A Most Enlightened Dinner with Mirayo by Santana
By Caliva Staff
The integration of cannabis into everyday life is fast reaching completion here in California, but its acceptance into a wider social dining context is still in its early stages. You know you probably won’t be stopped from lighting up in the restaurant parking lot, but it’s not the most glamorous feeling.
Why not enjoy a glass bowl at the dinner table as casually as a glass of wine?
This past Sunday, October 23, Mirayo by Santana partnered with Cultivating Spirits to do just that: host a thoughtful cannabis flower-paired course dinner—an Enlightened Dinner—on the gorgeous grounds of The Claremont Club overlooking the San Francisco Bay.
As the rosy hue of golden hour set in, the 60-or-so guests slowly streamed in, including The Parent Company’s CEO Troy Datcher, Salvador Santana, and Octavio Diaz of Herrera Farms, which had partnered with Mirayo for the Mochi Cake strain flower. Each place setting included an individual glass pipe and a course list crafted by the Claremont’s executive chef Joseph Paire, inspired by Mirayo’s message of spiritual and creative awakening while paying homage to Carlos Santana’s Latin heritage.
The atmosphere was laid-back and convivial with songs by Carlos Santana playing, interspersed with the gentle strumming of live musician AshEL Seasunz. Kicking off the evening was Master of Ceremonies Philip Wolf, founder and CEO of Cultivating Spirits—an event company pioneering such cannabis-paired dinners and an ongoing co-host of the Claremont’s Enlightened Dinner series.
The dinner began with an amuse-bouche of Puerto Rico-inspired tostones—fried green plantains topped with a smoked trout salad with lime juice. Chef Joseph explained over a call, “Anytime I’m working with [cannabis], I ask, ‘How do you introduce these flavors in subtle ways, [when] we don’t infuse the food?’ ” The fresh citrus acidity and mild smokiness helped “open up the senses” to the cannabis flower notes to come.
At the second course, the guests were encouraged to take their first hits of Mirayo’s Maui Wowie, notable for its pineapple-forward tropical fruit notes. Its harmonious food pairing was a blue corn tostada with chanterelle mushrooms in traditional Oaxacan mole manchamantele which incorporated roasted pineapples and tomatillos in an innovative sunflower seed base (the seeds harvested at the Claremont’s own vegetable farm). Goat cheese was crumbled on top to coat the palate, helping to hold on to the Maui Wowie both in flavor and as a fat to help bond with the cannabinoids.
The MC Philip Wolf later remarked on how impressed he was with Santana’s message of deepening people’s relationship with the plant, creating a real connection, and in oneness with all. This was an aspect felt viscerally, thanks to AshEL Seasunz' flowing music that grounded the attendees in the moment.
As the sunset dropped behind the Golden Gate Bridge, the third course of Carabineros Prawn arroz was up next. The rice was made paella-style, crispy with saffron, and black garlic aioli fat adding to the absorption of the cannabis.
The fourth and main course was an Atlantic stripe bass, 40-pounds and flown in that day, accompanied with a red pea cassoulet play on refried beans. The fire roasted heirloom tomatoes—half from the garden, and half from local farmers (“Tomato season runs a bit longer in California”, remarked Chef Joseph)—provided a nice acidity to the fish.
Paired with the stripe bass was Mirayo’s Mochi Cake flower, which was subtler than the Maui Wowie. MC Philip Wolf confided that it was his favorite for how it was "citrus forward with a subtle earthiness, offering a burst of energy that led to a grounded feeling in [the] body.”
Throughout the meal was a blackberry and rosemary sparkling tonic as a refreshing, non-alcoholic palate cleanser.
Dessert was an elevated take on the churro, glazed with Red Belly Honey—a naturally CBD-infused honey created by bees fed with hemp juice—providing a red hue and pleasant acidity. It was served with smoked chocolate crema and a touch of fennel pollen, which just happens to have a high terpene profile of its own, perfectly rounding off the meal.
Seated at two long kings’ tables, the attendants were happy to pace themselves with both food and flower. As Phillip Wolf has noticed, “We talk about the cannabis, how it’s grown, and terpene profiles, but [ultimately] people just want a safe place to consume cannabis and have a great meal.”
The social equity aspect was not lost on the diners, and the Chef Joseph, Philip Wolf, and The Parent Company’s Troy Datcher all spoke of the Enlightened Dinner as a small but important step in the movement to bring cannabis forward in a new light. The established Claremont Club opening up to host the gathering—a cannabis consumption event on the property—was in itself a sign of elevated times to come.
All in all, the evening achieved the goals of the Enlightened Dinner, according to Philip Wolf: a “sensory experience and safe container where people could tune into the spirit of the plant”.
Guests enjoying the night included Friend of Salvador Santana, Troy Datcher (The Parent Company), Salvador Santana, and Mike Vu (The Parent Company) (L-R).
