18 JANUARY 2020
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Be Well
HUNTER LEWIS
@NOTESFROMACOOK
I CAN’T PINPOINT EXACTLY WHEN the cannabis conversation began to change
in the United States, but 2019 was clearly a watershed year for awareness
and consumption. Conservative baby boomers in my family grappling with
serious medical conditions were suddenly ordering THC edibles to increase
their appetite and stave off anxiety. Across the country, chefs like Miguel
Trinidad were chipping away at the stoner stigma by throwing cannabis din-
ner parties and launching high-end candies. Meanwhile, CBD, a product of
marijuana’s nonpsychoactive cousin, hemp, wants
to be the biggest thing since bottled water. Out in
California, on a charity ride, my fellow cyclists were
recommending a CBD salve to relieve tired muscles
as we rode through a landscape where cannabis
farms were beginning to compete with vineyards
for prime growing space and customers.
Change is in the air, as we detail in “The Food &
Wine Guide to Culinary Cannabis” (p. 92). Now that
medical marijuana is legal in 33 states and recre-
ational marijuana is legal in 10, consumer percep-
tions and consumption patterns are changing in
a major way. Not surprisingly for an agricultural
product, farmers, chefs, and food innovators are
leading the change in this $9.8 billion industry by
bringing cannabis to the table.
Culinary cannabis might be a new topic for some
of you, or even completely taboo. For others, it might
be old hat. We’re publishing the guide to help you
understand and navigate the changes in this brave
new world, whether you partake or just want to be
more informed. We don’t take this story lightly or
ignore the privilege in being able to tell it, especially
from Birmingham, Alabama, where I live. Marijuana
is still illegal here, and like elsewhere in the country,
even as legalization gains popular support, cannabis
arrests continue to rise, and despite roughly equal usage rates, black people
are arrested disproportionately–at nearly four times the rate of white people.
In addition to its culinary and recreational uses, cannabis can be a power-
ful tool for healing, which is why we’re exploring it in this Mind and Body
issue to kick off the new year. Though the term wellness gets thrown around
a lot these days, for us, food is at the heart of it. Wellness means taking the
time to cook for ourselves and for others, to share a meal, to savor what’s in
front of us. That’s the lens for this issue’s soulful comfort food recipes and
essays; the instant classics in our ever-popular Handbook section; even the
chef-inspired, indulgent pancakes on p. 72 (because a good breakfast is the
ultimate form of self-care).
We are thrilled about the year ahead at Food & Wine and grateful for your
company. Happy New Year.
TEA KETTLE
This gooseneck Fellow
Stagg EKG Electric
Pour-Over Kettle is
a staff favorite and
prized by my favor-
ite local wine bar;
the owners use it to
steam-clean spotty
glassware. Just invert
a glass over the top
to capture the steam,
then wipe dry with a
flour sack towel. ($150,
williams-sonoma.com)
KITCHEN TOKE
Shout out to Joline
Rivera, one of the most
clear-eyed visionaries
of the new culinary can-
nabis world. Founder of
Kitchen Toke, a food
and cannabis media
brand, Rivera and her
team assisted us in
vetting our story on
p. 92. (kitchentoke.com)
WINTER TONIC
Having a dry January or
just going off alcohol?
Here’s my go-to winter
drink: Peel a 3-inch
knob of fresh ginger
and two small knobs of
fresh turmeric. Thinly
slice each into coins.
Trim one stalk of lem-
ongrass, whack it with
a meat mallet to make it
more pliable, and then
tie it into a knot. Boil the
ginger, turmeric, and
lemongrass in 4 cups of
water for 5 minutes; let
it steep for 30 minutes.
Strain and decant the
brew into a bottle or jar,
and sweeten it with a lit-
tle honey. I pour some
over ice with To p o
Chico and a squeeze
of clementine juice for
a fizzy January ritual.
From the
Home Office
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photography by RAMONA ROSALES
