Necole Hines created Faded Living - a private cannabis and Jamaican fusion full dining experience. (Submitted photo/Necole Hines)

By Becky Zimmer

Jamaican Fusion

Many loves combined in Jamaican cooking and cannabis fusion

Feb 20, 2023 | 7:00 AM

In the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Necole Hines noticed something working in the cannabis industry: many of her coworkers at a large dispensary had never actually consumed cannabis infused food.

So, in January 2021, she decided to combine her plant experience with her love of cooking and created Faded Living – a private cannabis and Jamaican fusion full dining experience.

People are not often afraid of food so, as a chef based in Vancouver, B.C., Hines said she has been able to offer an outlet for people to step into the cannabis world through her food parties or workshops. She began teaching people how to make their own infused butter, oil and honey out of products they could pick up at their local dispensaries. She also started The Faded Living and Friends podcast, which just launched its third season in January and offers another platform for the cannabis community.

“The concept of that was to be a platform to share the voices of diverse people in the cannabis space to show how normal we are, how magical we are, how we are really like productive individuals and they’re doing amazing things in the industry, where I don’t think those stories were being told,” Hines said.

Even as Canada enters its fifth year of legalization, Hines is still seeing stigma around cannabis use. She explained too much focus was on sweet edibles rather than what people can do with infused cooking. She wants to educate as many people as she can about the options, and that not all of them include getting high. For example, raw cannabis leaves are low in THC but high on nutrition. They can be used in things like salads and smoothies without getting high.

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Starting with low doses of THC, Hines’s motto of “start low, go slow” is inclusive for everyone, whether first time or long-time cannabis consumers. She said it creates a better experience around the table. Infused cooking offers a different high, she said.

“Even a person who has been consuming it for decades can really still be very sensitive when it comes to eating it. So, that’s why I found that teaching people how to work with low THC cultivars, it helps create a better experience for everyone.”

Necole Hines started The Faded Living and Friends podcast, which just launched its third season in January. (Submitted photo/Necole Hines)

Cannabis infused olive oil. (Submitted photo/Necole Hines)

A mango smoothie is a popular cannabis-infused treat. (Submitted photo/Necole Hines)

While Hines focuses on a Jamaican inspired dishes, she also sees a lot of versatility in other fusions.

“I tell people all the time that if I teach you how to infuse an oil, like olive oil, coconut oil, etc., you can make any of your favorite dishes.”

“Almost all the things that you like to eat can be infused in some way, shape or form.”

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