The legalization and decriminalization of cannabis across the country has opened the doors for professional and amateur chefs alike.
North American bakers now have new ways to “create unique cuisine opportunities and potential new markets for experiential dining occasions”.
650 chefs surveyed by the National Restaurant Association indicated, “nearly 77 percent of the chefs ranked cannabis/CBD infused drinks as the No. 1 trend, and 76 percent of them tapped cannabis/CBD-infused food as the second most popular”.
“CBD is really hot right now and it’s kind of lost its stigma,” said Joe Dela Peña, owner of Warm Belly Bakery in Chicago who infuses some of its cookies with CBD. Customers must be 18 or older to purchase.
Compared to THC, which alters your mental state, CBD has no psychoactive effects and is believed by some to be physically and mentally beneficial.
Since Colorado was the first state to legalize marijuana, it has been at the forefront of the CBD movement, but other states aren’t far behind.
In New York, customers of Caffeine Underground can purchase coffee that has been infused with CBD or visit By Chloe for a CBD-infused chocolate chip cookie with pretzels, potato chips, and marshmallows.
Although CBD is not currently legal in all American states, it’s popularity and acceptance continues to grow throughout the country.
Here are the rest of the top ten trends for 2019:
- Cannabis/CBD-infused drinks
- Cannabis/CBD-infused food
- Zero-waste cooking (elevated cuisine using food scraps)
- Globally-inspired breakfast dishes
- Global flavors in kids’ meals
- Hyper-local (e.g. restaurant gardens, onsite beer brewing, house-made items)
- New cuts of meat (e.g. shoulder tender, oyster steak, Vegas Strip Steak, Merlot cut)
- Veggie-centric/vegetable-forward cuisine (e.g. fresh produce is star of the dish)
- Chef-driven fast-casual concepts
- Craft/artisan/locally produced spirits