Renowned cannabis chef ‘The Nomad Cook’ takes his show on the streets
Delight foodies: Cannabis-infused edibles are a booming industry in Canada. From homemade confections to multi-course gourmet menus, canna cuisine is taking the nation by storm.
Interest in cannabis seems to have permeated every area of life since state legalization in 2018. Travis Petersen, a cannabis chef who started a culinary cannabis company called The Nomad Cook in 2015, knows this better than anyone.
“You often hear about rock bands driving around in mobile homes, not cooks,” he says with a laugh. “But the world has changed.”
Petersen packed his motorhome, got in with his wife and dog and went on a business trip across country. He has planned a series of cannabis culinary workshops and pop-up dinners in several cities from Vancouver to Quebec City.
“The chefs’ interest in cannabis cuisine is enormous. We are only at the beginning of this trend, ”said Paul Kenyon, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Russell Hendrix.
The response to his events has been overwhelming – a promising development in the evolution of cannabis cuisine.
Workshops in five provinces
Petersen has partnered with Russell Hendrix, a national supplier of commercial kitchen appliances and appliances, to host 18 workshops this spring and summer.
The first event took place on June 1st in Victoria and the final workshop of the tour will take place on July 30th in Montréal. Between these dates, Petersen holds workshops in 10 cities in 5 provinces. He has planned several workshops in a handful of cities, including Vancouver, Toronto, and Montréal.
“We’re a national organization with showrooms across the country,” said Paul Kenyon, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Russell Hendrix, based in Toronto.
“When Travis shared his vision with us, we said, ‘Why don’t you use our facilities to host your events whenever possible?’ We weren’t looking for opportunities in the cannabis industry, but it fell into our lap so we did it. The chefs’ interest in cannabis cuisine is enormous. We are only at the beginning of this trend. “
Each two-hour workshop focuses on evolving methods of cooking cannabis, including decarboxylation, a process that uses low heat over an extended period of time to convert cannabis’ non-intoxicating THCA to THC. Petersen also introduces participants to relevant safety procedures and responsibilities.
“Never before have we seen an ingredient that requires so much care in cooking,” says Petersen, who was once a participant in MasterChef Canada, a competitive cooking reality show. “We have to be very specific about cannabis.”
Each session has between 10 and 12 cooks. Participants must take a quiz and score 80% to earn a culinary cannabis certification. Petersen ends each workshop by pampering participants with a three-course menu enriched with cannabis.
Between 150 and 200 chefs attend these workshops across the country, and Petersen believes this interest reflects a changed public perception of cannabis.
“I’ve been campaigning for the cannabis kitchen for about three years. I’ve always had support in the cannabis industry, but not beyond, ”he says. “But the stigma surrounding cannabis is decreasing and people are now interested in its many uses.”
Solidly booked pop-up meals
Petersen has more on his plate than the workshops on this cross-country tour. He also hosts pop-up dinners in private outdoor locations in more than a dozen cities.
In each pop-up, Peterson conducts four sessions of 10 people. There was particularly great interest in Edmonton, where he will hold twelve sessions over three days, including Canada Day. By mid-May, more than 85% of the available places across the country were occupied.
Petersen says that about 15 percent of people who signed up for a pop-up meal are not cannabis users. “We need to make sure demographics are taken into account,” he says, adding that he adjusts the dosage based on each guest’s cannabis experience and tolerance. “There seems to be a ‘cool factor’ at play here.”
“I’m firmly booked. I’ve never seen anything like it and I think I know why, ”he adds. “We have all been locked up for more than a year because of the pandemic. We want to get out and have fun. “
“My colleagues and I are very excited about this initiative,” says Kenyon. “There were no concerns about interfering. Most of our employees have been with us for a long time and see the value in creating a wave and supporting new ideas. “
Looking ahead, Petersen is planning to introduce a cooking course this autumn. He has not yet worked out the details because he has too much on his plate at the moment. “It’s going to be a really busy summer,” says Petersen, whose business slowed to a crawl during the pandemic. “But I haven’t worked in eight months so it’s great.”
The tour dates of Nomad Cook
- Courtenay, BC – June 1st
- Victoria, BC – June 3.4
- Vancouver, BC – June 11, 12
- Kelowna, BC – June 18, 19
- Revelstoke, BC – June 20th
- Golden, BC – June 20th
- Fernie, BC – June 21
- Calgary, AB – June 24-28
- Edmonton, AB – June 29th – July 2nd
- Winnipeg, MB – July 6th 7th
- Toronto, ON – July 14-18
- Ottawa, ON – July 23
- Quebec City, QC – July 26th
- Montreal, QC – July 31
Randi Druzin
Randi Druzin is a Toronto-based author and journalist. She has worked for several major media outlets, including the National Post and CBC, and has written for dozens of publications including The New York Times, Time Magazine, ESPN The Magazine, and The Globe and Mail.
View article by Randi Druzin
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