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Next month, Arizona medical marijuana patients will have the unique opportunity to sample the wares of the country’s first full-service cannabis kitchen. The Mint Dispensary, operator of two large MMJ dispensaries in the Copper State, announced that they’ve recently finished construction on a commercial kitchen at their Tempe location. The new side of the business, which will open its doors on October 5th, will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus — and each and every dish will be infused with a custom blend of cannabinoids, in carefully measured doses of 10 milligrams or more.
The kitchen’s menu was created by Executive Chef Carylann Principal, a cancer survivor who hopes to share her knowledge of medical marijuana and nutrition with others who may be suffering from similar ailments. “Our kitchen is one of a kind,” Principal said in a statement. “It’s a place where art meets science. In addition to understanding the variety of flavors that different cannabis strains can add to any dish, we’re also carefully calculating customized cannabis doses. We’re not only delivering delicious and fresh foods, but we’re also meeting the often-complex nutritional needs of patients who are living with a wide range of illnesses.”
“Our industry continues to evolve at an exponential pace,” said Mint Dispensary CEO Eivan Shahara. “We saw a large unmet need from patients who were regularly visiting our dispensary; they were looking to access fresh and healthy cannabis-infused foods. We know that the right kinds of healthy foods can help people to battle a variety of illnesses, from cancer and epilepsy to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. We’re using our knowledge about food and nutrition to help patients in their search for fresh, healthy snacks and infused meals.”
The menu will include a wide range of offerings, ranging from comfort foods like burgers, pizza, tacos, and mac & cheese to donut holes, muffins, and banana bread. The kitchen will also host a juice bar, an espresso bar, and a variety of desserts including gelato and pastries. The full menu will go online once the kitchen officially opens. The company plans to begin catering special events, like birthdays, weddings, and funerals by the middle of November, and will also offer Sunday cooking classes starting over the holiday season.
These meals will be available from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., seven days a week — but only to Arizona-registered patients who have a current medical cannabis card. For catered events, the dispensary will also require that each person served presents a current MMJ card. The kitchen will not allow their food items to be consumed on site, in order to prevent diners from driving home when a powerful dose of THC or other psychoactive cannabinoids starts kicking in. Registered patients looking to enjoy fresh-cooked medical cannabis meals must either call in for home delivery, or pick up their order in person.
Just one question: how far will they deliver??
