Chefs like Enrique Olvera and local hit The Yeastie Boys are collaborating with cannabis companies to make seasonal THC and CBD edibles.
Enrique Olvera has been feeding his mole madre for years, replenishing the fine mix of black, red and green chilhuacle chiles with seasonal seeds and fruits for a complex, ever-changing flavor base. You can taste it primarily at Pujol, his Mexico City restaurant, but not at the chef’s Damian in the Arts District; those in Los Angeles hoping to try the mole can have it delivered directly to their door as a CBD-infused chocolate bar.
As a chef, the possibilities are seemingly endless; as a consumer, the brand’s limited-run Delights, which texturally fall somewhere between a jelly candy and Turkish delight, offer new collaborations every few months. To Rose, the rapid turnover isn’t a marketing ploy. It’s a way to reimagine the edibles industry with farm-fresh produce instead of synthetic flavorings.
However, despite the growth in interest and sales of gourmet edibles, it can still be difficult to find an audience.“It’s been an uphill battle,” Cozzolino says. “People say, ‘Oh, people don’t want to pay $35 for a box.’ I’m like, ‘I object, because I pay $30 for a bottle of natural wine at any natural wine store.’ Any time I uncork a bottle of wine, it costs me $30, and it lasts me less amount of time.
“Kiva and I connected to shoot the s— last year,” Fox says. “I originally had an idea for medicated everything seasoning, but Kiva took it a step further and brought the edible chocolate to the table, and it was a no-brainer.” Finding the right fit for an edible collaboration can be more difficult than it appears, he adds. Many chefs aren’t willing to work on a cannabis product, Miller says. “There’s always been that thing of ‘cannabias,’ ” he says, adding that Kiva is always open to collaboration.