Photography by Lindsey Bartlett
We take out hats off to the team at Headquarters for a exquisitely dinner party theme right up the alley of the MARY aesthetic. On the eve of Thursday, Sept. 10th, the Headquarters Harvest Dinner took place in Lyons, Colorado in conjunction with Hosea Rosenberg of Blackbelly Market and Top Chef success and Kendal Norris of Mason Jar Productions, where the dinner was matched with food, drinks and cannabis for a multi-course meal.
Arriving at Shupe Homestead, guests were gifted with take home staples that consisted of a Headquarters candle, notebook, potted succulent, lighter, papers — and four different strains of cannabis numbered to pair with each course of the meal (one pre-rolled joint and three labeled mason jars containing about a gram of each strain),
Name tags were distributed and treated to drinks prepared by Crystal Sagan, owner of Three Chicks Bartending. The evening’s special cocktails were “A Wise Man”, mixed CapRock organic gin with lemon, fresh sage and a wedge of grapefruit, “Rose’s Thorn”, made with CapRock organic vodka, ginger, lemon, and fresh cucumber lining the glass, plus a flower as garnish — attached with a roach clip meant for later use. A wine selection, including a 2014 Triennes Rose from France, a 2012 Edge Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, and dessert, Leopold Brothers orange liqueur to add to coffee. To bring sounds to guests enjoyment was the performance of a folk band to lullaby the night away.
The Menu: A salad of local roots, haystack mountain chevre, mustard greens, and sunflower seeds paired with the Lambsbreath, a sweet Jamaican sativa with a pleasant, cerebral high.
The second course was of course a locally sourced flatiron steak, what Rosenberg saw as a nod to the Flatirons and the beautiful location, with Cure Farm potatoes and squash, charred Munson corn and an herb sauce. This family style entree was paired with two cannabis strains, each diner’s choice of either The White or Matanuska Tundra. The White is a 60% indica hybrid, said to be related to a famed cannabis strain called Triangle Kush that hails only from a small area in Florida. It had a spicy, earthy flavor, one that I loved with the steak and the fresh vegetables offered. The Matanuska Tundra was the heaviest indica strain we indulged in and was described as slightly floral, chocolaty and minty,and lead to a full body buzz.
Finally, the Matanuska Tundra or the Harlequin were the two recommended strains to go with dessert, Rosenberg’s take on s’mores with homemade marshmallows, chocolate sauce, graham crackers, peach, blackberries, and cilantro. The Harlequin was the strongest sativa strain of the night, producing an alert and clear-headed feeling, with a sour tang in flavor.
Members of Headquarters circled the dinner table with a pipe containing the strain selected for each course, explaining the properties and what the flavor was meant to bring out in the food. The table was also equipped with one-hitters in flower jars.
The overall ambiance and execution is where we salute and raise our hats in respects to Ashley Rheingold of Headquarters Cannabis Company and her team.
