MONTREAL — CHEFS CANADA, the organization that manages Canada’s national culinary teams to the Bocuse d’Or and World Pastry Cup, has launched CHEFS CANADA GREEN, a new division that will focus on educating culinary professionals, promoting and developing products and events that put cannabis and other health-and-wellness local herbs at the forefront of fine dining.
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the legalization of cannabis in Canada, the group has embarked on this new chapter with a team of three Canadian foodservice veterans, including chef Romain Avril, consultant, author and Dean of CHEFS ACADEMY; chef Jordan Wagman, education and expert on cooking with cannabis in North America; and Brigitte Foisy, VP of CHEFS CANADA and award-winning marketer. While the group has several plans for the year ahead, it is first launching a series of classes to educate culinary professionals on how to incorporate cannabis safely into dishes.
Starting in May, culinary professionals will be able to register for a six-week course that will equip them with all the information they need to begin hosting private-dinner experiences. The course curriculum includes everything from how to safely create cannabis and terpene infusions, to decarboxylation, emulsifications, and the math behind dosing and titration for repeatability. A certificate of completion will be provided by CHEFS CANADA to participants who successfully complete the course.
“Canadians are eager to see a more elevated infused cuisine hit the mainstream foodservice industry. While this represents a new potential revenue source for our Canadian culinary professionals, it’s important to first understand the basics of cannabinoids and terpenes and how to infuse them into food and drinks to create a delicious, safe and repeatable experience for guests,” says Wagman, newly appointed director of CHEFS CANADA GREEN. “Before we educate consumers about the benefits of cannabis consumption, chefs and restaurateurs need to understand how to showcase the plant in a positive light, and that includes dosing. In addition to taste, for us at CHEFS CANADA GREEN, it’s also about leveraging the overall health-and-wellness benefits of cannabis may they be as simple as lowering inflammation. The plant’s potential to alleviate symptoms including autoimmune diseases, PTSD, anxiety, menstrual cramps are many and are slowly getting to mainstream consumers, especially women 40 plus.”
“As the largest network of chefs and culinary professionals in the country, CHEFS CANADA’s mission remains to promote our cuisine, terroir, ingredients and products while enabling a sustainable and profitable culinary scene,” says Foisy. “We continuously seek new opportunities to inspire and equip industry pros that are part of the CHEFS CANADA family. CHEFS CANADA GREEN is simply a new opportunity to enable their success.”
To sign-up for the cannabis course and learn more about the curriculum, visit chefscanada.com/green.
