This Canadian chef is cooking up cannabis for 4/20

­­­­Vancouver native and self-taught chef Travis Petersen is getting creative in the kitchen. Petersen, who has been travelling across Canada and cooking with cannabis infusions for the past year, estimates that he’s cooked for 2,000-plus people during that time.

It may not be what most readily comes to mind when talking cooking, though then again, his path to becoming a chef has been anything but typical. Call it the scenic route.

 

 

From oil valve to cooking gear

After working as a business development manager for an oil valve company in Alberta, Petersen, 34, switched gears. He had a brief stint on MasterChef Canada in 2015, after being selected as one of 40 contestants, but as an untrained chef, says he felt, “out of place.”

After leaving the show, he recognized he had a lot to learn. He went on to become the “Nomad Cook”, a culinary brand that offers unique dining experiences through cannabis-infused creations, in January 2016, teaching himself to cook by watching videos online, something he feels is more of a possibility for newer generations given the tools available online. And since starting Nomad Cook, Petersen has been able to find mentors through chefs he’s worked with, further developing his skills.

Petersen traces his affinity for all things culinary back to where everything began… home. “I have a passion for cooking for people,” he says. His mother used to cook dinner for their family every night, and helped to develop his love of cooking and his understanding of its power to help form bonds between people. “I love how the dinner table and food kind of opens conversation.” No matter your race, religion or background, he notes food brings people together.

Cooking with cannabis takes things to yet another level.

How did Petersen go from pop-up to pot on 4/20?

It all started in Vancouver last year on 4/20, pot’s biggest celebration. Petersen and his girlfriend opened a pop-up cannabis restaurant in their house, where the response was very encouraging: over 160 people came for a bite in just four days. The idea to spin the response into the current cannabis-inspired iteration came to him after the Los Angeles-based Herbal Chef came to Vancouver and cooked with cannabis. “It was just going to be a one-time thing,” says Petersen, but it soon became much bigger than he imagined.

Ahead of 4/20, Travis Petersen is moving to Toronto in April for four months to host cooking events and work with local chefs.

From there, he would go to different provinces and rent Airbnbs to set up shop, cooking for about 80 people each weekend in cities like Kelowna, B.C., Victoria, Calgary and Toronto.

Originally assuming he would see the same kinds of guests, “I had ignorantly fallen into the whole trap of stereotyping and following those stigmas,” he acknowledges. “I was very surprised to see it was an older crowd coming in,” he says.

On top of that, attendees weren’t looking to chase a high, but rather to learn more and to try a new culinary experience. Petersen estimates that about 30 percent to 45 percent of the people who come to try his dishes aren’t regular cannabis users, and some haven’t tried cannabis at all.

Petersen takes a tailored approach to each guest by learning about their history with the drug, and then he microdoses each diner individually. By doing so, he can ensure they’re consuming the level of THC and CBD that’s right for them. A beginner might consume anywhere from five to 10 mg of THC and 50 to 60 mg of CBD, he explains.

For people who have been nervous about trying infused foods, this process has put them at ease, he says. As a result, Petersen has witnessed a rate of about 30 percent of guests coming back for more.

Food for thought

Petersen also uses these sessions to educate people. He passes along information about safe amounts when microdosing and how to balance THC and CBD, but he also works to break down the stigma surrounding cannabis consumption and food.

“Brownies, gummies, chocolate bars, they all have their place,” he says. “Infused dining is about a lot more than that.” Cannabis is very versatile, he says, and there are so many possibilities. Cannabis contains terpenes, oils that can produce different scents and tastes, and there are over 100 different types.

A year ago, Petersen says he was nervous about talking to people about cannabis and cooking, as he didn’t know how they’d feel discussing the subject. But now, he’s open about what he does, and people seem curious.

What’s the right age to enjoy cannabis-infused dining?

The first group of people Petersen served cannabis dishes to last year was made up of four 20-year-olds, a couple in their late-20s, another in their 40s and a 65-year-old widower who came on her own. “I thought, well, this table is going to really need some engagement and interaction, because I don’t know if they’re going to have a lot to share and talk about,” he recalls, laughing. By the end of the night, when everyone had relaxed, they exchanged phone numbers and went out for drinks. That’s the moment Petersen knew he was onto something.

On March 5, Petersen and his company, The Nomad Cook, launched a line of cannabis-infused tinctures made of CBD and TCH. Within two weeks, they were sold out.

Plans to launch more products, such as butters are in the works, but the team is waiting for the final rules on edibles to be released, which could be in mid-October.

Doing up 4/20 in style

Ahead of 4/20, Petersen is moving to Toronto in April for four months to host cooking events and work with local chefs. He’s hosting a 4/20 dining experience including a three-course brunch, $100 and featuring dishes like eggs benedict with back bacon, hashbrowns and a cannabis-infused hollandaise, and a five-course dinner, $150 and featuring dishes like miso-glazed scallops, with seaweed salad, edamame and kobu dashi.

“With cannabis, it just keeps people really mellow, and brings them together,” he says.