Laurie Berger
There are many good reasons to ingest marijuana, especially if you’re sensitive to smoke. But gummies, brownies and other edibles are not known for their taste.
What if you could get high and eat well too? That’s the goal of the Moonlit Moveable Feast, a semi-annual foodie experience sponsored by the High Dining Club featuring top chefs (and sommeliers) of gourmet weed cuisine.
The Joshua Tree-based club will roll out a marijuana-laced Moroccan feast under a full-moon-lit sky this Saturday night. The “strictly 21+” evening includes fine dining, music, performance art, tarot card readings, sampling herbal blends and technologies…and more.
With the legalization of marijuana in California and other states, cannabis cuisine is sweeping the culinary world. And Moonlit is one of many chef-driven, “private” dining events and clubs popping up to feed foodies hungry for weed gastronomy.
According to cannabis activist, educator and High Dining Club co-founder Barbie Sommars, Moonlit is designed to elevate the responsible enjoyment of edible weed among regular, casual and first-time users alike.
“We’re creating an art form around cannabis-infused dining in an inspirational setting,” explains Sommars, who’s also the COO of Mary Jane University, an educational organization that aims to bridge the gap between medication and education. “We shun the emphasis on getting as high as possible, for a more refined approach to elevated mood states.”
This is no ordinary “pot party.” The menu includes such exotic dishes as Moroccan chickpea and lentil soup; harvest moon vegetable pastilla with butternut squash, caramelized onions and pomegranate; and lamb tagine with raisins, Marcona almonds over turmeric couscous.
Nor is it another high-priced foodie experience. The soups, sauces, fine wines – even olive oils – are infused with flavor-appropriate strains of cannabis.
Sommars came to marijuana and the high desert in 2008, after a medical diagnosis and high-flying corporate job left her burnt out and in pain. Coachella Magazine sat down with the raven-haired lovely to hear more about her journey and get a “taste” of the upcoming dinner.
CM: First, tell us how you got started with cannabis.
Sommars: I was a workaholic in a male-dominated, high-net-worth arena, which took its toll on me.
I got sick and was misdiagnosed with bladder infection for many years. Later they discovered I had interstitial cystitis (IC) – a chronic and painful bladder disease – as well as ulcers. The doctors prescribed opioids for pain but I didn’t want to take them regularly.
At that time, I’d never smoked cigarettes and was not a cannabis user. But I knew I needed a change. So, I quit my job, moved to the high desert (just down the street from the Integratron), and began living a more relaxed life.
To cope with the pain, I started using edibles and later began smoking. While I work hard on Moonlit and MJU, and still suffer from IC, cannabis is my treat at the end of the day.
CM: How did you come to launch the High Dining Club?
Sommars: I was always the chick who’d stand outside the farmers markets raising awareness about something, like genetically modified foods. I also produced Earth Day and Green Pride festivals.
Once I started using cannabis, I realized that it had a bad reputation – and many people had bad experiences. The drama was real. So, I decided to create a trustworthy environment to change that perception.
CM: What can guests expect from Moonlit Moveable Feast?
Sommars: The evening starts with a four-course dinner and beverage pairing named after the moon phases, then an opportunity to “Choose Your Own Adventure,” which can include trying out the latest vapor technologies, watching live glassblowing, listening to psychedelic mixes, and smoking sacred tobacco and herbal blends, among other things.
CM: Who’s the chef behind the culinary experience?
Sommars: The dinner will be created and prepared by Chef Sabrina Eustis, a culinary school grad who has traveled the world learning about and cooking with cannabis – and just returned from Morocco.
CM: How will the chef avoid a cannabis taste in the food?
Sommars: It’s all about the terpenes. These are the main ingredients in essential oils and the fragrant compounds that create plants’ distinctive smells. The cannabis plant produces at least three dozen different terpenes.
(Editor’s note: Terpenes are the main ingredient in essential oils and the fragrant compounds responsible for plants’ distinctive smells. The cannabis plant produces at least three dozen different terpenes. –- Weedmaps.com)
It’s important for a cannabis chef to know how to work with terpenes. Each cannabis strain has a different flavor and aroma. If one strain has a peppery taste, for example, the chef will reduce the amount of pepper in a dish.
Sabrina will likely use 6 different terpenes in this meal. Some taste like lemon (limonene), lavender (linalool), mango (myrcene) or pine (pinene).
CM: What about wine and beverages?
Sommars: There will be an arrival mocktail with CBD-infused Sprig soda, developed by Chef Holden Jagger of Los Angeles – based Altered Plates, a private cannabis dining club. It will be followed by a wine pairing with the appetizer. There’s a whole art around pairing wine and cannabis. We’ll have an herb sommelier here explaining it, and passing around glasses so you can sniff the terpenes.
CM: Will I get too high from this experience?
Sommars: The purpose is to make the moonlight just a bit brighter. We strategically microdose 10 mg. of ingestible THC (the substance in cannabis that gets you high) throughout the 5-hour event, so you should feel ok. It’s a not a freakout worthy dose. But everyone is different. For those with higher tolerances, we provide smokable and vaporizable options.
CM: What if I am a newbie?
Sommars: We believe in starting low and going slow. For newbies, I suggest beginning with 2.5 mg and sitting for 1-2 hours to see how your body reacts. It’s different for everyone based on genetic makeup and metabolism.
One of the reasons we no longer infuse the main course is because too much food would go uneaten. It’s a waste, and it insults the chef. The other 3 courses are infused.
At the end of the night, we bring you back to earth. We serve coffee, tobacco and CBD (the cannabis compound that has medicinal value but doesn’t get you high), to counteract the effects of THC if you get too buzzed.
Stay tuned to Coachellamagazine.com for a full review of the Moonlit experience.
The Details:
What: High Dining Club’s Moonlit Moveable Feast
Price: $350
Date: Saturday, Sept 22, 2018
Time: 6 – 11 pm (6 and 7 pm seatings)
Location: Joshua Tree, CA. Exact location disclosed to paid guests 24 hours prior to event.
Advance sales: Next event May 18, 2019. $400 per person. Strictly 21+. Tickets at High Dining Club.