Celebrities have been at the forefront of licensing in the emerging consumer marijuana industry, with musicians leading the way. It is starting to look as if celebrity chefs will drive the next wave of branding activity in this sector.
Recent chef-related ventures tied to cannabis and cannabis-infused edibles have taken many forms:
- Mindy Segal, cookbook author and owner of Mindy’s Hot Chocolate in Chicago, is launching a line of sweets, such as granola bites and flavored brittles, that incorporate butter made with cannabis oil. Her partner for manufacturing and distribution is Cresco Labs.
- Hosea Rosenberg, a former champion of Top Chef and owner of a restaurant called Blackbelly Market, cooked a four-course dinner at an event in Denver last fall at which each dish was paired with a cocktail and a cannabis strain. Headquarters Cannabis Company supplied the latter.
- Jody Hall, a baker and owner of the Cupcake Royale chain of bakeries in Seattle, launched The Goodship Company to create premium cannabis-infused baked goods such as cookies, sold through recreational marijuana shops in Washington State.
- Payton Curry, a restaurant owner known for his television appearances in the Phoenix area, was hired to spearhead the recipe website of Northsight Capital, owner of WeedDepot, an online platform that allows cannabis-related firms to connect with consumers through content and advertising. This partnership was forged in 2014, making it one of the first connections between chefs and marijuana-based edibles.
None of these examples involve licensing agreements, and two do not even have anything to do with product extensions per se. But all demonstrate the logic of celebrity chefs entering the world of legal marijuana, as long as they have compatible cooking styles, objectives, and beliefs. In all likelihood, the first licensing deals are not too far away.
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