304 - Demystifying Cannabis and Food with Manny Mendoza
304 - Demystifying Cannabis and Food with Manny Mendoza
Listeners, we are back this week with Manny Mendoza
Chef Manny Mendoza is the founder and chef of Herbal Notes: A culinary cannabis experience & collective that aims to use food, cannabis, music and the arts as a means to bridge all walks of life closer together. Chef Manny is also an edible specialist with a license to infuse and manufacture products in Illinois — being among the first new Latino owners and operators in the space. The Herbal Notes mission is to use cannabis and enjoyment as a medium to bring awareness about social justice, mental health, holistic practices and restorative efforts to Black and Brown communities. You can find Chef Manny in action representing Chi-Town on Netflix’s “Cooked with Cannabis” episode 6.
During our conversation we talked about:
02:04 - His heritage
03:06 - Growing up finding his identity
04:13 - “I have to choose the best possible outcome for me everyday”
05:20 - Starting to see the community’s reality as a teen
17:44 - “I had no idea of who I was”
18:59 - “The concept of nation has made it hard for human beings to connect”
27:12 - His introduction to weed
29:17 - Weed and food
30:28 - “Those seeds move throughout the world with food”
31:11 - The stigma around weed
32:02 - “a way to further isolate and cripple different communities was to prohibit and outlaw what they use”
35:40 - Herbal Notes
39:05 - What’s next
41:08 - “I’m trying to introduce healthier options for our elders”
43:42 - “Cannabis industry has been white-washed”
Follow Manny on all things social:
Follow Cafe con Pam on all things social:
Join the FREE Cafe con Pam Challenge
Join our Discord space and let's keep the conversation going!
Subscribe, rate, review, and share this episode with someone you love!
And don't ever forget to Stay Shining!
