The chef who brought New York City’s first cannabidiol- (CBD) infused dinner to The Keep in Ridgewood is now planning on opening what he is calling one of the state’s first fully legal CBD-infused coffee shop in Glendale this summer.
Chef Leighton Knowles of Glendale, who calls himself the Culinary Ninja, is partnering with the owner of an established business on Myrtle Avenue to create a coffee shop that will offer customers coffee infused with CBD, a non-psychoactive component in marijuana that gives the plant many of its medicinal properties including pain and anxiety relief, helping to ease seizures, and a host of other benefits, while avoiding the high associated with smoking it.
Knowles declined to provide the name and location of the Glendale business where the coffee shop will be situated because the copywriting papers are pending filing and approval.
Knowles got the idea to sell CBD-infused coffee from David Dzurik, the founder of DeezCBDCoffee and DeezTea, sponsored by Joshua Jetton and his company SacredBody CBD. Dzurik — who runs his business out of Colorado — and Knowles have now partnered to sell DeezCBDCoffee products out of the coming coffee shop in Glendale.
The soon-to-be coffee shop will cater to all customers, not just those looking for the CBD-infused coffee. They will also have a selection of regular coffees, espresso, cappuccino and fresh juice.
“We’re not just going to be doing one infused coffee,” Knowles confirmed. “We’re obviously going to have other types of coffee, but we’re only going to use one infused. We’re going to have non-infused and infused because obviously some people may not want it, but if you’ve got a coffee shop, you’ve got a coffee shop. And as a chef, that’s what I like to do. I like to bring the community together.”
The back of the shop will have outdoor seating where Knowles anticipates hosting community coffee nights where they can host events and where local artists can display their artwork once a month.
Knowles is expecting the shop to open at the end of August or the beginning of September, after renovations are made to the shop that will create a counter, a to-go window at the front of the store, and other improvements needed to sell the coffee.
All certifications and licenses, along with the lab results for the CBD-infused coffee will be on display in the shop. Anyone who is looking to purchase the CBD-infused drink must be over 21 and will need to show proof of age.
Marijuana is still illegal under federal law; however, the drug has varying levels of legality across the United States, with some states already fully legalizing recreational marijuana use. New York has legalized medical marijuana, but only in liquid, vapor or pill form, and has also decriminalized possession of small quantities of the substance.
Knowles understands, just like with the dinner he hosted, there will be plenty of skepticism with selling CBD-infused coffee, but he assured QNS that everything is 100 percent legal.
“I happily encourage the 104th Precinct or any officers to come in, run tests, do whatever they need to because at the end of the day I am about being legal,” he said. “I’m trying to make people realize it’s not bad for you.”
Follow the Culinary Ninja Facebook page for updates from Knowles about when and where the coffee shop will open.
