Cannabrunch by Yonder Eats Will Get You Sky High — And Hungry for More

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Monica Obradovic

Chef Leah Osborne's shrimp and grits served at cannabrunch.

The one-mile trek to QT was an endless hell that I’d wish on no one. 

It’s not like anyone pressured me to roam through The Hill after consuming 60 mg of THC. And it’s not like my friend and I consumed all that THC against our will either. It was a wonderful hell of our own creation.

We knew full well what we were getting ourselves into. 

On a warm Saturday at the tail-end of winter, my friend Nova and I made our way to Pop’s Blue Moon(5249 Pattison Avenue) on The Hill for Cannabrunch in a belated celebration of legal recreational cannabis. Cannabrunch, a monthly event hosted by chef Leah Osborne of Yonder Eats, involves consuming cannabis in the most delicious way possible. Osborne whips up a five-course meal — three savory and two sweet — each infused with 10 mg of THC. 

The only issue with THC-infused food? Even after a fairly large and delicious meal, Nova and I were still hungry. After walking along Shaw from Pop’s to a taco place for what felt like two hours (but in reality was probably more like 20 minutes), we discovered it was closed. Thus began the hellish walk to QT, where we eventually sunk our teeth into pizzas and cinnamon-sugar pretzels. 

But our hard-sought goodies were nothing in comparison to the meal we just had — even if the meal left us with a raging high and a serious case of the munchies. 

When we arrived at Pop’s Blue Moon, the atmosphere was calm and low-key. People at tables and the bar chatted over a playlist of psychedelic rock playing softly on a speaker. 

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Monica Obradovic

Chef Leah Osborne and Mighty Kind founder Josh Grigaitis host cannabrunch at Pop's Blue Moon.

Courses arrived at about 15-minute intervals. First was a slice of tortilla española — an egg and potato omelet topped with creamy sauce and alfalfa sprouts. Nova and I didn’t feel anything until the next course, a butternut squash soup that Nova said he could “eat a gallon” of. But things really hit the fan after the third course — shrimp and grits topped with roasted peppers.

At this point, we’d consumed about 30 mg of THC. Let’s put that into context: Your average weed gummy contains 10 mg of THC. Me, being the ultra-weed-sensitive person that I am, usually get sky high if I consume so much as half of a gummy. 

And to top it off, our $50 tickets included one drink from the bar. Pop’s Blue Moon owner Josh Grigaitis, who also founded Mighty Kind, a beverage brand that sells cannabis and hemp seltzers, offered to make us a cocktail with Mighty Kind’s water-soluble THC additive. I opted for a lemon-cannabis seltzer out of a can, also containing 10 mg of THC. 

So, needless to say, after munching and sipping our cannabis, Nova and I were positively blitzed. 

Then came dessert. 

You know that Disney movie Inside Out about memories and emotions? The one where Amy Poehler’s character launches into a quest to save a young girl’s core memories? The tiramisu Osborne served is now a core memory of mine — something I’ll never forget. The creamy, whipped mascarpone; the coffee-dipped lady fingers with just the slightest bit of crunch — it was a stoner’s dream snack, much more elevated than the Doritos I usually satisfy my munchies with. 

On the same plate was a slice of cheesecake with a thick graham cracker crust. Bliss. But at this point, I irrationally worried about damaging my brain forever from being so high. I ate half and Osborne wrapped the rest in aluminum foil so I could take it home. 

If you’re ever in a position where you have to ask someone questions in a professional manner — be that to a boss or a journalistic subject — heed my advice. Do not do so whilst stoned out of your mind. 

Osborne kindly let me pull her aside to ask her a few questions about cannabrunch. In a state of sheer hubris, I thought I could do this as if I hadn’t just consumed 60 mg of THC.

Speaking in a tone that can only be described as a cross between Shaggy meets an inebriated Jennifer Coolidge, my questioning led with “What was the inspiration for this meal?” (What?)

Osborne kindly answered my dumb question. The answer — Grigaitis. The water-soluble THC additive his company produces is easy to distribute into food, Osborne says. Every gram of the additive contains 67 mg of THC.

“What’s great about it is you can literally just add it into water, or into a soup or sauce,” Osborne says. “As long as I don’t cook it over 200 degrees, I’m good.”

I grabbed a pic of Osborne and Grigaitis at the bar and made my way outside to enjoy the rest of my high. I can only imagine what drivers traveling south on Kingshighway thought as they saw Nova and me giggling on the side of the road as we ravenously consumed a hot cinnamon pretzel and personalized pizzas.

Osborn and Grigaits hold a cannabrunch every month. If you go, I highly recommend traveling with a designated driver. 

And keep snacks in your car, because Osborne’s incredible infused food will please but leave you hungry for more.