, the closer we get to breaking the stigma." Social media-worthiness aside, CBD's health and wellness effects are winning over an increasing number of hearts and minds, even outside of the legal states. On a recent stroll through a farmer's market in Austin, Texas, I stopped by the Bee Delightful booth, offering a delicious Texas wildflower honey that's infused with CBD and made by bees rescued from damaged hives and unsafe environments. I asked what the Texas take on CBD was, and was assured that people in the Lone Star state are not only warming up to CBD and cannabis as a health-focused alternative to phar- maceuticals, but are looking down the road to legalization and a new cash crop opportunity well outside of the Austin blue bubble. With this national conversation gaining momentum by the day, The Clever Root recently part- nered with Yelp Reservations to explore how and why bars and restaurants can legally incorpo- rate cannabis into their menus. We recently invited a group of Southern California restaurateurs to join us at LONO in West Hollywood to explore the topic. "We're so excited to do this and have been wondering how and why this is legal," admitted Zach Patterson, Co-Owner of Umbrella Hospitality, which owns LONO and cocktail bars the Cor- ner Door and Melrose Umbrella Company. Patterson and his partner Austin Melrose pulled out all of the stops, serving CBD-infused tiki cocktails alongside infused dishes, including a decadent CBD pineapple upside down cake and fun CBD-enhanced sno-cones. On the panel, Chef Holden Jagger of Altered Plates offered culinary insights as to how and why CBD (and terpenes! See sidebar for more) makes sense in a culinary application, while Yan- nick Crespo of infused olive oil company Pot D'Huile shared marketing and product expertise. Rounding out the bunch was Benson Lau, an attorney specializing in the California cannabis space, whose insight proved indispensable to the audience, most of whom wanted to know how to navigate the ins and outs of cannabinoids on menus. First, according to Lau, it is essential that restaurateurs be working with hemp-derived CBD, rather than cannabis-derived CBD. While cannabis and hemp are technically the same Cannabis Sativa L. plant bred to different cannabinoid contents (i.e. industrial grade hemp has little to no ability to produce THC), hemp-derived CBD products are widely argued to not be in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, making them available for purchase and distribution across state and international lines. It is, however, a gray space, with future federal court cases on the horizon to more clearly delineate the hemp/cannabis divide. As we continue to forge ahead into the brave new world of CBD, The Clever Root will be watching. Evans says hopefully, "Maybe one day we'll see both CBD and THC infused products served in restaurants and tea bars? That will be exciting!" Will a bar or restaurant in your area join the ranks of the CBD-converted and share the power of the superfood of tomorrow? What 's Next: Terpenes We've already established in our pages that terpenes—the aromatic molecules responsible for the signa- ture aromas of everything from lem- ons and limes to lavender, rosemary, black pepper, and hops—are already an indispensable tool in a chef's or bartender's arsenal. "What people don't often realize is that they're already using terpenes," explained Chef Holden Jagger, a mainstream chef turned cannabis chef who's bet- ting that terpenes are the next big thing in culinary cannabis. "Right now, terpenes are already a part of food and beverage programs, and restaurants and bars have a huge opportunity to play this up and draw the connection to cannabis as a marketing tool to reach new con- sumers," said Jagger. One Los Angeles bar is already ahead of this trend, with an entire terpene cocktail menu. At Prank Bar in Downtown Los Angeles, owner and industry veteran Dave Whitton serves up terpene cocktails like the Granny Gripple, a mix of reposado tequila, Laird's Applejack, ginger root, pineapple kombucha, and limo- nene and pinene terpenes, or the Mon Frere, made with Plymouth Gin, Cocchi Americano, limonene terpen- ese, and Regan's Orange bitters. A CBD sno-cone at LONO in West Hollywood, CA. CBD goes tiki at LONO in West Hollywood for the Yelp Reservations panel exploring the future of CBD in bars and restaurants. PHOTO: RACHEL BURKONS PHOTO: RACHEL BURKONS ■cr

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