Photo by Chris Greenwell.
Photo by Chris Greenwell.
Jamie Evans
Age: 35
Author
The Herb Somm
Jamie Evans was studying wine and viticulture at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, on her way to becoming a highly respected expert and Certified Specialist of Wine, and a French Wine Scholar with over a decade of wine industry experience, when she realized she could apply the same principles to cannabis.
But the time wasn’t quite right yet, and it wasn’t until 2017 when she became a medical marijuana patient that she began to truly study the plant’s effects on the body, launching The Herb Somm blog and immersing herself in the small, but growing canna-culinary community.
“Given my wine background and love for the gourmet world, it seemed like the culinary side of cannabis was a natural fit,” she says, “so I dove in.”
In 2018, she brought the blog to life with the launch of Thursday Infused, a gourmet event series that highlights different cannabis chefs across the U.S. that, like the blog, are focused on education and promoting healthy and safe ways to consume cannabis, edibles and CBD products.
She has also published two books, The Ultimate Guide to CBD and Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home, and has a third, a cannabis cookbook, on the way this fall.
But Evans yearns for the day when cannabis-infused dining experiences aren’t just limited to private events and instead are as ubiquitous and accepted as the wine-tastings from her other, non-cannabis life.
“My goal is to continue to educate others on how to incorporate cannabis into the dining experience and work with other industry members to help pass legislation that would legalize cannabis cuisine,” she says. “To help shape this part of the industry is what excites me the most!”
Q&A
You’ve had an amazing career in wine, so what exactly prompted you to join the cannabis industry?
My relationship with cannabis began in college while studying wine and viticulture at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. After attending wine sensory evaluation classes, I realized I could use these same principles to evaluate cannabis, which was exciting! However, back then, the conversation around cannabis was a lot different than what we are witnessing today, so my cannabis use was purely recreational.
It wasn’t until early 2017 that I began using cannabis for medical purposes. I had witnessed a terrible car accident and couldn’t sleep. Instead of turning to alcohol or pharmaceutical drugs, I wanted to find a holistic way to heal myself, so I started researching cannabis. Surprisingly, I came across many similarities between cannabis and wine, but the ways in which cannabis works with our internal systems is what ultimately led to my career change. It’s almost as if this plant was made for us to consume, which is exemplified by the nature of the endocannabinoid system. After learning this, cannabis captivated me, so I wanted to learn more.
In March 2017, I launched my blog, The Herb Somm. Given my wine background and love for the gourmet world, it seemed like the culinary side of cannabis was a natural fit, so I dove in. I quickly became immersed in the small but growing canna-culinary community, which has led me to where I am today.
As a matter of fact you have also been successful in literature and events – what would say is the key skill or attribute that is enabling these successes?
I’m a firm believer that the key to success is perseverance. As an entrepreneur, many obstacles will arise, but to achieve your goals, you must be persistent and keep pushing onward. Only you can have the willpower and passion to stick with it. I also believe that networking is crucial. It’s so important to get out there, meet new people, and share your goals of where you aspire to be in this industry. You never know who you might meet or who might be able to help along the way!
If you could pick one thing to change or add to the industry, what would it be and why?
As of now, freshly prepared cannabis cuisine is still considered illegal when served in public spaces (like a restaurant). This obstacle presents many challenges for anyone operating in the canna-culinary industry, given that no provisions in state or federal regulations permit it. For this reason, many of the infused dining experiences that are happening now are private events, significantly limiting consumer access, even though these experiences are highly sought after.
In the future, I’d love for cannabis restaurants, cannabis cuisine, and cannabis cocktail bars to be legalized. My goal is to continue to educate others on how to incorporate cannabis into the dining experience and work with other industry members to help pass legislation that would legalize cannabis cuisine. To help shape this part of the industry is what excites me the most!
What is the biggest milestone you’ve hit so far in your career?
Having the opportunity to write three cannabis cookbooks for a mainstream publisher has definitely been a highlight of my career! When writing my first book, The Ultimate Guide to CBD, I learned so much about the book writing process and how much responsibility comes with writing literature about cannabis. My second book, Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home, was a passion project and deepened my love for cannabis drinks and the art of crafting infusions. My third book will be published this fall 2023. This time, I have an incredible co-author, Chef Haejin Chun of Big Bad Wolf SF. We are writing a cannabis cookbook that will capture the excitement of anyone curious to learn more about how to cook with cannabis, so keep an eye out for more exciting details coming soon!