Here’s what to expect at the new high-flying dining series from the design-minded byMINISTRY brand

A secret, moveable feast has been doing the rounds in Toronto. The menu is unique, the guest list confidential and the venue, only a select few have access to — and only a few days prior to the event.

It’s the Enlightened Dining Club, a monthly, secret supper club hosted by the cannabis lifestyle brand byMINISTRY. The dining series aims to be about more than just getting high. And with a price of $100 to $150 per person, it will certainly be reserved for special occasions.

In a sneak preview, four such infused dining events were hosted in the city this month — The GrowthOp attended the third. The fourth event was a sold-out, ticketed event attended by 50 people at a gallery space in the western fringe of the downtown core of the city. The five-course meal was prepared by Ted Corrado, culinary director for byMINISTRY.

Most talked about dish of the night: A dessert comprising 5 mg of CBD (sativa dominant Green White Shark) and made of matcha white chocolate, and seabuckthorn mousse. byMinistry

“We are a design-forward company, so every dish was created keeping this element in mind,” says Corrado, who has previously worked in The Drake Hotel and the Royal Ontario Museum kitchen as head chef.

The dessert, for instance, was a “labour of love.” “The idea was to create a dish that goes beyond brownies and gummies. An elevated design, the dessert mimics the company logo and is something playful.” The guests were served piping hot creamy matcha sauce that was poured over the dessert to reveal layers of flavours inside.

The dining event was a collaboration with Toronto artist Dahae Song. byMinistry

Erring on the side of caution, Corrado chose to keep the cannabis dosage for the entire meal under 10 mg. “The first two courses had 5 mg of THC and the dessert, in an attempt to balance things out, was high in CBD. I wanted the guests to not only enjoy the night, but walk out feeling in control,” he says.

Guests said they appreciated the low dose.

“During the good ‘ol prohibition days, I was invited to two infused dinners and one infused brunch,” says Jessica Nudo, co-founder at Nudo & Rook Communications, who also attended the event. “In fact, I left one of these experiences feeling like I was going into cardiac arrest (it turns out it was just a very bad panic attack), so my low-tolerance self definitely appreciated byMINISTRY’s low-dose offerings,” she says.

Working within the confines of Health Canada’s strict regulations, the event was hosted at a private location, and reserved for attendees who were 19 years of age and older. No alcohol was served on site, and all attendees were asked to sign a standard legal waiver ,”which stated that no cannabis was purchased on the site, and that attendees were paying for the experience and our services,” says Corrado.

Squash on a bed of stracciatella cheese and garnished with compressed persimmon and nasturtium leaves. The dish has 2.5 mg of THC (sativa dominant Lemon Skunk). byMinistr

The February series will see Corrado teaming up with one of Toronto chef Matt Ravenscroft of Rosalinda. The pair will serve a plant-based infused feast, hosted in collaboration with Partisans, a swanky design studio in Toronto. Tickets can be purchased by signing up on the byMINISTRY website.

“The dining series is a great way to break the ice, whether it’s a date night or if you are looking to introduce your parents to cannabis for the first time,” says Casie Stewart, a Toronto-based blogger who attended one of the dinners.

“I am on a path of being Cali-sober, where I am more onto cannabis than alcohol and this is an ideal plan for a night out, where you can get together with friends and rather than going to a bar, where the music is always too loud, can hang out in a fun and interactive environment.”

Duck eggs on a bed of locally sourced wild mushrooms. The dish included 2.5 mg of THC (in this case, indica-dominant LBS Sunset). byMinistry

The supper club’s organizers aim to showcase ways cannabis can be a part of people’s lives. Every month, once such infused dinner will be hosted.

“My entire professional career has been about making experiences accessible to the public,” says Shauna Levy, former Design Exchange CEO and president, and now the CEO of byMINISTRY. “The idea with this supper club is to showcase that cannabis can be integrated into all these fields whether it’s design, fashion or culture.”

“You had a great night, really delicious healthy food, had a few laughs, and then the next day you are back to work,” says Levy. “We are starting in Toronto and will move from there. Ultimately, the idea is to go global.”


This article was originally published in https://www.thegrowthop.com/cannabis-news/by-ministry-infused-cannabis-dinner

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Jessica Nudo

Editor, photographer, storyteller.