Rolling Sushi and Doobies: A Master Class in “High” Cuisine
By Laurie Berger, Food + Drink Editor
It’s 4:20 cannabis time on a Saturday afternoon and things are starting to “roll” at a warehouse deep in a Los Angeles industrial park.
The smell of high-quality weed dances in the air. A DJ is dropping beats to set the vibe. And guests of all ages are taking their places at high-top tables set with chopsticks and 24-carat-gold rolling papers.
“Welcome to Hollyweed,” a floor-to-ceiling adapted poster of the iconic LA sign proclaims. It’s the High Dining Club’s annual Sushi and Doobie Rolling Workshop, one of many high-end happenings in California’s booming cannabis scene.
The DIY workshop, a favorite of cannabis-cuisine-obsessed Angelenos, was billed as an “educational evening with an entertaining twist.” It featured instruction by Sushi Chef Victor Miller and cannabis educator Keiko Beatie, live entertainment by DJ Jack Pharaoh and rapper MC Flow, girl talk with “CannaSexual” Ashley Manta and demos of cutting-edge cannabis gear.
“We’re a high-culture, low-dose event where you can learn to cook in a socially relevant way,” says Barbie Sommars, founder of the cannabis-experience producer and COO of Mary Jane University. HDC also hosts the semi-annual Moonlit Moveable Feast in Joshua Tree. Cannabis-free options are available at both events.
I attended the workshop on assignment, along with some 40 other “students” seeking “higher education.” A handful of us were invited to be “teachers’ pets,” which meant a coveted spot in the front row and special attention from the instructors. As newbie, I needed all the help I could get. (Spoiler alert: My doobie fell apart and sushi roll sprung a rice “leak.” But more on that later).
The Fish
The evening kicked off with sushi appetizers prepared by Chef Miller. A native Alaskan, Miller walks tall and carries a big knife (which he buys by the inch!). His background is equally formidable—”growing up” in a fishery, filleting at age 3 and studying professionally under Tokyo-born, SoCal sushi master Andy Matsuda.
I knew we were in for some pretty damn good sushi with that kind of resume.
The steelhead salmon spiked with CBD-infused olive oil was so fresh, it practically hopped off the plate. The maki roll of tuna and salmon skin with infused limonene ponzu sauce tasted clean, crisp and citrusy bright.
Read more: Something’s Fishy: Sushi Bar Dos and Don’ts
Miller took the stage in a black chef coat and baseball cap. After giving a brief history of sushi (it started as “finger food” in a Japanese casino), he walked us through the exacting paces of making a spicy tuna roll. From sourcing quality ingredients to preparing rice and the proper use of tools, there was a lot to learn. No wonder it has taken thousands of years to nail this technique.
The hardest part of making sushi, it turns out, is the prep. Just preparing the rice takes a full day!
“Rice is the most important ingredient in sushi and not many people know how to make it,” Miller said. “It has to be washed to remove imperfections, then polished to remove starch so the flavor is cleaner.”
“I polished tonight’s rice 8 times, massaging and ‘making love’ to it,” he explained. “Making love to food makes it taste better.”
So, with great “love,” everyone began rolling their ingredients—avocado, green onion, shiso leaf, mango, serrano, cucumber, sesame, a glob of spicy tuna and a drizzle of pink infused sauce (1 mg. THC)—into a thin sheet of nori. It was a slippery sushi slope, and the ingredients didn’t always cooperate. Mine oozed out the sides and poked through the middle of the seaweed.
But Chef was unflappable. Like a proud parent who displays their kid’s artwork on the fridge, he reviewed our creations and gave each the thumbs up. Then, brandishing his magic Jedi knife (dipped in water for extra glide), he made a few cosmetic repairs and sliced each roll into 6 uniform pieces, arranging them like little works of art.
The final product—with its creamy “massaged” rice and bright flavors—was more satisfying than any raw fish I’ve consumed at the best restaurants. Love conquers all, even sushi.
The Weed
“Professor” Beatie started the doobie-rolling lesson wielding a different weapon—chopsticks.
Dressed in purple kimono, she floated between the high-top tables, plucking a few organic Lemon OG flowers out of a jar tucked under her arm, and dropping them at each “student’s” place setting.
“Smell it,” she told the crowd. “Do you detect aromas of juniper berry and rosemary?”
Our “rolling stations” included all the tools needed to make a doobie, including an old-school grinder to granulate flowers. The contraption had three chambers for different purposes, and having never operated one of these, I kept opening the wrong compartment.
My rolling “neighbor” explained that the bottom chamber collects “kief,” the resin or crystals from marijuana flowers containing the highest concentration of psychoactive cannabinoids, such as THC. It’s something he saves for “special occasions.”
After funneling the grounds along a horizontal crease in the rolling paper, it was time to roll up. Suddenly, my small fingers felt like fat sausages trying to coax ground herb into a long, thin joint. Another “neighbor” came to my rescue with spit and chopsticks, sealing up the paper and poking escaping weed back into the sides.
Doobies successfully rolled and twisted, everyone fired up their lighters while I, a non-user, watched as they enjoyed the fruits of their labors.
It’s a W(rap)!
Throughout the evening, teachers, musicians, actors and other curiosity seekers mingled, munched and made new friends over sushi, doobies—and finally, dessert! Not surprisingly, the Dark Chocolate Mousse, Matcha Marshmallow Treats with Rice Krispies and other gluten-free, paleo, naturally sweetened, organic, CBD-infused sweets disappeared within seconds.
In the “canna lounge,” DJ Jack Pharoah (who has opened for John Mayer and Wu-Tang Clan) was back on the beats followed by MC Flow, aka Abby Dorsey, debuting her new hit “Rollin’ Up.” The San Diegan recently teamed up with Grammy Award-winning singer Jason Mraz to record “Oh Charlotte,” the story of pediatric epilepsy patient Charlotte Figi, whose seizures were helped by medical cannabis.
Meanwhile, a group of women gathered around the sofa with “CannaSexual” Ashley Manta to learn and giggle about how cannabis can deepen intimacy and enhance pleasure.
As the evening drew to a close, I chatted with a few guests about their experience that evening. Roger Sterling, an LA-based actor/model echoed the sentiment of other attendees.
“This was my first cannabis event,” he said. “Even though I didn’t know anyone, I felt a warm energy around me– like family. So many people were eager to share their experiences…and the exchange began.”
And that’s how we rolled at the Sushi and Doobie Workshop. A little lighter, brighter, and armed with the tools to make our own at home.
The Details
Who: The High Dining Club
What: Sushi & Doobie Rolling Workshop (recurring event)
Upcoming: Moonlit Moveable Feast (May 2019)
Something’s Fishy: Sushi Bar Dos and Don’ts
We love our sushi in California and the Coachella Valley. But not all raw fish is equal—and can be dangerous, warns sushi chef Victor Miller.
“Most sushi bars cut a lot of corners that diners should be aware of,” explains Miller, a native Alaskan who now manages a high-end Newport Beach sushi restaurant.
Miller knows a thing or two about fish. He started the sushi program at Orange County’s Honda Center and eats raw fish every day. That’s right, every day!
He’s also a stickler for good ingredients and cleanliness.
“There’s nothing worse than getting food poisoning from raw fish,” he told Coachella Magazine at the recent Sushi and Doobie Rolling Workshop in Los Angeles.
Is something fishy going on at your sushi bar? Chef Miller shared 5 tips for steering clear of trouble:
- Is the sushi bar clean?
First thing to do at any sushi bar is walk the sushi case. Check the fish color. Look at how the fish is displayed.
Is it laid out, nice and neat? If the sushi bar looks immaculate, most likely they’re using good quality ingredients.
- Is the fish fresh?
Always talk to the sushi chef. It’s hard for them to lie to your face. If you have questions about fish color, quality or how it was raised, ask or you’ll never know.
The best way to learn about good fish is to watch videos by sushi chefs in Japan. Chances are, you’ll see what quality looks like.
- What are the signs of quality?
I judge a sushi bar by its hand rolls, the way they serve it in Japan. I look at quality of the fish, type of fish on the menu, quality of rice, execution, even the quality nori (Hold it up to the light; good nori will be green with black streaks).
- What are the red flags?
Avoid all-you-can-eat sushi places. Or any place where sushi is sitting out for hours on end, or in a little cooler.
Watch out for “crab.” It’s likely surimi (an imitation crabmeat), which is pollack, a horrible bottom-feeder fish from Alaska.
Beware frozen, pre-cut fish. Now that a lot of corporations and chains are running sushi restaurants, they may be using that. The worst!
- Is farmed fish safe?
Being from Alaska, it’s hard for me to talk about farmed fished. Certain practices are being done exceptionally well and in the right way, but you really have to research companies’ farming methods.