Chef hopes to spark interest in cannabis cooking on cross-Canada tour stop in Victoria
A chef on a cross-Canada tour is trying to help pioneer a new culinary frontier, despite restrictions on serving cannabis.
Travis Petersen has partnered with Russell Hendrix Restaurant Equipment and Supplies to teach an introduction to culinary cannabis.
The course, open to culinary professionals, teaches its students about the different parts of the plant, safety practices and methods for creating extractions.
Five students attended the class Thursday night in Victoria, the first stop in the tour of 10 Canadian cities.
“It’s a food for healing,” says attendee Nelles Shackleton.
"I thought it would be brownie cookies and stuff like that with ground-up cannabis in it, but it was not that at all,” says Erik Andersen, a former head of Camosun College’s culinary department. “It was extractions made from cannabis into oils, into sugars, into salts, infused into the food.”
Strict regulations around edible cannabis prohibit restaurants from introducing it to Canadian menus.
One of the rules is that licensed cannabis processors can’t make cannabis products in the same building as non-cannabis foods.
“This control measure is designed to help minimize the risks of cross-contamination and reassure Canadians and Canada’s international trade partners of the safety and quality of food produced in Canada,” Health Canada said in a statement to CTV News.
Petersen is frustrated by the restrictions and has chosen to run his course anyway.
“This is the next frontier within the culinary world,” he says. “If you were ever going to trust anyone with cannabis, it should be the chef.”
Restaurants Canada, a voice for the food service industry, says there is interest to grow this side of culinary market and it wants a seat at the table.
“We’d love to see a level playing field where we can get involved and where these creative chefs that we have in the industry can do a little bit more than what’s currently allowed under the federal regulations,” says vice-president Mark von Schellwitz.
Shackleton likens the addition of cannabis on menus to a glass of wine.
Health Canada did not say whether it is considering changes to its rules for cannabis in restaurants.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.