The time is 4:20 pm on April 20th, 2023. I am in an utter state of bliss, float on my back, surrounded by a warm mineral pool, heated to 85deg F. I can feel the tension leaving my body as it melts away. The tightness I was holding and the stress that I had been carrying with me are now gone. I can feel the effects of all of the baggage I carried from Oakland to the Napa Valley. The cannabis plant is one part of my holistic leap towards joy this 4/20. A new company, Cannescape is hosting an event that highlights the best in California’s agricultural bounty, and cannabis will be on the cart du jour.
Although weed-infused meals are common in California, they tend to be hosted in private homes and event venues due to the grey legal area surrounding cannabis. Cannescape was founded by San Francisco travel writer Chelsea Davis. It is breaking new ground in tourism by combining cannabis cuisine and legendary hotels. In February she held her first event at the Phoenix Hotel, which has hosted many rock and roll stars. On 4/20, her second event was held at the Dr. Wilkinson resort in Calistoga. This area is known for its volcanic mud and mineral baths. Davis has just returned from a luxurious hotel in Fiji, where she was on a media trip.
Davis claims, “I know what I like as a traveler. I also have an idea of the kind of place I want to visit or dinner I enjoy.” I feel that my experience in writing about travel, hospitality and dinners has been a great help in planning these events.
After a relaxing swim in Calistoga’s pool, I return to my room and prepare for the Cannescape Dinner. Growing up, I spent time in Calistoga with my mother and brother. My mom and I were the ones who stayed for the first time at Dr. Wilkinson’s a few decades ago. The hotel was founded in 1952 and has been renovated since then. It still has its iconic neon sign, and it’s pools remain the same. But the property now sports a more midcentury-modern look to attract a younger audience.
The Napa Valley, once known for its walnuts and prunes is now one of the best wine-producing regions in the world. Calistoga is proud to be part of the world-famous wine region. However, it would not make sense for the city to host an event involving cannabis because the city doesn’t allow adult-use or commercial dispensaries.
There are many people against cannabis, who have a very rigid view. Davis states that they believe it will tarnish Napa Valley’s reputation if a marijuana event is held in the wine region. There’s been a lot push-pull, but ultimately, when I tried to come up with a business idea that would be relevant, and also something people are interested in, I thought that this industry will only continue to grow.
Davis’s experience in tourism, travel and social media for the Napa Valley Cannabis Association sparked Davis’s idea for Cannescape.
Davis: “Napa has a reputation for incredible experiences with wine, vineyards, luxury dining and fine dining. But they want to appeal to younger people who are looking for more experience,” Davis says. Davis says that California is unique because cannabis is now legal.
California law states that licensed cannabis dispensaries are the only ones who can sell THC-infused food and beverages. In order to circumvent this prohibition, Dr. Wilkinson’s dinner is made up of CBD-infused food and beverages.
Davis says, “Most hotel rules prohibit smoking. That’s an additional layer that I am trying to avoid at the moment.”
As I walk to the event area, which is a glass enclosure where the CBD Dinner will take place, I notice that I am still quite early. I decide to join a yoga session taking place in the grassy space in front of hotel’s lobby. It’s a Cannescape Overnight that is taking place in conjunction with Calistoga Wellness Week. I am in awe of it. We make scented candle together after forming a friendship that feels instant with a guest at the dinner. We then head over to the six course meal that is being prepared by Chef Solomon Johnson, a friend Davis met through her writing. Johnson was the winner of the fourth episode Chopped420, an edible cannabis competition organized by Food Network. He and chef Michael Woods, his business partner, opened OKO in Oakland’s famed Tribune Tower after they started their Pan-African Take-Out Restaurant, The Bussdown. Johnson is in Maryland, where he has been working on opening a new restaurant inside a food mall.
Johnson: “I am not a cannabis cook and I remind everyone I’m just a chef that loves cannabis.” I treat it just like any other food item in my kitchen.
Johnson considers himself a proponent of plant medicine. His CBD dinner is built around the concept of microdosing.
He says, “We will make sure that everyone pays attention to their consumption…Too many of anything are bad things obviously.” Being mindful about when and how you use cannabis, as well as why, is an essential part of growing up to be a cannabis user.
A presentation by some event sponsors will precede the dinner. Author and certified sommelier Jamie Evans and The Herb Somm will speak about pairing cannabis with wine. Evans uses wine glasses to display Terpenes, aromatic elements that are present in cannabis and wine. Stephanie Honig speaks about her experiences promoting cannabis within a wine-producing region. Honig also serves as the director of marketing and communications for Honig Vineyard and Winery, a family business.
Honig told me during a telephone call before the 4/20 festival that “we all wanted the best for Napa.” We’re the third generation of our family, we have four children, and obviously want Napa prosper and successful in the future, but there are differences on how to achieve that. Some vintners and Napa residents are more interested in sticking with wine. “To me, it’s about adapting to consumer trends, because there’s no other industry which doesn’t do that.”
Honig explains that most of those who come to Napa Valley, are Baby Boomers or Gen Xers. The region must look to attract a younger audience to be successful.
Honig believes that “we’re losing young tourists to other places, like Mendocino or Lake County. They can visit a vineyard and enjoy great food. Or they can also go to a cannabis farm and experience a variety of experiences.” It’s incredible that Napa has enjoyed double-digit growth for 20-30 years, but it is not something I want to cling onto. “I think that you should just move on and see what comes next.”
Honig said that she believed low-dose marijuana beverages could be an additive or alternative to alcohol beverages. This idea was reinforced by the Cannescape Dinner, which began with non-alcoholic cannabis cocktails from Artet. Then, I and my fellow diners began to eat Johnson’s food. We were offered avocado oil infused with THC and a dish that contained 30 mg per course. The dinner featured a black beans soup with tempura cannabis leaves crisps and a caviar and maltaise sauce topped crab tart. By the time the meal was over, most diners were sated and smiling from the CBD’s effects.
Johnson says, “If you think about it, [CBD] is not psychoactive but more relaxing. It’s an important difference, and that’s all part of education.” Many people attending this dinner are first-timers and may have never experienced the quote, unquote “medicated” feeling. I find it great. You know what I’m saying? It’s just like the kiddie pools.
Johnson said that participating in dinners such as the one organized by Cannescape is a powerful social experience. It should also include education of diners to help them overcome the stigma associated with cannabis. This is also an opportunity to increase tourism in the area.
This opportunity to collaborate with such iconic venues fuels the fire, in a manner that we could not do independently if we were trying to offer this service on our own. Johnson adds that it is also a mutually beneficial relationship, as these spaces are not always booked. “Whether people admit it or deny it, we’re in an economic downturn where people in the Bay Area are smarter with their money than ever before.”
The next day, the CBD-infused two-course breakfast was served by Landrace Origins the company of cannabis entrepreneur Amber Senter, whose company Landrace Origins supplied the coffee. Senter had a relaxing massage in the spa at the resort and would be heading to Washington, D.C. for the National Cannabis Festival the following day. The Cannescape 4/20 event, we both agree, was the most classy one that we have ever attended. The buzzword “wellness” gets used a lot in the cannabis industry and the travel industry. But the ultimate in relaxation comes when cannabinoids are combined with healthy lifestyles like exercising, eating well, or participating in yoga.
Davis says, “We are launching a brand new section on cannabis tourism that includes fine dining and travel as well as cannabis-infused meals.”
The first time High Times published the post Weed Wellness, it was on .
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