Culinary Cannabis Skills, Certificate

The Career

A Culinary Cannabis Chef is a specialized culinary professional who expertly crafts food and beverages infused with cannabis. This unique role combines advanced cooking skills with an in-depth understanding of cannabis, including its cannabinoids (ex. CBD, CBG, CBN, CBC), terpenes, and the science of infusion. As the cannabis industry evolves and culinary cannabis becomes more mainstream, chefs in this field play a pivotal role in shaping the future of cannabis cuisine, ensuring both innovation and safety in their creations.

Responsibilities for a Cannabis Chef include creating and preparing cannabis-infused dishes, ranging from baked goods and chocolates to savory meals and cocktails, using oils, butters, tinctures, or concentrates. Precision in dosing is crucial, as cannabis affects individuals differently, so the chef must ensure consistent, safe servings. Mastery of flavor pairing is also essential, as the chef balances cannabis’s distinct flavor with other ingredients. Skilled in infusion techniques like decarboxylation and composing cannabis butter or oil, the chef ensures safe, effective infusions. Maintaining food safety and consistency is key, requiring careful measurement of cannabinoids and terpenes to prevent contamination.

As more states legalize cannabis, the demand for culinary cannabis professionals has steadily increased. In particular, the trend toward health-conscious, wellness-oriented cannabis consumption has opened up new avenues for culinary innovation. Moreover, as the mainstream public becomes more familiar with cannabis, the culinary cannabis industry is expected to continue to grow, with more restaurants, product lines, and events incorporating cannabis into their menus.

Culinary cannabis chefs can also expand their career paths by branching into other areas of the cannabis industry, such as edible product development, cannabis wellness programs, consulting for “budding” culinary cannabis businesses, and in positions as cultivators, extraction technicians, plant breeders, integrated pest managers, or processing and packaging technicians

The SUNY Niagara Approach

Classes are held in the cutting-edge kitchen facilities at the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute, as well as SUNY Niagara’s horticulture classrooms, greenhouse, and outdoor field spaces, offering a certification program that stands unmatched in Western New York.

In the laboratory courses, students will learn fundamental food preparation techniques, gaining the skills to create dishes from scratch while also mastering the use of advanced culinary ingredients and modern cooking methods.

The faculty, with years of industry experience and extensive education, are actively involved in the American Culinary Federation of Western New York. The program is designed to seamlessly transition students from the certificate program to an Associate in Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts and Horticulture, providing them with a comprehensive education to pursue their culinary and horticultural careers. 

• Upon the successful completion of this certificate program and the achievement of a passing score on the American Culinary Federation’s Specialized Certificate in Culinary Cannabis written examination, the student will be granted the American Culinary Federation’s Specialized Certificate in Culinary Cannabis.

Admission

Students admitted in fall, spring and summer.

Program Goals and Objectives

Prepare students for immediate entry-level employment within both the food service and cannabis industries.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will:

• Identify and define all 20 of the moist, dry, and combination cooking methods and relate them to a specific food source/recipe.
• Design / write the proper sanitation and safety techniques for proper equipment handling and care for all culinary ad/or cannabis lab equipment.
• Demonstrate the proper knife, preparation, cooking, flavoring, and plating techniques for basic culinary cooking skills.
• Orally critique the proper decarboxylation and infusion recipe methods during class, by identifying positive and negative points as well as producing feedback on how the recipe could have been enhanced.
• Analyze the medicinal benefits of cannabinoids and their interaction (relationship) with the human endocannabinoid system.