JeffThe420Chef: Cuisine with a Cannabis Twist

Chefs continue to make great strides in the field of cannabis cuisine, and Jeff Danzer, aka JeffThe420Chef, is ahead of the game. 

Dubbed “The Julia Child of Weed” by The Daily Beast, Danzer works with cannabis in ways that no other chef in the world does. What initially started as a hobby turned into a full-time career after he redefined the cannabis consumption experience by creating “Tasteless” cannabutter and canna-oils, and FreeLeaf, a culinary cannabis that mimics the taste and smell of familiar herbs and spices like oregano, rosemary, thyme, and cinnamon.

Danzer is dedicated to improving the lives of others who choose to medicate with cannabis. In addition to releasing a best-selling cookbook, The 420 Gourmet, which includes full details on how to infuse cannabis in cooking, he also pioneered “layered micro-dosing” and created the popular THC Calculator app to help home cooks and chefs determine the approximate THC and CBD dosage of the edibles they make.

OFM had the opportunity to catch up with Danzer and talk more about how he fell into this profession, his favorite foods to make, and the lessons he teaches students in his series of classes, “The Art of Cooking with Cannabis.”

When did cannabis enter into your cooking?
We had a family member who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He wanted to medicate with cannabis, but he couldn’t smoke it, and he didn’t want edibles because of the taste. This was a huge challenge because nobody has ever made edibles that did not have that weedy taste in it. It took me about a year-and-a-half to figure it out, but unfortunately, he never had a chance to try it. He just had to put up with my experimentations and different variations to get to that point, but it’s funny how I figured it out. I made a batch of cupcakes and ate one, and the next thing I know, it’s 2 a.m. and I’m at the Duane Reade across the street from my apartment building wearing flip flops, torn sweatpants, and basically my sleep sweatshirt. I was in the snack aisle and I’m like, “What am I doing here?” Then I was like, “Oh my God, I am so high.” I figured out how to make tasteless cupcakes. 

Why is cannabis so important to you?
Cannabis has always been a way for me to cope with anxiety, to chill, and block out all that static fuzz that tells you how you should be, how you can’t be … I am gay, and growing up gay in an Orthodox Jewish community was very difficult. So, one of my coping mechanisms was cannabis. When I smoked, I wouldn’t really care about what anybody was saying or thought about me. 

What is the best part of cooking with cannabis?
I think part of it is really being able to make whatever I want at any time. Not just for myself, but for friends as well. When people say, “Hey, I am having a hard time sleeping. Can you make me something?” I’m like, “I will make you a batch of brownies; they’re called Bedtime Bites,” but then, I am going to teach you how to make them yourself and how to dose them properly. 

How do you teach people to make these things for themselves?
The first thing I will teach is how to clean the cannabis, so they can make great-tasting cannabutter and canna-oil that is 100 percent clean, then teach them how to dose it. 

I have also developed a calculator, which is free on iOS and Android. It’s called the THC Calculator, and it will help you figure out just how potent your cannabutter or canna-oil is, then you can dose your recipes either by the drop, teaspoon, or tablespoon. If you know how potent pure canna-oil is and you know that one tablespoon of your canna-oil is going to be 45 milligrams or 150 milligrams, you can take that amount of oil and substitute it out for an equal amount of oil in a recipe. 

As the author of The 420 Gourmet: The Elevated Art of Cannabis Cuisine, which recipes or dishes are your absolute favorite?
I love doing things that are a little different. For example, the Hazy Thai Wings, which taste exactly like pok pok wings. Pok Pok is a Thai street food restaurant in Portland, OR, and they make these incredible wings. 

On the sweet side, we have our Canna Apple Roses and Canna Mango Roses, which are basically these little pastries that are made with either apples or mango, or both, and they look like roses. They are truly delicious. 

You also teach a series of classes called “The Art of Cooking with Cannabis” in medical and recreational states. What do you hope students take away from your classes?
My mission is very simple—to make cooking with cannabis simple and easy for everyone, and that’s what I hope students take away. There is a lot of fear and trepidation when it comes to cooking with cannabis. I am going to teach you how to clean your flower, which everybody should do. That is an improper way of doing things. What you really should be doing is working with the plant, respecting the plant, and figuring out how to use the plant as an ingredient. 

What do you think the future holds for the cannabis industry?
I do think that restaurant establishments are definitely on the horizon in every state, but I also feel like we are going to start changing it up by offering products like culinary cannabis where you will be able to cook with it yourself and feel comfortable. Comfort is a big part of this, and people are excited about the newness that we are bringing to the table. They feel good that it’s happening, but they’re still kind of uncomfortable. I am trying to make everybody comfortable with it. 

To stay up-to-date and connect with Danzer, follow him on Instagram or visit his official website.

Image Courtesy of JeffThe420Chef