A combination of cooking savvy, expert marijuana knowledge, and a crush on a stoner TV show sparked by Steven John quest to become a cannabis cooking pioneer in Thailand. “It all started for me about six years ago when Bong Appetite broadcast for the first time,” says the Swiss-Thai chef, whose weed-infused culinary experiences wow adventurous diners in Bangkok.
Munchies and Viceland’s hit show, now in its third season, has helped fuel a growing cannabis cooking movement. It sees top chefs preparing multi-course meals with marijuana for party guests, including the famous rapper potheads B-realfunk legend George Clinton and singer Lykke Li.
Inspired by what he was watching, John decided to do the same in Bangkok. “I was fascinated by the possibility of incorporating cannabis in different forms into food in a gastronomic setting,” he adds. “So I started experimenting, cooking my cannabis extractions and ingredients. I started inviting friends over for dinners. It became very popular and from there it took off.
John’s cannabis cooking has grown more sophisticated since those early days. He pays particular attention to the evolving trend of consumable weed, which is gaining traction globally as more chefs and entrepreneurs embark on the green rush via gourmet edibles, herbal teas of marijuana and hemp toppings. This inspires his nuanced incorporation of marijuana into food.
This journey has been facilitated by the normalization of cannabis in Thailand. This process led to the near-total legalization of marijuana in the Southeast Asian country in early 2022. This surprisingly rapid liberalization gave John better access to a wider range of high-quality strains to use. in his kitchen.
After five years of serving private dinners, John went public with his cannabis culinary odysseys in October, hosting a series of events (called Bong Appetite in homage to this first inspiration) in unique locations around Bangkok.
His food combines a judicious dosage with a significant gastronomic touch. Dishes include “HEMP,” which uses a Thai-inspired hemp pesto sauce with hemp seed linguine topped with dried citrus zest, bacon bits, hemp powder, and breadcrumbs. Raw cannabis juice is incorporated into sauces, gazpacho and ice cream. The dosages are relatively mild: between 10 and 12 mg of THC or CBD spread over five to six dishes and alcohol-free cocktails.
John’s Cannabis Dinners are technically banned, with the use of more than 0.2% THC in edibles still – at least officially – banned in Thailand. But Thai authorities are now largely turning a blind eye to cannabis use.
“We want to show that cannabis can be enjoyed when incorporated responsibly and tailored to the customers who participate. See it more like having a wine pairing with your dinner. After every drink you’ll feel a little tipsy but not drunk – that’s what we achieve with our infused menus.
