“I didn’t smoke until college,” says Sayegh of his relationship to cannabis, “but when I was there I smoked every day, so I needed to know exactly what I was putting into my body.” He began researching the endocannabinoid system, and became fascinated by the topic. “I developed a deep love and admiration for [cannabis],” recalls Sayegh. “When consumed properly and with respect, it will enhance your life in many ways.” As The Herbal Chef, he embraces his involvement in the cannabis industry.
Sayegh’s business is multi-tiered; he offers gourmet edibles, frozen CBD-infused meals for medical patients, ticketed public events, and private fine dining experiences – “ridiculously intricate meals,” as Sayegh describes them. He’s gone so far as to rent out one of the largest art galleries in the world for a dinner, and bring the LA Philharmonic String Quartet in for a special performance. “I’m a huge fan of art and music and I want to incorporate that into the experience. Since cannabis is psychoactive it can enhance all of those things.”
Sayegh’s process for developing the events he hosts is as elaborate as the food he serves. When he receives an inquiry, he asks dozens of questions – about the number of courses, drink pairing requests, the kitchen and dining spaces, and more. He’ll also send out a detailed questionnaire to each individual attendee, asking about dietary restrictions and tolerance level, as every diner will be individually dosed. He then begins exploring the area surrounding the location of the event a month in advance, calling farmers and fishermen to see what’s available, and sometimes hunting and fishing for ingredients himself. “I go foraging around the area. I use the land. It’s about showing people what’s around them,” he explains.
Sayegh also frequently cooks for cannabis industry events, which is how a partnership with Herbalizer came about. Sayegh and the Herbalizer team connected through the Direct Cannabis Network’s Seed Series, and began talking about the possibility of using the Herbalizer to enhance Sayegh’s events. “When we were designing [the Herbalizer Vaporizer] we didn’t think of infusing food,” says Herbalizer’s CTO Bob Pratt. But Sayegh’s experience with cutting-edge molecular gastronomy techniques provided the perfect jumping-off point for experimentation. Soon, Sayegh had developed a unique cannabis vapor infusion technique utilizing Herbalizer’s table-top vaporizer, and he began to work on recipes that incorporated cannabis through vapor infusion.
