Weed Wellness | high times

At the opportune time of 4:20 p.m. on April 20, 2023, I am in a state of ultimate zen, floating on my back in a mineral pool heated to 85°F by underground hot springs. My sunglasses point upwards at the warmth of the spring sun, I feel absolutely euphoric as the tension releases from my body. Just without the tension and stress I was holding in my hands, I’m starting to feel the effects of the weight I’ve been carrying driving from Oakland to the top of Napa Valley. On this 20.04. I integrate the cannabis plant as one element of a holistic leap towards joy. A new company, Cannescape, is hosting an overnight wine country event highlighting the best of California’s famous agricultural bounty, and cannabis is on the agenda.

Wine glasses showcase an array of terpene aromas.

While weed-infused dinners are not uncommon in the Golden State, their legality in the gray area when it comes to cannabis use means they’re often hosted in private homes or event spaces. Founded by San Francisco-based travel writer Chelsea Davis, Cannescape is pushing boundaries in the tourism industry by combining cannabis cuisine with legendary hotel properties. Their first event, held in February, was held at the Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco, a venue that has hosted rock ‘n’ roll royalty. Her second event took place on April 20th in Dr. Wilkinson’s Resort in Calistoga, an area known for its mineral pools and volcanic mud baths. As we speak ahead of the 4/20 event, Davis is hot on the heels of a press trip to a luxury hotel in Fiji.

“I have a good sense of what I value as a traveler and when I’m going to a property or a great dinner,” says Davis. “I feel like my background in writing about hospitality, travel experiences and great dinner events really helped in planning these events.”

After arriving in Calistoga and taking a dip in the pool, I head to my hotel room to get ready for the Cannescape dinner. I grew up in Solano County, which borders Napa County, and have fond childhood memories of being in Calistoga with my mother and brother. In fact, the first time I saw Dr. Wilkinson stayed with my mother a few years ago. The hotel, originally founded in 1952, has since been renovated. The property has retained its emblematic neon sign and the pools are the same, but it now has a mid-century modern look meant to appeal to a younger demographic.

At the front of the town’s main street, under the neon light, is another sign that says ‘Where Wellness Meets Happiness’. There are signposts on the property stating “Detox” and “Retox”. Once a producer of crops like walnuts and plums, Napa Valley is now known as one of the most famous wine regions in the world. Calistoga fully embraces its place in the iconic wine-growing region, but it’s an unusual place to host a cannabis event as the city doesn’t allow commercial cannabis cultivation or dispensaries for adult use.

Jamie Evans talks about pairing wine and weed at dinner in Cannescape.

“Of course there are many people who are against it [cannabis]who are somehow very set in their ways. They think it’s going to hurt Napa Valley’s reputation,” Davis says of hosting a weed event in wine country. “There’s a lot of push and pull, but I think when I finally tried to find a business idea that was also relevant and that people were interested in, my bet was that this would only continue to grow in terms of a viable tourism industry.”

The idea for Cannescape came from Davis’ background in tourism and travel, specifically her work on social media for the Napa Valley Cannabis Association.

“Napa is known for its incredible wine experiences, beautiful vineyards, fine dining, and very luxurious experiences, but they also want to appeal to a younger demographic, and that demographic wants more experiences,” says Davis. “So not just good wine, but something that makes California unique is the fact that cannabis is legal.”

California cannabis law dictates that only licensed dispensaries may sell THC-infused edibles and beverages. To circumvent this limitation, dinner at Dr. Wilkinson consists of CBD-infused dishes and includes no smoking.

“Most hotels have no-smoking policies, and that’s just an added layer of complications that I’m currently trying to avoid,” explains Davis.

Cannescape founder Chelsea Davis and Executive Chef Solomon Johnson speak to attendees before the meal begins.

As I walk to the glass-enclosed event space where the CBD dinner will be held, I realize I’m a bit early and attend a yoga class that takes place on the lawn in front of the hotel lobby. The Cannescape overnight stay is in conjunction with Calistoga Wellness Week and I’m recording everything. After forming an instant friendship with another guest attending dinner, we participate in another of the Wellness Week activities and make scented candles together. Next, we move on to the six-course meal, presented by a connection Davis made through her writing, Chef Solomon Johnson. Johnson won the fourth episode of Chopped 420, a cannabis cook-off produced by the Food Network. After he and his business partner, Executive Chef Michael Woods, founded Bussdown, a pan-African takeaway out of an Oakland ghost kitchen, they opened OKO, a restaurant in Oakland’s famous Tribune Tower. When I speak to Johnson, he is in his home state of Maryland, where he is working to open a food hall restaurant.

Digital Creator Sutona Shari looks at the menu at Cannescape.

Chef Solomon Johnson serves up a dish infused with CBD.

“I’m not a cannabis chef and I’m trying to remind everyone that I’m just a chef who loves cannabis,” says Johnson. “I treat it like any other ingredient in my pantry.”

Johnson sees himself as an advocate of plant medicine. Microdosing is a key concept behind his CBD Dinner.

“We’re going to make sure everyone is mindful of what they’re consuming…Too much of anything is obviously bad,” he says. “Being mindful and intentional about how you take medication, why you take medication and when is an important part of growing as a cannabis user.”

The dinner event begins with a presentation by some of the event’s sponsors. Also includes author and certified sommelier Jamie Evans, the Herb Somm, who talks about cannabis and wine pairings. During her presentation, Evans passes around wine glasses filled with various botanicals, including cannabis, to showcase terpenes – aromatic elements present in both cannabis and wine that contribute to their flavor. Stephanie Honig, Executive Chair of the Napa Valley Cannabis Association, speaks to the group about her experience promoting cannabis in a region known for wine. Honig is also the Sales and Communications Director for her family’s business, Honig Vineyard and Winery.

Stephanie honey

“We all want what’s best for Napa,” Honig told me in a phone call ahead of the April 20 event. “We’re a third-generation family business with four children and we obviously want Napa to be successful, valuable and prosperous in the future, but we just don’t agree on what that looks like. For some winemakers, or some Napa residents, it’s really about sticking with wine only. It seems to me, you know, there isn’t another industry that doesn’t look at consumer trends and adapt to some degree.”

Most people who visit Napa Valley are Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, explains Honig, noting that the region must be careful to attract a younger demographic to remain successful.

“We lose [young tourists], we are losing them to places like Mendocino and Lake County where they can have the experience of visiting a winery but also visiting a brewery and enjoying great food and going to a cannabis garden and having a diverse experience. says honey. “Napa has had double digit success for the last 20 to 30 years and it’s amazing but I don’t believe in hanging my hat on it. I think you really just need to move forward and see what’s next.

During the event on April 20th honey believes that low-dose cannabis beverages can be an alternative or supplement to alcoholic beverages. The Cannescape dinner reinforced this idea by starting with Artet non-alcoholic cannabis aperitifs. Next, I and the other guests jumped into Johnson’s meal. Each course contained 10.5mg of CBD, but we were all also offered a side of 30mg of THC-infused avocado oil to add to our dishes at our discretion. Dinner highlights included a black bean soup with a cannabis leaf tempura crisp and a crab tart with maltaise sauce and caviar. The whole experience felt decadent and by the end most dinners were smiling and soothed by the effects of the CBD.

Watermelon Cucumber Koji.

A black bean soup with tempura cannabis leaf chips.

High Times Editor-in-Chief Ellen Holland adds some THC-infused avocado oil to her dish.

“Think about [CBD] not being psychoactive but being more relaxing, that’s a notable difference, and I think that’s part of the educational process,” says Johnson. “A lot of people at this dinner may be new and may not have experienced the ‘medicinal’ feeling quote, so I think it’s great. It’s like the kids’ pool, you know what I mean?”

According to Johnson, attending dinners like Cannescape’s is a “powerful social experience” that should include educating guests so they can break down the stigmas associated with cannabis. It’s also a chance to boost tourism dollars in the local economy.

“Having this opportunity to work with so many iconic spaces fuels the fire in a way that we couldn’t have done on our own if we were trying to provide this service without them.” But it’s also a symbiotic relationship in the sense that these spaces aren’t always fully booked,” says Johnson. “Whether people want to admit it or not, we’re in an economic crisis where people in the Bay Area are generally very smart with their money.”

After dinner, I part ways with cannabis entrepreneur and activist Amber Senter, whose company Landrace Origins provided the coffee during the next morning’s two-course, CBD-infused breakfast. Senter spent her 4/20 vacation getting a massage at the resort’s spa and headed to Washington, DC for the National Cannabis Festival the next day. We both agreed that the Cannescape event was one of the classiest 4/20s we’ve ever witnessed. “Wellness” is a buzzword that gets thrown around in both the cannabis and travel industries, but the magic point of ultimate relaxation comes when you combine cannabinoids with other healthy habits like eating fresh foods, the Participating in physical activities such as yoga or ingesting cannabis combine water from natural mineral springs.

“We are introducing for the first time a new segment of cannabis tourism that includes fine dining with travel and cannabis-infused dining,” says Davis.