[420 Girl]

The correlation between marijuana and the munchies is no secret, but a New York Times article that went viral a few weeks ago is taking the link to new heights. In the Big Apple’s “new kitchen culture,” haute cuisine is being influenced by chefs and kitchen staffers who find culinary inspiration by indulging in a little weed. We talked to a few Toronto chefs about the emerging trend and its breakthrough potential in Toronto.

“I wouldn’t say everyone, but a lot of people [smoke],” says Tawfik Shehata from Vertical, who as a non–pot smoker says he is part of the minority in the culinary community. “One of the things about this industry is that we finish work at midnight. We want to wind down… Creativity and winding down go hand in hand.”

Author, television host and chef Anthony Bourdain went so far as to tell the Times that everybody smokes up after work, “people you would never imagine.” The effect is making its way into dining rooms and is also creating an entire sub-industry of restaurants—like Montreal’s famed Au Pied de Cochon—that cater to stoned kitchen staffers looking for a bite after work.

“I’m not a smoker, but some of my cooks are,” says Cowbell’s Mark Cutrara. He agrees that pot can enhance creativity, but being high on the job is out of the question. “It’s dangerous to be high when you’re working in the kitchen. There are lots of dangerous things: wet floors, hot stoves, sharp knives.”

Still, all this talk of stoner cuisine is whetting our appetite for some pizza—maybe topped with french fries and Oreos. And chips.


NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Toronto Life
Author: Jon Sufrin
Contact: Toronto Life
Copyright: 2010 Toronto Life Publishing Company Limited
Website: Marijuana and haute cuisine: Toronto chefs on how some top kitchens are going to pot


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