Chef Spotlight: Monica Lo of Sous Weed

The Herb Somm

Jul 14, 20173 min read

Bringing Sous Vide Cannabis Creations to San Francisco

(Photo by Patrick Wong)

Cooking with cannabis is one of the hottest trends in the herbal industry. Award winning chefs and talented edible producers are at the forefront of this exciting gourmet movement, and are creating unique recipes and pairings that elevate the dining experience.

As passionate foodies and curious cannasseurs, we here at The Herb Somm have launched a ‘Chef Spotlight’ series, highlighting industry leaders that use cannabis as a key ingredient for their culinary creations, applying unique cooking techniques that create the best medicated infusions.

This month we chatted with one of our favorites - Monica Lo, Creative Director, Photographer and Creator of Sous Weed.

Based in San Francisco, Sous Weed is a culinary company that is dedicated to using cannabis primarily as a cooking herb and flavor ingredient by applying sous vide cooking techniques to their handcrafted recipes. Sous vide (pronounced sue-veed) refers to the process of vacuum-sealing food in a pouch or airtight container, and then cooking it at a precise temperature using a warm water bath (see image below).

Sous Weed’s sous vide infusions in a water bath cooking to perfection

This cooking technique and Sous Weed's custom recipes are available online and include delectable dishes that can easily be made at home.

Some of our favorite summer recipes include Sous Weed’s Medicated Ahi Poke Bowl featuring infused sesame oil, Medicated Sea Salt Melon Ice Cream including medicated dulce de leche, and Grilled Asparagus with infused olive oil (pictured below).

The Sous Weed team also provides catering services for private events or pop-up dinners highlighting their sous vide cooking philosophy.

Sous Weed's Grilled Asparagus with Olive Oil

Sous Weed's Grilled Asparagus with Medicated Olive Oil

We were lucky enough to catch up with Monica and ask her four questions about Sous Weed including her favorite cannabis pairings and foods she cannot live without. Below are her responses:

Tell us about yourself and why you launched Sous Weed?

I started Sous Weed as a passion project and blog to document my sous vide cannabis creations. At the time, I had herniated a disc and the pain in my lower back was unbearable. I could hardly walk and the effects of the prescription pills made me sick to my stomach.

With the sous vide method, I discreetly infused cannabis into my meals to help with the pain management and healing process. I could create healthier meals instead of the standard brownies or cookies and was able manage the doses to my personal needs.

What is your favorite cannabis food pairing?

I’ve got a lot! But it’s summertime and I’m currently obsessed with sweet, jammy figs with crumbled blue cheese and a big drizzle of medicated honey. The combination of sweet, savory, and a little funk is out of this world. Bring it to a picnic and it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. You can grab the recipe here.

What are two foods you cannot live without?

Nigiri sushi and medicated honey. So many different applications for medicated honey - toast, smoothies, desserts, cocktails… etc. And sushi, I could eat that just about every day.

What is one piece of advice you’d give for cooking with cannabis at home?

It’s a lot easier than you think! Once you have the cannabis infused into an oil, fat, tincture, or syrup base, you can use that in virtually any dish. The possibilities are endless!