Netflix Chef Leather Storrs On Cuisine, Cannabis, Kelis And Shared Experiences

Written by Hernán Panessi for El Planteo.

"I think that viewers enjoy the culinary sophistication and the chefs’ skills, as well as the guests and the games, the educational component and the humor," acknowledges Leather Storrs, chef and host of “Cooked with Cannabis,” a Netflix NFLX cuisine show, focused on marijuana.

“Cooked With Cannabis” is a cooking contest in which three cooks prepare cannabis infused meals in front of the Netflix audience, competing for the chance to win around $10,000. The hosts, Storrs and R&B and neo-soul singer Kelis, invite their friends to the jury, to evaluate the cooks’ culinary delights.

“I've made many, many, many marijuana edibles,” begins Leather Storrs (yes, that is his real name). The chef from Portland, Oregon, has been cooking with cannabis for almost 10 years now.

Throughout the concoction of the dishes and, fundamentally, during the arguments that the participants make in front of the “jury of experts”, the CBD and THC doses are always at the center of the discussion.

1g per plate, 2? 3? Less? More!?

“The amount of CBD and THC is subjective, but I think that a meal that is carefully prepared not only enhances the enjoyment, but also creates a shared experience with the other diners and the chef,” suggests Leather.

See also: The International Church Of Cannabis Is Colorado's Hidden Gem

A variety of cooking methods, infusions, preparations, magic. Starter, main course and dessert. Flying ingredients, satisfied smiles, blown minds, inviting smoke. Half chill-out, half gourmandise. The series compresses the best of Master Chef and adds a playful and somewhat psychedelic quota - without ever losing composure. Likewise, the show constitutes itself as a kind of natural heir to the series “Cooking on High” and “Bong Appétit.”

“Cooked With Cannabis” disproves the stigmas of cooking with marijuana by presenting the best of haute cuisine (stirring ideas on chemistry, doses and tools) along with the trendiest characters of the stoner showbiz (from the drag Queen Alaska to actor Flula Borg, to singer Elle King and comedian Sabrina Jalees).

What was Leather's favorite dish throughout the show?

“There were so many wonderful dishes in the first season that I have a hard time choosing one.” says Storrs. “I think Liv Vasquez cooked all her meals exceptionally, but I also think the hamburger from the barbecue episode was superb."

He adds one more to the list: "Amanda Jackson's grilled yellow gazpacho looked elegant and beautiful, and it tasted delicious."

In terms of his own experience in weed gastronomy, Leather is a specialist in the field. “It is always good to begin with some cannabis infused fat”, he points out about taking the first step, regarding foods that include fats or lipids such as olive oil, coconut oil, milk, or butter.

“But you have to be cautious!” - warns the connoisseur.

Why?

We all know it but it, but it doesn’t hurt to reinforce it: smoking cannabis is not the same as eating it.

"It can take up to two hours to feel the effect," Storrs says. “The feeling begins from the feet up. Eating cannabis is gentler than smoking, but the experience is also deeper and lasts longer.

“Eating too much is a good way to ruin the experience forever. Also, if you're feeding others, you have to make sure you try it first."'

See also: Holy Smokes! Meet The Nuns Who Grow Weed

So, just like any other kind of alchemy, and like the show's DNA itself, cooking with cannabis requires a delicate balance.

Leather knows this to the core: “Too much cannabis sucks. I cannot stress this enough. Not only does it ruin a plate, it ruins your whole week."

Meanwhile, another of the show’s appeals is the pair of Leather with Kelis. Both hosts operate with kindness, they are not aggressive like in the rest of the cooking competitions, and they tend to be complacent with the participants. You do not usually see great tensions in “Cooked With Cannabis,” or Godzilla-sized hysterics as in the average reality show. This, in a cannabis show, is valuable.

"Kelis is an absolutely wonderful person," Storrs says of his co-host. “She is kind, smart, super knowledgeable about food and makes the people around her feel good. I am very happy to have worked with her and to have forged a friendship. It's just easy to be with her and feel comfortable in her presence.”

Among the most prominent guests on the show, Leather singles out longtime Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat basketball player John Salley, whose career was crowned by the Chicago Bulls, and has now taken an ever bigger jump into cannabis activism.

“I'm a huge basketball fan, but I was delighted to find that he is an extraordinary human, too!” He professes, and adds: "[Salley] is very knowledgeable about cannabis, a very curious person, and spectacularly funny."

“Honestly, all of our guests were great,” shares Storrs. “They were eager to be a part of this experience, they were authentic in their eagerness, and they took their part as food judges very seriously.”

See also: The Kardashians And CBD: Kim And Kourtney's One True Love

After a successful first season (“The response from the public was very positive”), long recording hours (“We got to film two episodes in a row per day and my brain felt like cotton candy”), and a contribution to cannabis culture (“Cooking With Cannabis enriches our humanity”), Leather Storrs hopes to film a new season.

"I beg Jesus for that to happen," he dreams.

Image via YouTube.