A combination of culinary savvy, expert marijuana knowledge and a crush on a stoner TV show sparked Steven John’s quest to become a cannabis cuisine pioneer in Thailand. “It all started for me around six years ago when Bong Appétit first aired,” says the Swiss-Thai chef, whose weed-infused dining experiences are wowing adventurous diners in Bangkok.

The hit show from Munchies and Viceland, now in its third season, has helped fuel a growing cannabis cuisine movement. It sees top chefs prepare multicourse meals with marijuana for party guests, including celebrity potheads rapper B-Real, funk legend George Clinton and singer Lykke Li.

Inspired by what he was watching, John decided to follow suit in Bangkok. “I was fascinated by the potential for incorporating cannabis in different forms to food in a fine-dining setting,” he adds. “So, I started experimenting, making my extractions and cannabis ingredients to cook. I started to invite friends for dinner parties. It became quite popular, and it took off from there.”

John's cannabis cookery has become more sophisticated since those early affairs. He pays close attention to the evolving trend of consumable weed, which is gaining traction globally as more chefs and entrepreneurs get in on the green rush via gourmet edibles, marijuana infusions and hemp garnishes. It inspires his nuanced incorporation of marijuana into food.

This journey has been assisted by the normalization of cannabis in Thailand. It's been a process that led to the near-total legalization of marijuana in the Southeast Asian country in early 2022.  This unexpectedly rapid liberalization has given John better access to a wider range of high-quality strains to use in his cooking.

After five years of serving up private dinners, John went fully public with his cannabis culinary odysseys in October, hosting a series of events (named Bong Appétit in homage to that primary inspiration) at unique venues around Bangkok.

His food combines judicious dosing with no small amount of gastronomic flair. Dishes include “H-E-M-P,” which utilizes a Thai-inspired hemp pesto sauce with hemp seed linguine that is garnished with dried citrus zest, bacon bits, hemp powder and breadcrumbs. Raw cannabis juice is incorporated into sauces, gazpacho and ice cream. Dosages are relatively gentle: between 10-12mg of THC or CBD spread over five to six courses of food and mocktails.

John’s cannabis dinners are technically prohibited with the use of over 0.2% THC in edibles still — at least officially — forbidden in Thailand. But Thai authorities are now widely turning a blind eye to cannabis use.

“We want to show that cannabis can be enjoyed when incorporated responsibly and tailored towards the clients who are participating. View it more like you’re having a wine pairing with your dinner. After each glass you’ll feel a little tipsy but not drunk — that’s what we’re achieving with our infused menus.”

John’s cannabis culinary experiences build on a cooking tradition that has been an integral part of Thai food culture for millennia — and has received a new lease on life since legalization. Home cooks have been using weed as an element in recipes for centuries, and ganja leaves are listed as an ingredient for curries and other Thai dishes in some of the nation’s most beloved cookbooks, such as Mae Khrua Hua Pa (1908).

The use of the plant goes back much earlier, with origins in medicine rather than food. Over the centuries, cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes and in topical ointments for muay Thai fighters. The country's cannabis — especially the Thai Stick strain — is legendary, considered to be some of the highest quality weed in the ’70s. Even "bong" is an adaptation of the Thai word baung.

And even when weed was strictly prohibited — it was made illegal in 1934 — it was widely known as the "secret" umami-giving ingredient in classic Thai dishes like central Thailand's famous boat noodles, a thick meat and noodle soup. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical that gives cannabis its trademark “high”, is mostly concentrated in the flowers (or buds) of the plant. Food vendors can now breathe easy knowing that using the cannabis plant's non-psychoactive roots, stalks, stem and leaves as ingredients no longer carries the risk of a fine or even a jail sentence. Indeed, Thailand's newly liberalized laws on weed are clearing the way for new possibilities for cannabis cuisine.

It's hard to overstate how near-legalization has changed Bangkok. Cannabis businesses, ranging from pop-up dispensaries to bong sellers, line the streets and crowd the sidewalks. In busy commercial and tourist areas like Sukhumvit Road and backpacker mecca Khao San Road, the heady aroma of high-grade bud mingles with more familiar Bangkok smells like traffic fumes, wok-fried noodles and grilled meat. There’s been a proliferation of cafes and restaurants serving food and drinks prepared with cannabis as an ingredient.

In the years leading up to legalization, there was a sizable uptick in online businesses in Thailand selling edibles such as brownies and gummies. Yet the use of over 0.2% THC in edibles is still — at least officially — forbidden by the Thai authorities. So John is literally and figuratively stirring the pot with his events, which he actively promotes on his social media. The chef, however, seems relaxed about his rule-flouting and is confident that other chefs will follow in his footsteps as Thailand goes further down the path toward a green economy. 

“There's progression, and we are anticipating that the laws towards THC edibles will change soon too, and we can be fully transparent,” he says. "There's so much room to play and cook with it. I believe the more time goes on, and the more ambitious the Thai cannabis industry gets, the better quality of cannabis food you'll see in the future."

“There’s rich history and tradition — even pride— when it comes to cannabis in Thailand, and I am looking forward to being part of the current and future movement from a chef’s point of view.”

Have you tried cannabis cuisine beyond standard edibles? What was your experience?