As the stigma surrounding cannabis use begins to fade, more culinary professionals are jumping in to the edibles industry. Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg is pairing cannabis strains with his farm-to-table fare, locally beloved Seattle cupcake baker Jody Hall wants to become the Starbucks of weed food, and today, James Beard award winner Chef Mindy Segal announced the launch of her high-end edibles line in Illinois.
A press release from Segal’s new partners, Cresco Labs, touts the product launch as “first high profile, award-winning celebrity chef to attach her personal brand to products in the cannabis industry.” Owner of Chicago’s esteemed Hot Chocolate Restaurant, Segal won the illustrious James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in the Country in 2012.
Cresco Labs is the largest cannabis cultivator in the newly medical state, and using their concentrate as an ingredient will allow Segal to craft edibles that will “be consistent every time and absolutely enjoyable to eat.”
Product lines will include “chocolate brittle bars, a line of infused granola bites, an infused chocolate drink that is intended to be warmed to enhance the soothing effects, and a ready-made mix with do-it-yourself instructions.”
As more culinary professionals bring their expertise to the cannabis space, many mom-and-pop edibles providers who emerged from the underground cultivation scene will cease to be competitive. The future of the cannabis edibles industry is trending towards celebrity-branded, aggressively marketed, mass-produced, lab-tested, high-volume packaged goods, not homemade goodies baked by ganja grandmas in country kitchens.
