"If It's Only Good Because It Has Cannabis in It, You've Already Lost": Chef Matt's Food-First Philosophy

I've got one rule. Everything I make, every class I teach and every dinner I cater runs through it:

If it's only good because it has cannabis in it, you've already lost.

That sounds obvious. Look at most edibles and you'll see it isn't.

The problem with most infused food

For years, the bar for edibles was on the floor. A brownie that tasted like lawn clippings was fine, because it "worked." Gummies were judged by milligrams, not flavor. Nobody asked whether the food was any good.

That's backwards. You wouldn't eat a bad steak because it had a lot of salt on it.

Cannabis is an ingredient

In my kitchen, cannabis gets treated like any other ingredient. Like butter, acid or heat, it has a job in the dish. It has a flavor that has to be balanced. It has to be measured. And it can never be the only reason the plate exists.

That changes how I cook:

• I build the dish first. Every menu works with zero infusion before I decide where the dose goes.
• I respect the flavor. Citrus, smoke, spice and rich savory dishes work with the plant. Delicate food fights it.
• I measure like a pastry chef. A dose is a recipe ingredient, written down and portioned.
• I serve people who aren't partaking. If the non-infused guest has a worse dinner, the dinner failed.

Why I don't call myself a "cannabis chef"

I'm a chef who cooks with cannabis. The order matters. The technique, the training and the palate come first. I spent decades in professional kitchens before anyone cared what I did with this plant. More on that in How to Spot a Real Cannabis Chef.

What this means for you

When you eat something I made, I want your first thought to be "that's good," not "that's strong." When you cook from my recipes, I want your guests asking for the recipe even if they skipped the infused version.

That's the standard. It's in The Art of Nano Infusion, it's in every cooking class, and it's on every plate at the private dinners, mixers and events I cater nationwide.

Good food first. Everything else second.

— Chef Matt

21+ only. Cook with cannabis only where it's legal for you, using products from licensed sources.