By Cara Anderson
IG: @carajojo
Photos by @greengoddessphotos
Moonlit Moveable Feast was a glorious medicated three-course dinner held in Joshua Tree, California. The event was hosted by Mary Jane University’s High Dining Club.
Nearly every friend I explained Moonlit Moveable Feast to wanted to essentially know how I didn’t “die.” First off, no one dies from cannabis. No one. There are zero deaths from cannabis, fact. Secondly, I get that they were talking about getting too high for society, but this was a mature, responsible event. The dosage of the entire meal was limited to a total of ten milligrams of THC. Ten milligrams is a tickle! It was a great tickle and patrons had the option to medicate further with Emerald Exchange’s Sungrown smoking section, Awakened Topicals medicated martini bar, as well as Medicine Box chocolates and tinctures.
Barbie Sommers (Faerie Jane) and Lindsey Jones curated the Moonlit Moveable Feast. Everything down to the shimmering silver cardstock that the menus were printed on was on point. I am all for feminine energy events geared towards unifying, spreading love, and healing knowledge. Thanks be to these women.
“I like to say the best things in life aren’t things, so we chose to call ourselves experience creators when we started because that’s what life is all about. MJU High Dining is all about creating an upscale, educational and even magical experience with cannabis. Our experiences are designed to be low dose to be inviting to a new cannabis user, with options such as the Emerald Exchange sun-grown lounge for more seasoned cannabis users to add to their experience.” Lindsey Jones, MJU High Dining Experience Curator
On my way to the feast, I drove through Joshua Tree, trying not to crash as I ate up the beautiful neighborhood, the mountains, and the painted sky. Upon parking, I checked in at the compound gate where I was asked for my Rec.
First step through the gate; Stephen Hubbel and Paul Kowan set up side by side making pieces and answering questions about the boro flameworking process. Mesmerizing.
Blissful patients floated around the private artist compound where the event was hosted. The FURSTWURLD compound, owned by metal artist Bobby Furst, showcased a surreal desert scene as the sun set and the Taurus moon came into full view.
As I perused the compound, I was approached by Keiko Beatie. Keiko works with Green Wave Relations and is a board member of NORML Orange County. She has long been a cannabis lover who believes in natural healing. Keiko worked at one of the first alternative cancer clinics in Mexico and moved on to study Naturopathy, Herbology, Acupuncture, Rebirthing, and vegetarian cuisine.
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Photos by @greengoddessphotos
Keiko was one of the “Roaming Educators,” she guided me to the Awakened Topicals martini bar where Levi Strom was concocting Terpene-tinis with Tito’s and infused with terpenes by Higher Vision Cannabis. So began the Sunset Course. I don’t drink so Levi mixed up a Pellegrino virgin martini for me and garnished it with a near-perfect cannabis leaf.
The Higher Vision Cannabis terpenes selections were strain specific.
Sativa: AC/DC and Blue Dream
Indica: Pink Panties and Berry White
Hybrid: Blueberry Muffin, Sweet Serenade, Trainwreck, and White Berry
Nicole was strolling around the compound in a fluffy jacket, and I had the pleasure of catching up with her. Nicole runs Herbivora Care and makes “cannabis comfort balms.” Herbivora Care’s intention is to “enhance health by relieving pain and suffering, awaken well-being by utilizing herbal remedies and cultivate self-care that encourages the wisdom of daily practice of nourishing habits.” I’ve only tried their Skin Deep balm so far, and I highly recommend it.
Other cannabis personalities roaming the property were:
–Sabrina Phelps, the Chef who created the magical menu for Moonlit Moveable Feast.
– Molly Peckler of Highly Devoted, world’s first cannabis dating coach.
– Lauren Unger of Hint of Greens
– Lizzy Tish of Lizzy Tish Cookies, who created a non-medicated, triangle cookie with Moroccan spices to compliment Chef Sabrina’s Menu
As well as artists:
– Spencer Kiez
–Jessica Wright with Liquid Light projections
The first course was displayed on a hefty Himalayan Sea Salt slab; fall harvest roasted squash soup, with sage Pot D’Huile infused extra virgin olive oil, creme fraiche, and house-made hemp seed crackers. The soup was like a bowl of home and hugs.
The event was broken into two seatings. I was part of the 6:30 group. We sat, and I met a woman that does cannabis branding and advertising who lives in Yucca Valley with her horse who is “just perfect.” I sat across from “Edible Expert” Alice Moon and a man who grows weed on his deck. As Barbie puts it, “Alice Moon is a cannabis personality known for swallowing tons of medicated products, so her company is naturally called Swallow. You can usually find her smoking and swallowing at cannabis events throughout SoCal.” The anonymous man said that his Chem Dog weed was top notch.
Massive platters of Taurus moon superfood salad were placed on the table. The salad dazzled us; Coastal Organics mixed greens, farmers market roasted sweet potato, broccoli, avocado, watercress, sprouts, and hemp seeds tossed with Schaner Farms pomegranate seeds and Awakened Topicals raw cannabis oil tincture dressing. The raw cannabis oil dressing served not to deliver a psychoactive effect, rather the healing benefits of full spectrum cannabinoids.
Seated next to me was Emily O’Brien, the founder of Mondo Meds. We spoke about our first times smoking weed- she was 11, and I was 12. If it worries you to think about 11 and 12-year-olds smoking, be calm, we both turned out okay. However, Emily is more than okay. Her company Mondo Meds was born from years of working as a chef in Michelin restaurants where she honed her chef skills and learned about molecular gastronomy. Additionally, Emily medicated for the pain of a back injury and then began medicating for her anxiety.
Mondo Meds produces a cannabis powder that is, from what I’ve tested, great on any food. Emily said she prefers to eat the powder by itself, that it is has a consistency like cotton candy. The powder is crafted utilizing pesticide free, organically farmed, Blue Dream flowers. Mondo Meds infuses coconut oil with cannabis flowers and then dehydrates the infusion to create a delicious, convenient, non-addictive, and effective aid to anxiety.
“I want to take Xanax off of the market,” Emily stated.
It’s a beautiful goal, and Mondo Meds has the potential to do so. Since I’ve been taking Mondo Meds the past six days, I highly recommend this product; I’ll be writing a thorough review soon.
As we ate the salad, the moon rose above the steel fence and poured its love onto the diners. The Moonrise course began with Moroccan Mint Tea by Got Thyme, followed by the main course. The main course was a protein served over saffron couscous, roasted romanesco, Weiser Family Farms carrots, charred red onions, and topped with Schaner Farm’s pomegranates & Medicine Box Equanimity Tincture house-made salsa. For meat eaters; seared organic chicken breast marinated with harissa. The vegetarian option was wild mushrooms: chanterelles, oyster, king oyster, and brown beech mushrooms marinated in harissa and sauteed in garlic hemp oil.
I had the wild mushrooms; easily one of the best meals I’ve ever had, aside from my mom’s dinners. Certainly better than any cannabis pasta dish I made in highschool when I began experimenting with oil infusions.
Khara Pechtes of The Bloomfield Co. was in attendance. The Bloomfield Co. produces feminine fashion forward vape kits. Their flowers come from their boutique farm, and their kits are discrete, sustainable, and honestly have flawless packaging.
“Joshua Tree is a magical place; I watched the sun slip behind the mountain ridges, fading into a sea of orange, blue, and purple. It was the perfect place for a moonlit dinner under the twinkling stars, emotions run deep, so when you’re connecting with like-minded people under the full moon, you’re able to tap into that energy that might not be available if you weren’t in this type of setting.
We’re so lucky to learn from our friends, educate, and grow through our carefully crafted cannabis community. With the changing of the seasons I definitely felt a shift, and can’t wait to see what’s next for 2018. Bring on the dinners, the collaboration, and all that we can offer to each other in business and friendship.” – Khara Pechtes on Moonlit Moveable Feast
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The Stargazer course was lead by Barbie who introduced one of the Roaming Educators, Royce Robertson, owner of the Joshua Tree Coffee Company. He dropped so much knowledge in each breath; explaining the complexity of coffee blending and roasting. We moved from the long dinner table and were left to enjoy High grade certified organic coffee and with our dessert; persimmon, apple blood orange crisp with happy seed edibles CBD infused honey.
“He can geek out on coffee just deeply as our favorite biochemists geek out on cannabis strains.” Barbie on Royce Robertson
Post-dessert, I caught up with Lee from Medicine Box. I met Lee at Cannabliss Retreat last month; she’s a thoughtful woman, and I was so happy to learn that she started working for Medicine Box, as she’s a living and breathing testament to their products. Lee is an artist, mother, and medicates for ailments. Medicine Box’s truffles were cut into small doses, feast-goers were able to try the truffles and tinctures at their own discretion. Lee’s favorite Medicine Box product is their Equanimity Tincture.
I was starting to feel the medicine when I came across Magician Roby Sobieski blowing minds with sleight of hand. I kept looking for the answer to his card magic, and I caught myself exclaiming “Yooo!”
The Emerald Exchange Sungrown Lounge was brought to us by the Emerald Exchange and featured pre-rolls from Green Goat Estates, artisinal cannabis from Mendocino. They also brought a beautiful bong from My Bud Vase.
A stone’s throw from the smoking section were two telescopes, respectively manned by Kyle Simon and Brennan.
Kyle Simon is from Pennsylvania, lived in New York for 20 years, and has been habitating Joshua Tree for the past two years. What brought him here is the expansive sky, a desire to further study and understand the universe, “I moved here for more space.” Kyle is an artist who has worked with the likes of James Turrell. Coming from a printmaking background as well as a few other specialized fields like instrument making, Kyle now builds his own telescopes. The telescopes that he creates are designed to transform the light waves coming off of celestial objects into sound. The frequencies provide information about the structures of said celestial objects.
During Moonlit Moveable Feast, Kyle’s telescope and speaker setup measured the frequencies of the moon and pumped the translated resonance into the party.
Overall, I am so grateful that events like Moonlit Moveable Feast exist. The cannabis community and industry is generally built on love and passion for healing and providing access to the best products. If you’re interested in attending one of their events, sign up for MJU’s High Dining Club, membership is free, and you can receive discounts on their events!
