14 DAY TRIAL // A formally-trained Scottsdale chef is teaching medical marijuana cooking classes on how to prepare healthy recipes utilizing marijuana to Arizona residents.
Payton Curry, owner of the Brat Haus and Tacos Haus restaurants in Scottsdale, isn't serving marijuana at his restaurants, but he wants to show people how to make meals and smoothies, or “medibles” as he calls them, using medical marijuana and other natural and healthy ingredients, like honey.
According to Phoenix Business Journal, Curry trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and interned at the Four Seasons in Singapore, and in his spare time, he teaches others how to use the proper ratio of weights to fat for their body weight, height, and metabolism, in an attempt to help them get back to a healthy lifestyle.
The use of marijuana extracts was legalized in Arizona in March, and Curry says he’s only interested in the medicinal properties of the drug. The well-known cook has a medical marijuana card, so he is able to get the drug legally to help treat his anxiety and depression. He explains that medical pot really improved his life, that's why he now wants to help other qualified people learn how best to prepare edible marijuana.
And besides endorsing the use of medical pot, the cook is also a strong advocate for organic and locally grown ingredients.
He says medical marijuana helped him adopt a healthier lifestyle, as years ago, he was severely overweight from his drinking habit. But after he switched to medical marijuana, he quit drinking and managed to lose weight.
Curry goes on to say that medical marijuana can help with the symptoms of cancer, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy and has many other medicinal properties, so learning to prepare marijuana properly is very important in order to avoid overdoing it.
“I want the medicinal properties of this. I don't want to get stoned out of my mind and eat Cheetos with peanut butter and listen to the Grateful Dead,” he said.
When asked whether he is worried about putting his successful restaurant business at risk by being an advocate for medical marijuana, Curry said, “I am not worried about making people healthy. I know that it worked for me, and for me to be able to stop drinking.”
Actually, he could turn his love of cooking and the current demand for edible weed products into a new business, as he says he has received plenty of requests from people who want to learn how to prepare medical marijuana properly.