Edibles, Elevated: Putting the CBD in Comfort Food
Cannabis and food go together. They just do. Who amongst us — those of us who partake, anyway — hasn’t meandered giggly and red-eyed to the microwave to nuke a bag of Totino’s pizza rolls?
But Chad Jones-Hicks thinks we can do better than that. With his new High Eats concept, the Columbia native brings elevated comfort food with a 420 twist: Any menu item can be infused with CBD or federally legal hemp-derived THC.
A Lifetime in the Kitchen
Jones-Hicks has been fascinated by food since he was a little boy.
“I would always be in the kitchen with my mom or my grandma, learning different things about cooking,” he says.
As a high school student, Jones-Hicks took culinary classes through Columbia Public Schools’ Columbia Area Career Center. Commitments to the basketball teams at Moberly Area Community College and, later, Lindenwood University, kept him busy during his college years, but after graduation he was back at it.
Jones-Hicks is constantly on the lookout for something new to try, whether it’s an ingredient, a technique, or a gadget. He finds inspiration everywhere.
He’s a big fan of Food Network, especially “Beat Bobby Flay.” He learned a lot from his Jamaican stepfather, Winston Osbourne, who can sometimes be found serving up something spicy at the Jamaican Jerk Hut food truck. He also enjoys experimenting with Asian flavors like fish sauce and gochujang. Lately he’s been intrigued by Italian traditions and trying to make his own pastas from scratch.
When it comes down to it, Jones-Hicks is all about comfort food. Think hot wings, brisket, coleslaw, and baked beans.
“Comfort food is good food. It makes you feel good,” he says. “And if you infuse it, it makes it even better.”
A Vision Takes Shape
It all started with a trip to Los Angeles, where Jones-Hicks and a cousin visited a cannabis lounge.
“It’s something I’d never experienced before,” he says.
These are upscale spaces, sometimes connected to a dispensary, where people can relax, smoke, and enjoy meals ordered from nearby restaurants. Jones-Hicks was blown away by the experience and dreamed of replicating it back home. He adds, “My end goal is to open a lounge eventually. That’s my five-year goal: to turn High Eats into a lounge.”
But, you know, baby steps.
Jones-Hicks decided to test the concept with something he called Cannabis Dinner Club: privately hosted dinner parties featuring tasting menus of four to five infused dishes. In April, he posted to some of the Facebook community pages to get the word out.
Alas, a “concerned citizen” reported Jones-Hicks to the city, and he received an email from the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health telling him to cease operations immediately.
Firstly, cottage law declares only certain foods meant for public consumption can be made in home kitchens. These include baked goods, canned jams and jellies, and dried herbs and herb mixes. Everything else must be prepared in a commercial kitchen. Secondly, he would need to obtain a Food Operating Permit.
So he did. These days, Jones-Hicks cooks at the CoMo Cooks Shared Kitchen, a commercial kitchen and food business incubator located on the Business Loop and has crossed all the Ts as far as permits go.
“I thank the person who turned me in because it made me go legit,” he says.
High Eats made its debut at a private event, where Jones-Hicks sold out on his chicken wings, nuggets, and tenders.
“All we had left was some shrimp and some guacamole,” he says. “We did $3,000 in sales that day. It was pretty crazy.”
Herbal Essences
Let’s get a few things out of the way, shall we?
Jones-Hicks is not cooking with marijuana. Any THC he uses is federally legal hemp-derived Delta-8 or Delta-9. Sometimes referred to as “diet weed,” these cannabinoids offer a milder high than marijuana.
Currently, foods containing CBD are A-OK to sell to anyone 18 and older. Foods containing THC, meanwhile, can be sold to people 21 and older. (Yes, Jones-Hicks checks IDs.)
And don’t worry: You’re not going to get hungrier the more you eat.
“You’re full,” Jones-Hicks says. “You’re not going, ‘OK, I’ve got the munchies.’”
And despite the name High Eats, Jones-Hicks says his purpose isn’t to get people stoned out of their gourds.
He uses a Lēvo herbal infusion machine to add botanicals to base liquids such as butter, honey, whipping cream, or sauce. From there, Jones-Hicks can calculate the amount of CBD or THC per tablespoon of liquid, which allows him to control dosage per serving. Customers can specify their preferred dosage up to 50 milligrams of THC.
And no, there’s none of that after-school-special-style peer pressure to try something you don’t want to try.
“All my food comes infused or non-infused,” Jones-Hicks says. “When I cook, I make two buffalo sauces, two butters. I want to make sure everyone has the same opportunity to eat my food.”
The Eats
For now, Jones-Hicks will hold monthly pop-ups at CoMo Cooks. So far he’s developed three signature items: Bud Bites, or chicken nuggets; Blazed Wings, hot wings; and Stoned Cauli Wings, a vegetarian take on the Blazed Wings.
“I’m going to say this: There’s a chicken wing contest — CoMo Wing Ding. Next year, I think I can win it,” he says. “I have the best wings in CoMo.”
So obviously, I had to take them for a spin. Don’t worry. Things aren’t going to get Maureen-Dowd-eating-a-cannabis-chocolate-bar weird.
The Blazed Wings are great. Jones-Hicks seasons them with his proprietary eight-spice blend before soaking in buffalo sauce and buttermilk, then frying naked so they come out perfectly crispy.
The Bud Bites are more like popcorn chicken than the big flat coins you might associate with chicken nuggets. These are tender white meat that’s been seasoned, breaded, and baked to have a nice crunch. No, not that kind of baked, but you could get there with some infused sauce. I am obsessed with the gochujang-based sauce, which offers the perfect balance of savory, sweet, and spicy.
I was especially excited to try the Stoned Cauli Wings. The cauliflower itself was perfectly cooked — fork-tender, but not mushy — and the CBD-infused sauce had a nice kick.
The first High Eats pop-up will be held from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at CoMo Cooks Shared Kitchen. For this launch, all orders must be made in advance at HighEats573.com. All signature dishes are served with coleslaw and chips.
In addition to pop-ups, Jones-Hicks says he is “going to grind and get out there” by being available for catering and community events.