From a Long Beach Backyard BBQ to Cannabis Chef of the Year: Chef Matt's Story

Every chef has a first dish that changed things. Mine came off a backyard grill in Long Beach, California, in the early '90s.

The backyard

I was a teenager at a barbecue when I first experimented with cannabis-infused food. It wasn't fancy. But it lit something up for me: the idea that this plant could be part of a meal instead of a punchline.

I didn't know it then, but that afternoon set the direction for the next 30 years.

The kitchens

Before cannabis cooking was a career, cooking was. I opened my first restaurant in Oklahoma in 1998. From there I worked my way through professional kitchens, eventually managing large restaurant operations for one of the world's biggest hotel chains.

Along the way I earned my ACF certification and a BA in Culinary Science. That training is the foundation of everything I make now. More on that: A Real Chef First.

I've cooked in California, New York, New Jersey and Canada, and every kitchen taught me something. That story is here: From California to Canada.

Bringing the two together

Eventually, the chef and the backyard kid met in the middle. I started cooking infused dinners for clients, artists and events, paying attention to things most people ignored: the strain's profile, the dose per plate, and whether the food was actually good.

That work led to infused dinners for people like Snoop Dogg and Julian Marley, expo stages and panels, press features, and eventually being named Cannabis Chef of the Year at WeedCon.

Still a Long Beach chef

I'm still based in Long Beach. I still think a backyard grill is one of the best kitchens there is. And I still believe the same thing I figured out as a kid: done right, cannabis belongs at the table.

What I'm cooking now

• Private dinners, mixers, cooking classes, buffets and any food event, in any state. See how booking works.
• The cookbook: The Art of Nano Infusion
• The philosophy: Food first, always

— Chef Matt