Planning Meaningful Gatherings with Christina Wong

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Christina Wong of Fruit + Flour joins me to share her expertise in hosting magical cannabis gatherings that create genuine community connections through storytelling, cultural celebration, and attention to detail. Christina discusses her evolution from award-winning baker to cannabis event planner, revealing how building successful events requires focusing on safe spaces, hospitality and people driven gatherings.

Find more gatherings, events, and content from Christina at @fruitandflower on Instagram and her website Fruit + Flower.

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Visit the website for full show notes, free dosing calculator, recipes and more.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome back, friends , to episode 305, and today I am
thrilled to be sitting downwith Christina Wong of Fruit and
Flour.
Welcome to Bite Me, the showabout edibles, where I help you
take control of your high life.
I'm your host and certifiedganger, margaret, and I love
helping cooks make safe andeffective edibles at home.

(00:25):
I'm so glad you're here,friends.
Welcome back to another episodeof Bite Me.
I'm so glad you're here tolisten in on this conversation,
which I was really excited tohave.
I've been following Christina'swork for quite some time over on
Instagram.
She makes the most beautifulbaked goods I have ever seen,
and not only that, hosts whatlooked to be the most magical

(00:48):
events that I could imagine, andas someone who has been looking
to host in-person eventslocally because I can't always
get to the nearest big city toattend I thought who better to
ask than this queen of cannabisevents?
And so when Christina said yes,that she would come on the show

(01:09):
, I was very excited.
Christina is a Clioaward-winning storyteller and
seasoned PR and communicationspro who spent over a decade in
the food and restaurant industry, working with well-known chefs,
restaurants, hospitality andcannabis brands.
Industry working withwell-known chefs, restaurants,
hospitality and cannabis brands.
Her imaginative and delectablecreations have earned numerous
awards and accolades.

(01:30):
And that is just the tip of theiceberg.
You're going to hear a wholelot more about how Christina
hosts events, what makes them somagical, what makes them so
buzzworthy and why people keepcoming back, and if you've ever
thought about hosting your ownevent whether that is just a
simple dinner party with a fewclose friends or something

(01:51):
larger and more formal than thisepisode is for you.
Without further ado, pleaseenjoy this conversation with
Christina Wong.
Okay, everyone, I am reallyexcited to be joined today by
Christina Wong of Fruit andFlour and, in case you aren't

(02:12):
familiar with her work, I'mgoing to have Christina say
hello and introduce herself tothe listeners of Bite Me and to
maybe tell the listeners what itis that you do.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Hey everybody, thanks for having me on Margaret.
So I started as a baked baker.
I was just really interested inlearning how to cook and bake
with cannabis and then it justkind of opened up a whole new
world and my background.
Before I started doing, beforeI became fruit and flour, I
worked in public relations andmarketing and branding for

(02:45):
restaurants, chefs, food brands,so I was very familiar with the
culinary world and when I gotinto cannabis I noticed that
there was an opportunity toreally use food and this farm to
table narrative and languageand storytelling that I was
working on in the food space toteach people how to choose

(03:07):
better cannabis products forthemselves in the culinary
cannabis space.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
That is amazing.
It also explains a lot becauseyour baking is absolutely
beautiful, like if I don't knowif anybody hasn't seen your
Instagram yet, they shouldreally check it out, because
your baking is is stunning andyou obviously have the
background to photograph itbeautifully as well, which is a
big component to that.
But you've been doing a lot ofthings obviously in the culinary

(03:33):
space for a while, but you'vekind of shifted into this
cannabis event planning yeah,sort of wanting to do something
around in in person cannabisevents where I am.
I thought who better to talk toabout it than somebody who's
hosting these absolutelybeautiful events?
So can you talk a little bitabout what drew you into doing

(03:55):
cannabis event planning to beginwith?

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yeah, so it's funny that you mentioned my baking,
because that's something I loveto do and that was like my way
of processing my emotions andusing it, making art and
storytelling.
But the odd thing is, these daysI find that I don't bake that
much anymore, like when yeah,and it's been really odd because
I struggle, because I'm like,oh you know, like I should be

(04:18):
making more time to bake andtrying to make a schedule to
force myself to do this thing.
But the odd thing was Irealized that before it was it's
the plant guiding me Before,when I would get high, I'd have
these beautiful ideas of thethings that I wanted to make and
the flavors and how they wouldpair and the stories that they
would tell.
And now, when I get high, I'mimagining all of the different

(04:40):
events and gatherings andstories and how to bring people
together.
And when I first started, itwas I was baking desserts or
different things and bringingthem to my events so that people
could taste them and try them.
And I quickly realized that Ican't host, produce an event and
bake things and do all of it.
So it became a lot.

(05:01):
So I let go of the baking for abit, just simply because it
wasn't what inspired me anymorecreating these gatherings and
these spaces for people to beable to physically experience
the fruit and flour world, likethe baked goods.
You can see it, you can make itat home, there's an educational
aspect and then there's anopportunity to taste it.

(05:21):
But then there's the world andthe universe of fruit and flower
coming to life through thesegatherings.
So that's kind of the evolutionof how it evolved and I think,
because I've always worked inhospitality and PR, it's the
world of events and hospitalityis something that's always
called to me.
So using events to gatherpeople, to provide safe spaces

(05:46):
and opportunities for people totry, experiment, learn and talk
about cannabis, I feel is reallyimportant and much needed,
because dispensaries are placesto purchase cannabis and you
might get some education if youare lucky and have a good
dispensary and a good bedtender.
There's a lot of onlineeducation, but overwhelming and

(06:09):
difficult to parse through and alot of the events that I
noticed that I was going to herein Los Angeles were not for me.
I didn't feel comfortable there.
It wasn't that I wasn't welcome, but it was just not the type
of environment where I.
No one wanted to talk to meabout the type of conversations

(06:30):
that I wanted to have.
And so when I met Chef Wendyand we just started hanging out,
getting high, cooking food andeating and a lot of it was just
and Chef Wendy Zhang is aSichuan chef here in Los Angeles
and we co-host Mogu Magu,together and she cooks some of
the most amazing food and wewould just get high and eat her

(06:51):
food and talk and just sharestories and so much healing
happens that we're like, wait,how do we do this with more
people?
I think more people would reallyenjoy this connection of
culture meets food, meetscannabis, and so that's how Mogu
Magu was born and that's why wehost so many of our gatherings

(07:11):
and events Like it's not just aparty.
I know on Instagram it justlooks like a fabulous party and
it is, but there's so much storyand healing and narrative and
themes behind each event that'svery intentional that it's very
difficult to get across in justlike a highlight reel on
Instagram.
So we've started doing morelong form storytelling as well,

(07:34):
but we realize, you know, thingstake time to build and we have
to be patient.

Speaker 1 (07:39):
Yeah, I don't.
I know that's so true.
When it comes to like thingslike baking, there's, I feel
like in life there's always anebb and a flow.
You kind of have all those ebbsand flows.
I mean, I used to bake a ton ofsourdough bread and I've done
that, you know, throughoutperiods of my life, but
sometimes I'm really into it andother times I haven't baked it.
So, and I think there's a realalso desire for people to get

(08:00):
together in real life againafter this post-COVID world that
we're in, and people are reallycraving that in-person
connection.
So I can see why it's soimportant and, like I said, you
say it doesn't really translateover the Instagram reel like the
real essence of your events,and that's probably true to a
point, but I think some of itdoes come through, which is why

(08:20):
they look so magical.
Now I am curious if there's anymisconceptions about the events
that you're hosting and maybeyou can touch on a little bit
more in depth about the eventsthat you've been to that didn't
really resonate with you,because I feel like I've been to
some of those as well.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, what does that look like for you?

Speaker 1 (08:39):
Probably like I hate to say it like this, but bro
culture, I guess like the reallylike, yeah, just heavy dabs and
like heavy smoking, and maybethat's because I'm not in that
space.
Like, I enjoy cannabis prettymuch every day but I'm not like
a super heavy smoker and yeah,just my experience of the plant

(08:59):
is a lot different than that.

Speaker 2 (09:00):
Yeah and same.
That is the exact environmentin which I found myself, because
that is the type of cannabisculture that is being portrayed
to us currently for marketing,for sale.
That's who you know, the highdose dab consumer.
Mostly men on the surface levelare what seems to be driving

(09:23):
sales, but really women are theprimary sales drivers and when I
would go to those events Iwould be there and it would just
be a haze of smoke and guyswearing hoodies and hats and you
know many are very nice, veryhelpful, taught me how to roll
my first joint, gave me my firstdabs, but I realized that for

(09:45):
me, when I'm high, I like goingdeep, I like having deep
conversations and reallyexploring the depths of our soul
and healing and doing differentand just doing things.
I like to craft, I like to learn, I like to do new things, and
so every single event that I dois in all of these gatherings.
It's really out of my owncuriosity, like I just want to

(10:07):
learn more about something andthen the opportunity comes
together so we're like, allright, let's make this happen.
But the like the gathering,it's misconceptions about the
events that we do, that any ofthis makes money, about the
events that we do that any of?
this makes money.

(10:28):
Yeah, they look really fabulousand a lot of work goes into
them, but this is truly, truly acommunity created experience.
Wendy and I could not do thiswithout the support of our
friends, volunteers, ourco-hosts, our generous you know

(10:48):
the farmers.
Like none of this is a cashtransaction based experience and
when we started they were free,they were.
You know, we would bringtogether all of our friends who
were in the industry, bringtogether all of our friends who
were in the industry and it wasjust kind of to meet, because a
lot of the other events we wouldgo to or things that were
geared for, like AAPIs andcannabis, are more business

(11:10):
networking and that was nice.
But, like we again, I like togo deep into my emotions and
healing and trauma, and so thebusiness networking was great
and that gave us an opportunityto meet each other and kind of
spin off onto this side.
And so what?
Each event is totally different.
It started with just us butthen it grew into bringing on

(11:35):
co-hosts to tell their storiesand you know people look at
cannabis from the outside andthink, wow, there's so much
money, but if you're here inCalifornia, it's collapsing and
not doing well at the moment andit's kind of been on a decline.
However, you know, the worldstill has to continue, stories
still need to be told and westill feel it's really important

(11:56):
to continue gathering andcontinue meeting.
And just because a brand orsomebody doesn't have, you know,
cash to contribute toparticipate, doesn't mean that
they can't.
So we've created volunteeropportunities for people who
want to attend to be able topitch in, and in that way, it's
very much like a traditionalpotluck, where every person and

(12:17):
every brand, everyone who comes,participates in some way,
whether by donating somethingthat they have, giving some
piece of knowledge, sharing,volunteering, helping in the
kitchen, you know, even washingdishes and taking out trash is
immensely helpful.
Because what we realized waswhen we were starting to do

(12:37):
these, it was just Wendy and I.
We were trying to do everythingourselves and we weren't even
enjoying the party.
We weren't able to talk to ourguests, we were just running
around trying to, you know,manage, and so when people
volunteered to say, hey, how canwe be helpful?
It was also an experience, alearning lesson for us on how to
ask for help and how to acceptthe help.

Speaker 1 (13:01):
Yeah, a little bit, and I love what you're saying
too, but everybody participatingin some way, cause that also
means that let go a little bit.
And I love what you're sayingtoo, about everybody
participating in some way,because that also means that
everybody has a little bit ofbuy-in to what's happening.
And when you say also that, likeyou know, you're not doing this
for profit first.
I think that also really showsup in how these events turn out,
Because when you have profitmotive as the primary goal,

(13:22):
things often will look a lotdifferent.
They can't Exactly.

Speaker 2 (13:26):
Yeah, and it's not that I'm like I will happily
accept cash sponsorships becausethat makes it possible for us
to.
You know, it's just a littlebit less stressful.
And so what I like to tell youknow any brands that I'm
partnering with?
I'll say, okay, like here'swhat we need, how would you like
to participate?
And oftentimes they surprise me.
Those who do have cash and areable to participate in that way

(13:49):
do, and they offer, and sothey're offering to give
something instead of me askingfor something in exchange, which
changes the nature of therelationship and how we interact
together.
You know, we charge ticketprices.
At first it was free, but thenwe're like, all right, we kind
of got to cover some of ourcosts, like we can't be out of
pocket for everything.
So we really try to make it asaffordable and accessible as

(14:15):
possible.
That's something that I'malways trying to push for,
because I just I know that it'shard, I know that it's hard to
part with those hard earneddollars right now, so I try to
make it accessible.
But also we want to pay peoplefor their art, for their
creativity, for their talents.
So whenever we are able toraise enough, it ends up being

(14:36):
given to our co-hosts.
We just hosted a Bad Asianscomedy tasting show for 420
Weekend with Jenny Yang and abunch of comedians, and I was so
proud that, thanks toeveryone's contributions, our
sponsors included, we were ableto pay them.
Like, comedians don't get paidto do gigs, like they were just

(14:57):
happy to be there and do it, butwe're like no, like let us pay
you, and so that felt reallygood to be able to do that and
you know, pitching into ourkitchen staff, being able to pay
our photographers and videopeople to help, like, tell the
story, because, again, at firstit was just me trying to do all
of it and that's not possible.

Speaker 1 (15:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:20):
Yeah, so it's really grown in this very organic way
and I think for those who areinterested in hosting gatherings
, you know, don't be dissuadedbecause a brand doesn't have
money or you can't pay forsomething.
Yes, there's realities of hardcosts, but be creative and
open-minded about how to achieveand accomplish your needs and

(15:40):
goals.

Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yeah, and I think that that will also be reflected
in the event afterwards, like Ialready mentioned, when you get
that buy-in from people andthey can participate in ways
that feels good to them as well.
So I think that does translatein the way your events come
across online as well.
I'm just going to say that, ohthank you.
Yeah, Now how do you incorporatethe storytelling and the

(16:03):
cultural context into yourevents that you're doing?
Because you've touched on thisa little bit, but I'd love to
hear you talk more about that italways starts with a theme.

Speaker 2 (16:11):
Wendy and I go hard on a theme and all the way and
it just almost comes to us.
It just comes naturally.
We have so many ideas that wereally just sort of put a pin in
things or sit on it until allof the right elements come
through.
But again, usually it'ssomething we're just naturally
curious about.
Like, for example, we hostedDiwali and Dabs back in 2003.

(16:36):
And that was just.
Wendy and I sat back and we'relike, oh, all of the events
we're hosting are very EastAsian and Chinese focused
holidays and events andstorytelling, because that's
what we know.
We're both Chinese, differentkinds of Chinese, but still, and
we're like, well, we'reforgetting about the other A's
and the P's and the I's, and howcan we make this more inclusive

(16:57):
and how can we be betterourselves and learn?
And so that's how we ended uphosting a Diwali and Dabs.
We invited our friends Myra andMaha to co-host with us, and
sometimes the theme comes out inthe planning.
It's not intended, you know.
It started off as celebratingDiwali and Holi and this you
know the contrast of light anddark.
But really what came out of theconversations and the speeches

(17:21):
that day, like the event itselfisn't the narrative.
Sometimes the story comes outof it because what I heard from
everyone who attended they'relike, wow, I've never
experienced anything like thisbefore or I never felt Indian
enough to celebrate this.
There's a lot ofintersectionality in the Asian
American diaspora.

(17:41):
You know, I'm Chinese American.
Sometimes someone is Filipinoand Mexican, you have a Spanish
and Chinese.
There's just so much crossoverof our identity and politics
that sometimes that's theconversation that comes up.
And so with both of ourco-hosts they were both half

(18:02):
Indian and so they grew upcelebrating it kind of but they
were told that they were notIndian enough to celebrate
Tivoli, and or people weresaying this is the first time
I've ever celebrated it.
We also partnered with Latinasand Cannabis, with Susie
Placentia, to co-host a Dia delos Muertos, because I just
really selfishly also reallywanted to celebrate a Dia de los

(18:24):
Muertos.
But I also found I learned andfound a commonality that in
Filipino culture there is alsolike a Day of the Dead type
celebration called Undas, andit's around the same time very
similar traditions, and so itwas an opportunity to be able to
explore that and again thetheme of.
You know, people came to Dia delos Marchos and they said

(18:47):
because my family grew up soCatholic we didn't get to
celebrate Dia de los Marchos.
This was their first time, andso being able to incorporate
cannabis with those experiencesjust opens us up to that
conversation, makes us feel Ifeel like it's a little bit of a
truth serum.
You know, like once you feelpeople being vulnerable, like
it's a little bit of a truthserum.
You know, like once you feelpeople being vulnerable, like it
just starts to come out becausepeople feel safe to share that

(19:11):
and that's what leads to thecollective healing and that kind
of experience has been verymagical, and so the narrative
part is it's a lot we.
That is something that Wendy andI are working on wrapping our
minds around, because it'sreally just us and we don't make
.
You know, no one pays us to dothis.
We just do it for fun, becausewe think it's interesting.

(19:32):
You know it helps definitelybring business to our individual
respective work, but we'reworking on more YouTube content,
possibly podcasts.
I would love to put all ofthese stories and photography
and the how-to host a gatheringand the recipes into a zine, but

(19:55):
that all takes time, creativeenergy and a little bit of
budget.

Speaker 1 (20:01):
Yeah, it does, and you're already pulling off so
much.
But I think you have thecreative spirit to do it, that's
for sure.
I mean, yeah, listening to likethe way you to come up with all
these like themes, it's justboggles my mind really eat

(20:25):
something like, oh, wouldn'tthat be so rad.

Speaker 2 (20:25):
And then the next thing, you know, it's like come
to life in front of us and herhusband laughs because he'll be
in the background working in thegarden or doing things, and
he'll just hear us, just, youknow, being silly and talking.
And then the next thing heknows, a couple months from now,
like it's in front of him andit's a reality and he can see it
.
He heard the idea and then allof a sudden, it's brought to
life.
And so for us, we really doubledown, we narrow down the theme.

(20:47):
It's very specific and it'seasy to kind of want to include
too many things, but curation iskey.
Every single one of ourgatherings is extremely curated
from like who.
We're not just accepting everyand any brand to participate,
like it's very it's an invite,only that we're not just
accepting every and any brand toparticipate, like it's very
it's an invite only that we'recurating um or if brands come to

(21:09):
us and we're like you know what, this isn't a right fit, but
like let's talk how, what areyour goals and how can we make
something or create somethingthat does feel authentic and
natural and real, um and anyonewho's interested in hosting
these kinds of events andgatherings.
I highly highly recommend abook called the Art of Gathering
by Priya.

Speaker 1 (21:27):
Parker.
I just read that book veryrecently.
It was amazing.
It was so good.

Speaker 2 (21:32):
It's so good.
So Wendy and I decided to readit together and then we would
kind of discuss it and talkabout it.
And the takeaway from that waslike I think that, as we're
natural, I'm a natural peoplepleaser, so I want to say yes to
everything.
But what I learned from thatbook was that you have to say no
.
It is our responsibility asevent hosts, as gatherers, as

(21:56):
producers, to curate it, to sayno, and sometimes saying no is
creating a better experience forthe guests, limiting the amount
of people.
So each event starts with likeokay, what's the wherever?
The genesis of the idea camefrom, sometimes, like we're
doing a puff and pottery, aqueer puff and pottery in a

(22:17):
couple of weeks, and that theinstructor came to us because
she was introduced to us bysomeone in our community and
she's like I would love to dosomething and we're like all
right, great, let's hang out.
She came over, we smoked, we hadsome tea and like talked about
like what like her dream wouldbe, and then we just started to
build around it and the theme ofthat was very much this

(22:37):
intersection, because it's alsoJune and pride month, you know,
this intersectionality of like acelebrating your Asian
queerness and letting go ofperfection and just really
allowing the creative process toflow, because so often we're
we're taught this level ofperfectionism leads to success.

(22:57):
So we're all nervous wrecks andit's a point of conversation
that's come up a lot.
So we thought it would be funto be able to get high, get your
hands to craft, learn somethingnew and just do something with
the joy of doing it.
And it's not going to beperfect and it doesn't have to
be, and there's no one tellingyou that it has to.

Speaker 1 (23:17):
That's beautiful.
I love it.
I'll be looking for the photosof that online when it comes out
.
Yeah, the photos of that onlinewhen it comes out, yeah.
So I mean the way I'm hearingyou talk about this.
You obviously have, like, areal attention to detail when it
comes to creating these events.
Is there any other approachesthat you take to creating these
events from the ground?

Speaker 2 (23:38):
up.
I try not to rush them.
I know that sometimes we workon a timeline where we pick a
date first and then forceeverything to work into it, and
my biggest lesson through all ofthis baking life and hosting
these gatherings is that youhave to let go and flow and
everything will happen in itsown time in the way that it's

(24:00):
supposed to be.
So we really don't commit to adate on anything until certain
elements are in place.
You know it's like okay, do wehave, do I have enough security,
do I have enough interest inpartners and people who are a,
who are definite yeses that Ican work with and around to be

(24:23):
able to produce this event,instead of choosing a thing and
then trying to like squeezeeveryone in at once, because
that creates unnecessary stress,I feel.

Speaker 1 (24:34):
I mean that's pretty interesting.
But then I see you're like, youseem very prolific, like you're
putting out events on a prettyregular basis, which impresses
me because they're again,they're not just like event that
you've thrown together, you'veput a lot of time and attention
into them.
So I'm just curious, like how?

Speaker 2 (24:52):
Thank you, I feel I'm very tired.
It is a lot.
It's a lot.
I'm like, okay, we're doinglike mogu mogu, we're doing like
one event a month and then, youknow, depending on kind of if
we're busy or things, we take abreak, and then even my own
personal fruit and flower ones.
Those are becoming quite a lottoo.
So I think, being realisticwith your time, I'm also able to

(25:14):
be prolific and do so many ofthese because I was an event
planner in my very early, earlycareer days and then I did PR,
so I do have my planningdocument and my tools to make it
extremely organized.
And also because I have a greatpartner.
Chef Wendy and I is like we'reexcellent, collaborative,

(25:36):
creative partners and we havecomplimentary skill sets and
resources.
So having someone to do thiswith, who's a friend, who, it's
just more fun.
I couldn't do this alone.
I it's.
It's honestly quite a lot andthe the keys to our success.
One, chef Wendy's space, becauseshe so Chef Wendy was on

(26:00):
Chopped 420 and she was one ofthe winners, and she's been on a
couple other shows too.
But she and her husband usedtheir winnings to build out
their home and their backyard tocreate her dream outdoor
kitchen, farm to table, supperclub space, because prior to the
pandemic she was hosting a lotof cannabis infused supper clubs

(26:21):
and dinners and events, and avenue was one of the biggest
challenges that they had.
You know, charge the cannabisfee or freak out and panic and,
like um, cancel the event at thelast minute was just so hard.
Even to this day, when I'm, ifI'm trying to host something not

(26:42):
at Wendy's house, it's verydifficult.
So because we have her home andit's we were safe there, it's
it's free to consume, it'slegally, it kind of checks all
of the boxes and it's alreadyturnkey.
I don't have to think about thevenue and set up every time I go

(27:04):
there because we already haveeverything.
I already I have the role, Ihave a list of what's available,
so that takes out a lot of work, which makes it much easier to
do these on a regular basis.
And then I have my eventplanning document.
That makes it even easier.
Like, I already know whatelements do we need.
You know the volunteer spots,my budget template, and that has

(27:28):
made it much easier to executethese over and over again.
And also again having Wendy andher talents, because she's a
chef and the thing that sheloves more than anything is to
feed people and make them happywith her food, and so being able
to partner with her to createthe food and the menu infinitely

(27:50):
easier, because otherwise I'meither calling for catering or
I'm trying to work out foodmyself, and that adds to the
costs.
So these gatherings and eventsfor both of us are like a canvas
for each of us to express ourown artistry and watching it
just grow and blossom indifferent ways.

(28:10):
And I love seeing her menus andthe food that she's created and
how her creativity with thestoryline of Magu and these
ingredients that show up intraditional Chinese medicine and
like some of our traditionalfoods like, and modernizing it
for today and seeing this likefarm to table, like fine dining

(28:34):
quality of food, but puttogether with this cultural
element and with cannabis, isjust magical.

Speaker 1 (28:41):
Right, and I mean, when I'm hearing you say this
too, it sounds like you'veremoved some of those big
barriers to putting on an event,like you said the venue, which
I hope to ask about that in alittle bit, but also partnership
, because it is nice to havesomebody that you can rely on
and like bounce ideas off ofeach other, as you clearly do.
I can just tell, by the way youtalk about Wendy, how important

(29:02):
it is to have her as part ofthis whole process.
Now, do you have anynon-negotiables as far as a
successful event or just eventplanning in general?

Speaker 2 (29:12):
No assholes, like it's truly like.
If no, assholes.
If someone is being a jerk anddifficult, then like no, we just
have no tolerance.
We're creating this kind ofspace and we will not tolerate
that behavior.
So that's definitelynon-negotiable.
You know, paying her a venuefee, that's, it's built into the

(29:34):
budget, because she investedher money and time and energy
and effort and even using thespace puts wear and tear, so
that's just already built in.
Also, just trust between theboth of us to do the work and
move quickly, like we're able tomake decisions quickly because

(29:57):
we both just trust, like we knoweach other and we trust each
other.
So I don't feel like neither ofus feel that we have to check
in with somebody in order tomake a decision.
It doesn't have to be like acollaborative, agreed and moving
forward.
It's just like we already knowthe framework and the outline so
we can be very nimble in ourdecision making.

(30:19):
And again, complete trust.
We're both on the same page.
So, and just also, no stress.
The purpose of this is to havefun and if we're not having fun
and something becomes stressful,we have to stop and be like OK
one, how can this be notstressful and how do we want to

(30:42):
resolve it?

Speaker 1 (30:45):
Right, Pardon me, I like that too because it makes
me think of my mom.
My mom's passed away now butshe used to really like to host
dinners for special occasionsand stuff and she used to get
really stressed out about it andthen that would create like
stress in the house when peoplewere coming over and stuff and I
don't know why she justcouldn't relax.

(31:07):
But having also that trust witha partner that you're working
with in this space is huge,Because I mean, I think what you
have is probably very special,because I do also recall a lot
of profs telling me inuniversity cause I went to
business school and they're justlike you have to be really
careful with partnershipsbecause they often don't end
well.

Speaker 2 (31:27):
So yeah, and that's something we do talk about, both
of us have had partnershipswith friends and business
partners and collaborators thathaven't gone well.
So we do check in a lot.
You know we do post event.
You know check in to be like,hey, you know what went well,
what didn't go well.
You know we'll have guests whocome who are rude to our friends

(31:47):
who are working in the kitchenand it's like that guest is,
that person is no longer welcome.
You know, it's really, yeah,like our purpose and our mission
is very clear and it makes itreally easy and also like it's
kind of broken out and built into how we work together and our

(32:09):
friendship, knowing our pasthistories and traumas.
So just the fact that we cansit and talk about what our
traumas were and meunderstanding where she's coming
from.
There's been occasions where wehad a really stressful event
when we first started and Wendywas in the kitchen working
really hard because we didn'thave enough volunteers, we

(32:29):
didn't have enough people.
I wasn't available to help herbecause I was outside trying to
get the party going, replace,you know, water trash set up,
and so being prepared and havingenough resources to be
successful is so important aswell.
So when we sat down, we're like, all right, like what was unfun
about this and what led to likethat?
You know that us feeling oneway, cause she was like I was

(32:51):
being like, okay, can you hurryup?
And she was like I'm only oneperson, I can only do so much.
And I'm like, okay, like whatresources do you need?
So now those are just built in.
You know we have, we have acall for volunteers, so we'll
have front of house and back ofhouse so that I have help with
the front and like refillingwaters, she has help in the
kitchen and everyone's.
And then the people whovolunteer are really happy to be

(33:13):
there sharing their skills andtalents to be a part of it.
So yeah, and you know I'm alsorealistic where our friendship
and business partnership couldgo sour, that's not off the
table.
I don't want to say that like,oh my gosh, we're best friends
and that'll never happen, likemisunderstandings are going to
happen.
But we have, you know, we havea responsibility and respect

(33:35):
towards each other to be able tohave a conversation about it
and work through it and come toa mutual agreement.

Speaker 1 (33:41):
Yeah, you'd be able to have a conversation,
communicate about it beforethings just went out the window.

Speaker 2 (33:46):
Yeah, and we do track everything.
You know, like again, likethere's a, you know it's not for
profit, but like we do run itlike a business and we track
everything and things are splitand fair and we definitely talk
about fairness.
You know, does this feel fairto you?
Is this okay?
And so there's no hard feelingsat the end of all of it,
feeling one way or another.

Speaker 1 (34:06):
Now, what have you learned about community building
through hosting your events andhow do you keep people coming
back?
Although from what you'resaying, why people come back,
but is there?
You're saying white people comeback, but is there anything
specific that you've learnedabout building community?

Speaker 2 (34:21):
I think that the word community is thrown around a
lot.
I think it's often misused aswell, and just because you have
a like-minded group of people,it doesn't mean that it's
community.
Just because you have peoplewho gather for an event doesn't
mean that they are automaticallya community.
I think there has to be morethan that and there's like a

(34:42):
shared, the shared sense ofbelonging that has been created
through Mogu Mogu and throughthe work that Wendy and I do.
That's created a reallywonderful community.
I do that's created a reallywonderful community.
It's the support for each otherIn the business networking way.
Mogumogu isn't intended foreverybody to come and business

(35:03):
and network, but naturallyyou're hanging out with friends,
meeting other cool people whoare also creatives and
entrepreneurs and forwardthinkers in this space.
You're naturally going to meetother rad people you want to
collaborate with and createpartnerships with.
So we've seen a lot of successcome out of it, just naturally,
which has been really reallycool and satisfying to see.

Speaker 1 (35:25):
Right, yeah, okay, I do sometimes think the community
is thrown around a lot, but Ialso think that that's because
people are really looking for itand it's something genuine and
deeper than just a bunch ofpeople getting together and
smoking weed Although that canbe community as well but I think
there has to be more to it.

Speaker 2 (35:41):
I think that's the challenge.
Everyone, everyone thinks that,oh, I got weed, so it's, I got
weed and it's a party there.
I think that there can, thatcould be okay too, and that is
perfectly acceptable.
But I think community is peopleare looking to connect with
other people who have sharedinterests, who have shared
passions, people that like it'sjust really like a really close

(36:04):
connection of friendship andsupport.

Speaker 1 (36:07):
Right, which means it's on a bit of a deeper level
as well.

Speaker 2 (36:10):
I think, yeah, we're, we're looking for understanding
, we want people who understandus and want to explore the same
thoughts and ideas, and it'slike we can belong to multiple
communities and communities kindof bump and bump back out every
once in a while.
We keep people coming backbecause it's always different,

(36:33):
there's something new, there'ssomething unique because we're
always working with a differentcollaborator.
They're also bringing theiraudiences, who are hearing what
we're doing for the first time.
To this point ofintersectionality is really
important.
You know, wendy and I are bothfood and weed kind of that
intersection, but through MoguMogu we've been able to expand
out into comedy andentertainment through our 420

(36:56):
event with Jenny Yang and tofashion, when we did our goddess
garden party with Dawong and,you know, with Latinas and
cannabis, that was a whole othercommunity of you know.
So it's and finding commonalitybetween all of it.
And so the cross pollinationthat we're seeing, I think, is
what people, why people lovecoming back.

(37:18):
Because you never know whoyou're going to meet or what the
conversation is going to turninto.
You just know that, like ifthis is what makes you feel good
and this is like the type ofconversation you want to engage
in, people just keep coming back.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
Right.
So then how do you go aboutchoosing your collaborators,
because it sounds like some ofthem are starting to come to you
now as well, but obviouslyyou're probably looking for
folks who are going to resonatewith the vision you have for
your events.

Speaker 2 (37:46):
They just kind of flow into our lives.
It's, um, yeah, it's verynatural.
It's either, you know, an ideawill pop up and I'll think who,
who do I know that might be afit, and then eventually you
know, or I'll start to talkabout the idea and naturally
somebody who's really interestedwill step forward and so things

(38:08):
will come together.
Or yeah, somebody just comesstraight to us and we'll be like
, okay, like you seem cool.
Or, and a lot of times, ifsomebody wants to work with us
but they've never been to aMogumagu event before, we'll be
like, yeah, we're down, but like, just come experience this.
Yeah, Come experience thisCause, like it's different.
And once you've been to one andyou kind of understand the vibe

(38:31):
, then it helps set the tone forthe collaboration and the
partnerships that we're going todo.

Speaker 1 (38:37):
Right, which is which is a real fortunate thing for
you, because you've had so manyof these events now that you can
invite them to them beforehandand vet them that way, in a
sense.

Speaker 2 (38:46):
So yeah, and we also want to go to their like and
support them and their events.
Like with our pottery making.
You know, wendy went to attendone of her classes, um, at pot
studio, so we could support her.
Um, you know, we'll go, we'lldo different things with our
collaborators and it's it's notjust like a one-time thing, it's
a period of time.

(39:06):
There's a friendship that grows.
It's like a really cool projectthat we kind of get to put out
into the world and then, um,they're part, and then they
become part of the community andthey'll show and then, like,
those collaborators will come tothe events as guests and vice
versa.
And then now I start to seeother attendees crossing into
other people's events and it'sjust really cool.

(39:26):
Like that's where I seecommunity, because it's like
everyone's starting to show upin each other's worlds.

Speaker 1 (39:32):
Right, and I love that too, because you were
mentioning this a little bitearlier but just the support for
the artists that you'recollaborating with.
It feels so important right nowin this sort of age of AI
that's kind of commoditizing alot of stuff in a way that I
don't know how I feel about thatyet.

Speaker 2 (39:50):
I don't know if it's very positive.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
So you know, finding ways to support the people in
our communities that are puttingout great work, I think is
really important.

Speaker 2 (39:59):
Yeah, and that's why we feel really called to doing,
like, in-person live events andgatherings this year.
Last year, before the election,before 2025 even started, we
were actually going to take abreak from hosting events
because we were doing these wecalled them tentpole events,
these really big epic events,and we were just like, oh damn,
we're tired, like let's focus oncontent and storytelling and

(40:21):
doing a zine.
That's what it really felt wasneeded.
And then just everythingchanged between November and
January.
We're just like wow, like, andit gave us a moment to take
stock in where we were at andwhere our community was feeling,
and we really felt that peoplewere really needing in-person

(40:42):
connection again to learn how todo things.
So this year, the theme of theevents are not about holidays
and cannabis and they're not bigtemples.
They're actually much smallergatherings, which is why they're
also easier to execute.
They're more workshops andclasses, because we want to
teach people how to do thingshow to make your own medicine,

(41:04):
how to grow your own plants, howto make things with your hands,
because that seems like areally good survival skill to
have for most.
And so we pivoted and shiftedwhat we thought we were going to
do, and while we would like todo all of those things at the
same time, this feels like theright thing to do right now.

Speaker 1 (41:25):
Yeah, and I think people are looking for that,
like the intimacy that you getin a smaller event as well,
because if it's really big,there's no way you can really
talk to all the people that arethere, and when it's smaller, it
just creates it's a differentvibe, I guess.
So I can yeah?
We've gone that direction.

Speaker 2 (41:39):
Yeah Well, in Priya Parker's book she said, right,
like 15 is like a really good,like small group size, and
beyond that it's like30-something, and then it's like
75 or more.

Speaker 1 (41:50):
Yeah Now, have you ever faced any resistance or
pushback when you're trying toput together any kind of events?

Speaker 2 (41:57):
I mean the resistance from, like neighbors who might
not be happy about parking, butyou know this can be resolved.
Like the resistance, I meanresistance other than you know
cash flow and needs, rain,weather, things that are beyond
your control.
Right, extreme weather wedefinitely had our Lunar New

(42:20):
Year event two years ago, had agiant rainstorm.
It was the heaviest, hardestrain that has ever happened and
we switched venues to an indoorvenue thanks to a friend, and
people still came.
They parked, they trudged upthe hill like in a monsoon and
we did a sound bath.
There's like a year of thedragon sound bath and you could

(42:42):
see this rain coming, that youcould hear it and it ended up
being really magical.
So it's working around thingslike that.
We've also had the heat waves,so we had another.
We had a Mahjong party during aheat wave.
It was 106.
So we switched it to a poolparty, had frozen towels and
frozen snacks and drinks, um,and like bumped it back an hour.

(43:05):
So it's like things like thatum are challenging, like
pushback wise.

Speaker 1 (43:12):
Um, I mean, you're in California so I don't have to
stay legal for a long time, so Icould see you not having too
much pushback.
I think people in otherjurisdictions might possibly, I
know.

Speaker 2 (43:24):
Yeah and hosting events is kind of a gray area in
california.
It's this these are privateevents, so you know that's
cannabis lounge.

Speaker 1 (43:33):
The cannabis lounges are legal.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
Yes, we do have legal cannabis lounges where you can
have open consumption, buthonestly, working with them is
really difficult.
Hmm, yeah, okay, it's really.
It's difficult for me because alot of the and especially for
the work we do with Bogumagubecause the dispense the lounges
need to.

(43:55):
They're a transaction basedbusiness.
They have to be and we'rechewing trying to do not
transaction based, so it makesit challenging and so like
that's kind of the resistancethat gets frustrating when, um,
you know, I'm trying to eithermake it accessible, cheap or
free and they want to chargemore because they need to do
this, or it's like, okay, likepurchase required and tickets

(44:18):
and all of these things.
You know.
Also, also, I don't want to hostevents in places that don't
match my level of hospitalityand attention to detail, and
places that don't align with mybeliefs, that maybe don't carry
all the products or support theplace, the brands and people

(44:38):
that I would like.
So I'm like we're very choosywith what we work with.
So the lounges are great, it'sawesome that those are options
and I've done a lot of eventsthere with Buddhist.
So I think, for the right eventfor the right audiences, these
places are great because they dohave open consumption available

(44:59):
, but the challenge is in theaccessibility and affordability
for a lot of them.

Speaker 1 (45:06):
Right, that's a really good point that you bring
up, because, yeah, yeah, and itsounds like those challenges
would be similar in a lot ofways, and we don't even have
legal consumption lounges inCanada yet, so that's a
frustration.

Speaker 2 (45:21):
And it's not even a knock on them.
This is one of the hardest jobsthat they have.
It's like you're running alegal dispensary which is
already hard as fuck and almostimpossible and losing money here
in California, and then you'retrying to open a consumption
lounge which is kind of like arestaurant, kind of like a bar
People haven't quite decidedwhat it is yet and like that's a

(45:41):
layer of hospitality on top ofrunning a shop.
That is even more difficult.
And then over at the Woods inWest Hollywood they just opened
like a coffee shop next door.
So like you're just right.
And then now you're LarryMarmore, and then in California
the governor just signed a billthat said that now these
consumption lounges can servefood, because before they

(46:03):
couldn't serve food or drink inthere.
It was a loophole that youwould order it via like DoorDash
or Postmates and have itdelivered and like yeah, there's
all these weird workarounds.
And then there's the otherplace, the OG Cannabis Cafe.
That's actually a sit downrestaurant where you can consume
, but like the way that they'reable to keep their to do

(46:25):
business is like it's a verylimited menu, so you can't get
all the brands that you want,you can only get their brands
and I'm like get their brands.
And I'm like you can do a BYO,but it's expensive, table side
fee, and so it's really hard.
It's kudos to all of them fortrying and doing it.
I would.

Speaker 1 (46:46):
I could not do it, so I think it sounds like the
private space is the best way togo.

Speaker 2 (46:54):
Yes, yeah, especially for the type of events that
we're doing, working with thelounge can work for sure.
It just takes a lot of extracoordination that sometimes I
don't have the patience for.
So I feel very lucky to be ableto have a space like Wendy's
house.
But it's you know, there'sevents that I go to there.

(47:17):
I host an event at one of them,or I was part of an event.
And because I already kind ofknew what to expect when I went
there, wendy and I both showedup at this event like completely
prepared, like I brought all myown bongs, I brought extra
grinders, extra rolling trays, Ibrought extra lighters, like
just because we were thererepresenting ourselves and the

(47:37):
farms were partnered with.
And I was like I really want tomake sure that when someone
steps foot into like this space,it feels like you're coming
here to my home to experience it.
And so if I'm going to a spacethat it doesn't have all of
these things that like I wouldlike to show, like I try to
think through all of that.
So it's just.
I mean, I also worked inrestaurants for a while, so part

(47:58):
of hospitality is all aboutanticipating what your guest
needs.
So all the way down, for, okay,I'm going to need if I have
bongs and other things peopleare smoking out of.
You need alcohol wipes.
Where are you going to put thetrash for the alcohol wipes?
Where you get the little Q-tips?
Where do they throw them away,like grinders and papers and all
these little accoutrements andthings that, like having them

(48:23):
there and thinking through theentire experience makes all of
the difference and the attentionis in the details.

Speaker 1 (48:29):
Right, which is what makes your events so wonderful
because you do think about thosedetails.

Speaker 2 (48:34):
I try to.
We try to yes.

Speaker 1 (48:39):
Yeah, yeah.
But I mean, like you said, youhave the background in
hospitality.
But you mentioned PriyaParker's book, but I'm trying to
remember the name of it.
Right now I read another bookwritten by a gentleman on the
topic of hospitality.
I wish I could remember thename of it right now.

Speaker 2 (48:49):
Is it Setting the Table by Danny Meyer?

Speaker 1 (48:52):
No it's by the fellow who runs a.
Is it the vegan Michelin starrestaurant in New York Will?
I wish I could remember it, butit's all about hospitality.
Yes.
Yes, I know who you're talkingabout yeah, and a lot of it is
that attention to detail thoselittle things that a lot of
people can easily skip over orjust don't even think about,

(49:13):
that's going to make likesomething go from that was a fun
event to like wow, that wasmagical.
And then you're talking aboutit for three months.
Now do you have any like whatwould you say to somebody who
wants to host their firstcannabis friendly event, but
they're not sure where to start?

Speaker 2 (49:36):
just do it.
I'm so excited, I want morepeople to do this and like,
don't, feel like you can'tbecause you're limited.
You're like, oh well, I don'thave as beautiful space like
this, so I can't let go of thecats and just figure out what
can I do and just go for it.
You know it's, your home is aplace, a park, like I.
Just technically consumingcannabis in public is not

(49:57):
allowed, but, like you know,there's gray zones and also,
like, what am I trying to do?
So think about what you want toaccomplish, what you want to do
.
What type of gathering do youwant to do?
You know, and cannabis andsomething is usually a really
great place to start, whether itbe crafting, listening to music

(50:18):
, drawing and coloring, going toa botanical garden, going for a
hike, reading a book, bookclubs.
So, like I love that cannabisand any niche topic really work
together and that's how you findyour audience in your community
.
So be narrow about what you'redoing and don't be afraid.

(50:38):
I think if you're hosting anevent, the first thing you need
is one a place.
Where are you going to do it?
Where are you going to get yourcannabis products and things?
So, whether you're talking to abrand or a dispensary or if you
are providing it yourself,figure out where you're going to

(50:59):
acquire your products from.
And then food, always food, andwater, especially water.
So once you throw an event witha bunch of stoners, you will
see that they're very hungry.
They eat like a plague oflocusts and we all need lots of
water because we all have drymouth.
So that's that's something thatwe try to make sure we have at

(51:21):
every event that there's plentyof water available, because the
worst is walking around an eventand you're so high and you're
so thirsty and you can't findany, or so we try to make sure
we have that little snacks andthings for people to eat,
because if you get too high andyou are on an empty stomach, you
don't have something to eat.
People could definitely overconsume and we've had a few
people accidentally pass out atevents.

(51:42):
So, um, consider that, keep itlow dose.
Um, it's sitting at home andgetting high off your ass is
different than being in a socialsetting and consuming cannabis.
Less is more.
Give people choices and options.
Uh, I don't, wendy, and Iactually don't recommend doing
infused foods at events, because, um, I've been to a lot of

(52:06):
events with infused foods andeverything is infused, so it's
not fun.
It's actually very anxietycreating because I don't know
what I can consume.
It's hard for me to keep trackof how much I've consumed at
different levels, and it createsfor a not great experience.
I think the for one of the firstones I went to, it was like a

(52:27):
pizza and movie night and it'slike the pizza was infused.
There was the student glasswith the gravity bong.
All the drinks were infused andI had tried all of them and I
was like, oh, I need to get home.
Like I can't even stay to enjoythis because I'm going to get
too high.
Um, also like giving people asafe and quiet place to be high

(52:50):
and have a quiet moment.
Um, a lot of people who attendmy events are also
neurodivergent.
A lot of us who consumecannabis are also neurodivergent
.
If you're introverted, it isvery difficult to be in a high,
extrovert, high social situation.
So creating and providing likequiet places is really important

(53:11):
.
So we'll have like a side ofthe venue or corner and we have
a sign where, like this is aquiet place that you can sit,
and if you see somebody sittinghere, like know that that's what
they're doing, and that isperfectly acceptable.

Speaker 1 (53:23):
And is that like a quiet place that people can use
too, if maybe they'veover-consumed a little bit too
much and just need a minute tosort of calm down?

Speaker 2 (53:30):
Exactly.
Yeah, we had recently at one ofthe Blue Dream tasting party.
I mean, there was 13 differentfarms with 13 different strains
of Blue dream and it was thefirst hot sunny spring day and
while we had food and water, youknow like, and there was, there
was a lot of consuming and sowe did have a couple people who
passed out and so, like that wasreally scary.

(53:50):
So having cold towels on handthat was definitely a lifesaver,
like cold, wet towels thatpeople could put on themselves,
especially if it's hot, if youhave CBD available, tinctures or
even like a smoke that can helpreduce people if they've
accidentally consumed too muchOrange juice always helpful.
A little shot of vitamin Corange juice, get some sugar,

(54:13):
drink some water, just sit down.
And then the cool thing is alsoa lot of people in the space
community like we've all beenthrough it, so we know.
So mostly people are um, ashamed, right.
They're like, oh my god, thisis so embarrassing.
We're like no, no, it's good,we got you like this happened.
Like everybody it happens.
Yeah, I was like this happenedto me last week.

(54:34):
It's fine, uh, yeah, and andeveryone's so nice.
Like they, they're they justlike I got you sit down and they
sat and talk to them and um,but you know, considering that.
So this is not a race.
I think that the best eventsand gatherings and the unlocking
of conversation happens, um,when it's just a light dose.

(54:56):
So we try to keep our eventsmostly to smokables and then
anything that is infused, weclearly label and we put a sign
on it and we'll say like this,like this, contains wheat or
mushrooms, consume responsibly.
And we set it aside so peoplecan either take it home to
consume on their own later oragain, being responsible and

(55:18):
knowing their own dose.

Speaker 1 (55:20):
Right, so you don't typically do a lot of edibles.
They are available for thosewho want them, but the food
isn't infused.

Speaker 2 (55:27):
I find that interesting.

Speaker 1 (55:28):
I have been to some infused meals before and the one
that I really liked I've beento a few by now the one that I
really liked the most probablywas a woman put on this lunch
and there was so much food andit was so amazing.
But she didn't infuse any ofthe food.
She infused the butters and thesauces and things like that and
everything was clearly labeledso you knew how much was in it.
So that means you could doseyourself, but then if you wanted

(55:50):
seconds or you wanted a littleextra dessert or whatever, you
could freely enjoy it withoutworrying about getting too high.
But how do you feel aboutinfused drinks at these events?
Because they do tend to come onfaster and then they have a
much shorter onset than atraditional edible.

Speaker 2 (56:06):
I love them, I think they're great.
I think they're a great optionto have at events.
We often say, you know, likecannabis infused drinks should
be available just like wine,beer and cocktails at any event,
and people can have a choice,especially, again, low dose.
I would not put any of thehundred milligram things out for
guests at a party just simplyfor your own liability, unless

(56:31):
you know your audience and youknow everybody has a tolerance
and you've asked that question.
I would always keep things lowdose and also providing options,
different ways for people tochoose how to get high, and I've
had some people.
I think there was an article Iwas interviewed for in
Lifehacker about how to hostyour own cannabis gatherings,
and somebody in the commentssection was like what?

(56:53):
I wouldn't give away my fruit,I would never give away my weed,
like that.
You know it's like, but alsolike, if you like to throw a
party, it's food, wine, drinks,it's kind of the same thing.
And so, again, think about yourguests.
You want them to have a goodtime, to have a good experience.
What does it feel like for themwhen they come to this event

(57:16):
and they walk through and theysee all the options?
What would they want to see?
Not necessarily what I want tosee, and you have to think of
everybody from the lowest dosenew consumer to somebody who's
very experienced.
The best cannabis infused fooddinner I went to recently was
actually for the Bon Appetit 420reunion episode Long Appetite

(57:40):
420 reunion episode.

Speaker 1 (57:41):
That was that looked good I saw that online too.

Speaker 2 (57:50):
Yeah, that was one of the best infused dinner
experiences I went to, andthere's a couple reasons because
Vanessa Lovrato was producingand overseeing the kitchen.
She had asked each of us whatour tolerance was, so she had
all of that information and thebasis of the episode was that
there was a chef who had nocooking with cannabis experience
, partnered with a chef thatdoes have cannabis cooking

(58:11):
experience, and they were tocollaborate to create a meal
together for us who areattending the dinner party.
And so when chef Wendy was thechef with the cannabis
experience and that was thatdinner was the most high I've
been in a second without gettingsick.
Like there's been times where,like I've accidentally
over-consumed in the next thing,you know, I'm like passed out
or barfing.

(58:31):
Um, I don't like to do that.

Speaker 1 (58:33):
And I've tried not to make a habit.

Speaker 2 (58:36):
Um, but this was like this pushed the limits of my
high, like I was very high butlike kind of pushed the ceiling
and I kind of came back that had.
I mean, I arrived we weresmoking B-Real was there, so
naturally there's a lot moresmoking.
We shared dabs out of the newmocha pivot.

(58:59):
There was welcome there's awelcome CBD mocktail to kind of
bring us down from what we hadbeen smoking.
And then each course wasclearly like dosed and then also
same, like similar to yourexperience.
Mostly it was like the sauceswere dosed and it was very light
.
So, and then the chefs werevery clear about the experience

(59:21):
and like so not only just thatyou're going to get high, but
they were curating like thecultivar and the product so that
it would kind of take you onlike a flow and a journey.
And sometimes people say that,but I don't feel it.
This.
This dinner really took us on anexperience like each dab that
was like paired with the courses, like the flavors, the terpenes

(59:45):
, the experience matched wherethe host wanted us to be at that
point and then like kind oflike mid-meal when we're all
like extremely high and kind ofdipping.
Um, one of the infusions waswith caffeine and kush, which is
like an espresso and chocolate,like infused.
It's a capsule, but she, wendy,took the capsule apart, infused

(01:00:08):
it into like a cream and asauce and used it to make these
like coffee, brown butter, babycorns that were so good, but
also that little bit of like thecaffeine and that sativa, like
brightening.
It kind of took us from likethat food coma, like overly high
state, to like awaken us backinto the conversation.

(01:00:29):
And then they did this reallybeautiful mid-meal like mocktail
over a granita that was, Ithought, so elegantly presented.
So if you look at, if you watchthe episode on YouTube which is
now available on Munchie'schannel, like you can see my
eyes at the end of the episodeand I'm just, I'm so high, it

(01:00:51):
was intense, but they were ableto really they knew that and
they were able to kind of bringit back with like CBD at the end
and like take us into a nicejourney.

Speaker 1 (01:01:02):
So that was and these were experienced cannabis chefs
as well.
So, folks, do not try this athome for your first-.

Speaker 2 (01:01:08):
Yeah, I wouldn't, I actually stopped.
I didn't even do all of thepairings for each course, like
the smoking pairings, cause Iwas like I'm just nope too much
so knowing my limits.
Because I was like I'm justnope too much so knowing my
limits.
I also know from experience howmuch of an edible I can eat and
how much I can smoke on top ofit.
So now I'm much more aware ofmy high experience and what I'm

(01:01:32):
consuming.
When I was newer to theseevents and cannabis and I didn't
know that information, it wasreally intimidating.
So that's that's something Istill try to remember.
When I'm hosting my own, I'mtrying to remember myself as the
bright eyed, excited person inthe space who is just very
intimidated and unsure of whatmy own limits were.

Speaker 1 (01:01:55):
Right, and that's that's.
I'm glad you pointed that outbecause as a host, you want to
be mindful of that that somepeople might have experience
with edibles and with smokingbut maybe don't combine them
very often and as a guest, it'simportant to the events like
consumption is totally optional.

Speaker 2 (01:02:21):
It's just, this is what we're doing and what we
enjoy.
It's here.
If you want to learn more aboutit, you can take some home if
you'd like, but a lot of people,like you know, if you want to
take just one puff, that's fine.
No one's here to make you feeljudged or shamed or that you
don't know how to do somethingor you can't take the biggest,
fattest bong rip, like we arehere, it's.

(01:02:43):
It's kind of like we look atourselves as like aunties, right
, it's.
We want to make sure you feelsafe, You're being able to
experience and try this in areally in an environment where,
like you know, like we got you.

Speaker 1 (01:02:57):
Yeah, set and setting , as always, and it's really
important to remember thatcannabis is so incredibly
personal to everybody, so youknow what works for one person
is going to work for the next.
That's important to keep inmind when you're hosting events.
Now, do you see any, any trendsin the cannabis event space
that have been sort offormulating at all?

Speaker 2 (01:03:16):
Definitely Like.
You were mentioning those fastacting nano drinks.
I'm loving those.
I know that that's reallypopular and very easy to find
now in like the hemp beverages.
So now in the US because of theloophole in the farm bill that
they haven't addressed yet, sonow there's.
You can get tons of justgummies and especially the
drinks.
You can go to like BevMo andregular grocery stores and you

(01:03:41):
can find these hemp derived THCdrinks and most of them tend to
be low dose.
Know that a hemp derived THChigh is a little bit different
than a THC high.
So if you're getting productsfrom like a legal dispensary in
a market, those for me that thathigh can, depending on the

(01:04:04):
ingredient, it can hit a littlebit harder.
But if you keep it low dose,keep it clearly labeled so that
people can make informeddecisions for themselves and
have a backup plan.
You know what if somebody doesget too high?
That's why we will try to havelike CBD elixirs or like those
tinctures available so thatpeople can make something for

(01:04:25):
themselves and then also provideoptions so that people, if
people do want to smoke but theydon't want to be too high,
we'll have a CBD or herbalblends that they can put
together An herbal blend is agreat way for somebody to who's
nervous or hasn't tried it tolike.
They can try a tiny bit and youget to smoke, but it's not the
full like too strong experience.

Speaker 1 (01:04:47):
Yeah, and you have to remember like and I don't mean
you, I just mean people ingeneral need to remember that
people are often veryintimidated about consuming
cannabis for the first time,especially in a social place
like you said.
So having those options is agood idea.
I never would have thoughtabout the herbal blends, but I
do tend to personally combine alot of my, my uh THC dominant
flour with CBD anyway, becauseit just takes off, cause I am

(01:05:10):
prone to getting paranoid when I, when I like, smoke or vape
cannabis.
but again, you know, cannabis isso personal to everybody that
having the option, as manyoptions as possible, sounds like
the best route to take Now.
Is there anything right nowthat's lighting you up?
As far as what's lighting youup right now?

Speaker 2 (01:05:31):
Oh man.

Speaker 1 (01:05:34):
I mean, we just talked about all your amazing I
know it's hard.

Speaker 2 (01:05:40):
It's kind of hard when the world is so stressful
right now.
Um, it's been really intense.
Honestly, what is lighting meup?
Hmm, I love the feedback.
Honestly, I I love hostingthese events because, like you
said, just the joy that I seefrom people when after they come
to an event, and the reactionsand how it's made them feel like

(01:06:03):
that, that level of joy isunmatched.
It's like such a great sense ofsatisfaction for me personally.
I mean, I'm also judging forthe California State Fair, so I
have a giant bag of the entries,so that's bringing me great joy
at the moment.

Speaker 1 (01:06:22):
Yeah that sounds like fun.
The fact that they have this ata state fair, I think, is
incredible too.

Speaker 2 (01:06:28):
It's so cool and it's so innovative.
Like at the California StateFair next to like all of the
other agricultural, food andbeverage and drinks and plants
and things that are judged andwin an award cannabis is there,
and so this is the third year Ibelieve they've been doing it

(01:06:49):
and so I'm part of the judginggroup and I can't really say
anything else about it yet.
But it's so exciting and thatthere's a whole area dedicated
to California grown cannabis atthe state fair.
People can walk through andlearn about how it's grown and
meet the farmer, and there's aconsumption area that people can

(01:07:11):
try these products and buy.
It's really neat and I hopethat it continues to
destigmatize and that otherstates will welcome it into
their state fairs.

Speaker 1 (01:07:21):
I would love to see that at local fairs here in
Canada too, because obviously wehave the agricultural fairs and
I do like to go to some ofthose in the in the fall in
particular, and seeing cannabisat them would be incredible.
But I'm one day.
One day we'll get there.
One last question for youbefore you wrap up, because I
want to be mindful of your time.
What would surprise peopleabout you?

Speaker 2 (01:07:45):
I'm actually really introverted.

Speaker 1 (01:07:48):
That is surprising.

Speaker 2 (01:07:49):
Yeah, I, I used to be much more extroverted when I
was younger and these days,actually, it's really draining.
I don't really like to bearound people that much, but I
love hosting events, I lovehosting gatherings, I like
seeing all of the elementscoming through, but that's also

(01:08:11):
when somebody, someone else hadmentioned like that it was
overwhelming to them and theyneed, and I could see people
like trying to find quietcorners to hide and I do that
myself at events and thenthere's this weird need to like
force people to be social andextroverted.
It's like, no, like it's okay.
So I actually I find, latelyespecially, I need a lot of

(01:08:35):
alone, quiet time and in socialsettings it's okay to be the
quiet person in a corner.

Speaker 1 (01:08:44):
I love that.
I'm glad.
I think that's a perfect way toend this because I resonate
with that so much, yeah.
So, christina, I am so gratefulthat you took the time to spend
with me today and answer all myquestions about hosting
cannabis events.
It's definitely renewed myinterest in doing the same where
I am.
And, yeah, I think everybodyshould check you out and I'll
have show notes where people canfind you online.

(01:09:06):
And, yeah, once again, thankyou so much.

Speaker 2 (01:09:08):
Oh, thank you so much .
It was such a pleasure being onand thanks for having me.
Yes, you should host events.
I mean, you also teach peoplehow to cook and bake with
cannabis, and people really wantto like teach people how to
cook and bake with cannabis andpeople really want to like small
groups of just like makingcookies, making tinctures, like
we're going to make mints at agardening class for potheads,
and people are so stoked aboutit.
So it's cannabis is more funwith friends.

Speaker 1 (01:09:31):
Yes, it is.
Yeah.
Well, friends, I hope youenjoyed that conversation as
much as I did and I hope itinspires you to think about
creating some special occasions.
I will post everything in theshow notes that we talked about
today, with links to Christina'swork and where you can find her
out in the world, and some ofthe other things that were
mentioned in the episode, in theshow notes and bitemepodcastcom

(01:09:54):
, and with that, my friends,please share this episode with
somebody that you think wouldlearn from it as well.
I'm your host, margaret, anduntil next week, my friends,
please share this episode withsomebody that you think would
learn from it as well.
I'm your host, margaret, anduntil next week, my friends,
stay high.