High In The Sky Dinner - Los Angeles, CA. 11/12/17

A little over a month ago I left a very toxic work environment in Cannabis, one where I was harassed by almost every man I worked with. I walked right out the door because management refused to give me and the women that I worked with a safe place to work. I went to the management to complain about harrassment and point out the need for an HR department. Their response was a demotion and asking me to take an unpaid leave of absence. Deciding that I can not make lateral moves, I left and started Cannabis Consulting and Educating full time.  I have been a chef for over 20 yrs, event planner for 10 and a Cannabis educator for almost 3 yrs. I had the experience, and I knew that I had a lot to share with the world, this was just catapulting me into doing that.

This past weekend I flew from Portland to LA to put on an Underground, Pop Up, Cannabis Dinner Party.

This is my life now.

I flew in with some clothes and notebooks, went directly in a Lyft to my partnering brand, Select Oil's office to pick up supplies, then I went shopping at the holy trinity ...Target, Ikea, Marshalls.

I didn't see the space even in pictures until the day before my event, so this felt like a blind date. I was trying to prepare for everything!  

I took a bunch of bags and some crazy ideas and turned them into a chic pop up restaurant. Honestly, I still can't believe I pulled it off.

The friends that I was staying with definitely thought I was a crazy bag lady for 3 days, they just saw me coming in and out of their garage  with bag after bag  and then furiously cooking in their kitchen.  

I knew that there were only two electrical outlets on the roof, so I would have to make heaters... Thank God for Pinterest!  I Ikea hacked some  space heaters, and they WORKED!! 

I hand selected each dish and piece of glassware for each course, and a variety of cozy elements to make an exposed roof top feel warm and intimate. 

I cooked a delicious 4 course vegan meal, infused the courses with Cannabis, made a kitchen happen (in a few places that it probably shouldn't have) all in the name of making this dream a reality. 

I was up at 6am every day designing details for my guests. From making sure that the arrival time was right at sunset so that guests what greeted by the warm pink glow of  the Los Angeles Sunset as soon as they stepped out onto that roof to how quickly they would digest their first cannabeverage.

When it came to working out the details of the guest list, out of the requests for tickets that I recieved I selected a group of people from varied back grounds, but all were within the same age range. This was a little bit of an experiment for me, because in the research that I have done, absorption has more to do with age range than weight or height. I wanted to make sure that everyone at this dinner would have a similar rate of absorption so they would all be on the same "ride" so to speak.

I went with a vegan menu was to speed up the rate of absorption. I also chose a Vegan menu because I would be catering this dinner at a remote location, so this would help to eliminate risk of foodborne illness. I also have so many wonderful vegan recipes that I really wanted to showcase.

It took A LOT of help and support from my friends, and community and a lot of risks and hard work on my part but I did it. High In The Sky was something that i HAD to do, not just out of necessity,  but  because I know that I have a lot of talent to share. With California being on the verge of recreational legality I knew that this was the place to go to share this information. The details of this event have been stuck in my head for so long now, like a song.... I just had to get it out!

I'm so glad that it finally became a reality on Sunday.

High In The Sky

️

Held in a secret roof top garden in Los Angeles, California, 

November 12th, 2017 at 5pm

This multi-course, vegan, Sunday Supper is expertly micro-dosed by Chef and Cannabis Educator Liv Vasquez (@livviesmalls)

Each, individually and uniquely micro-dosed course will be presented with a side of information about how you will absorb the dish.  We will open the floor up for Q&A and discussion at the end of the dinner.

Recreational legality is pending in California, and Liv has worked in Medical and Recreational Marijuana in Oregon for over 4 years, and as a chef for close to 20 years. Learn more about how recreational legality will change the market place, and how we absorb different products while surrounded by other Cannabis cultivators and enthusiasts at High In The Sky.

Tickets are $150, and includes 4 vegan courses that have been expertly miro-dosed with THC and CBD, 3 Cannabis Craft Cocktails that will be paired with courses, plenty of non-alcoholic beverages and product to use on site as well as product from our incredible sponsor Select Strains to take home. It will all end with an educational Q&A about using cannabis for health and what to expect in a recreational market.

We hope to see you there!

                                                          

To Request Tickets Email: Highnoonbrunch@gmail.com

In your email include your name, date of birth and a few sentences about you and your relationship with Cannabis.

A peek into High Noon

High Noon was a culmination of everything that I have studied so hard for. Years of Culinary school training, craft bartending, stage managing, cooking with cannabis and working with cannabis had made me the perfect host and coordinator for this specific type of event.

High Noon was absolutely a collaborative effort.

David Hill was my Sous Chef, who held it the fuck down in the kitchen! I literally could not have done this without him. He made like a lot of taco shells made outta cheese for me. That is love. And that love showed with every course and I am so grateful to have had him be part of this.

One of the benefits of having awesome musician friends is....at some point, they have had to wait tables. Andrew, an incredibly talented solo artist, threw on an apron and helped me out with service. And lucky for me, he had done Dim Sum service for years while he worked on self producing his first album. His knowledge of dim sum, small plates and tea service was crucial for this type of brunch. There were mimosas, teas, 5 courses, sides, Cannabis courses, and then all of the other drinks one requires at brunch. He did it all with great style and kindness.

Coco Madrid is a night life legend here in Portland, and she was the epitome of hostess. From promotion, to greeting guests, djing and catering to every need of our guests, she truly is a professional "Vibe Maker".

And all of these beautiful photos??? Nicole Kondra. She styled all of the food pictures as I was plating. I was so in the moment with my food and my guests I didn't take any pictures or even look at my phone during service. Her photos are incredible because she really considered my style and what we were doing. You can check out her amazing photography at NicoleKondra.com .

Interior Designer and Clothing designer Claire Doody provided a perfectly designed space. Every single detail was carefully placed to be considerate of the guests and meet the needs of whatever their stoned little hearts desired.

And Claire made this Lace Tent!!!

The idea behind the lace tent was to make a comfortable space for the person who has an over active periphery when they are using cannabis. This would allow the person sitting in the tent to feel like they were still part of the party without being overly stimulated. It was sooo dreamy!

I went to Stash (yup.) Tea Store on Mississippi Street and described some terpene notes that I wanted to pair with teas and they made some incredible teas especially for me. At High Noon, I paired a very piney and lemony tea with Cinex, an Oregon hybridized strain that has incredible Pinene and Limonene terpene notes, and then guest dosed these teas with cbd infused, organic honey.

And the guests!!! From models, to owners of some of my favorite Cannabis Companies were in attendance. They contributed so much to the conversation, and our photos.

The whole event was incredible. Afterwards I sat in that lace tent, while Coco djed and soaked in what just happened. Then I realized, this is what I have to be doing. Everyone was as happy with that day as I was.. because of how it all came together, the energy, the layers of THC and CBD were timed perfectly, it was like a symphony. I CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN!!