High on ... mustard? Cannabis industry teams up with chefs in push to stand out
US legal cannabis industry seeks new ways to incorporate weed into meals after a tough year for business in 2025
TL;DR
- Chefs and cannabis professionals are collaborating on innovative ways to incorporate cannabis into food.
- An event offered free pastrami sandwiches with cannabis-infused mustard for National Hot Pastrami Day.
- The state-legal cannabis industry is facing challenges like falling investor interest and oversupply, prompting businesses to seek new marketing strategies.
- Some approaches focus on subtly infusing food, while others, like James Loud's Omakase experiences, emphasize the cannabis flavor and effect through careful pairings and pre-meal consumption.
- Challenges in cannabis-infused food include preserving flavor, achieving the "entourage effect," and unpredictable onset times.
- Developing a sustainable business model for cannabis-infused gourmet food faces significant regulatory and profit margin hurdles.