Cannabis Eats Across the Island

Exterior of DeMarco’s Department Store circa 1920s. Photo courtesy the Farmingdale-Bethpage Historical Society and the Farmingdale Public Library Digital Photograph Collection

continued spirits,” Teed said. “For that reason, and because of people like Dave Wondrich, who is a cocktail historian, we have access to the recipes that were used at the time and oftentimes the spirits that were being used, so to the best of our ability with the ingredients at hand, we are actually recreating those same cocktails.”

Some cocktails offered at the speakeasy include the “French 75,” a mix of gin or cognac, lemon, sugar and champagne and the “Mary Pickford,” named after an actress in the 1920s, with aged white rum, maraschino liquor, pineapple, pomegranate, Peychaud’s bitters and lime. Ten other cocktails are listed on the menu, along with wine and beer offerings.

Bartending at the start of the pandemic was difficult as food was allowed, but alcoholic beverages were not. It made Teed feel as though his craft was lesser.

“Fortunately enough,” he said, “it wasn’t completely like [Prohibition] because people were allowed to make to-go cocktails, so the industry held out for a while, but at a point, they stopped allowing to-go cocktails and when that happened it was 25% capacity. The people who were making serious money bartending now have very limited ability to keep the lights on and pay their rent,” Teed said. “What happened because of it is a lot of people paired down their staff so places [were] not run as efficiently as they want to. It’s more stress for everybody working, and the product sometimes suffers, but like fine dining, people genuinely care so you have people who still strive for that higher [end] result, but to an extent, it’s a bit reminiscent of [Prohibition].”

Before the DeVito brothers renovated and reopened the speakeasy with the frozen yogurt shop as a front, Frank DeMarco owned DeMarco’s Department Store. No official documents show that a speakeasy existed at that Farmingdale location, since it was illegal at the time to have one and there are no documented police raids. DeMarco’s store is estimated to have opened in the 1920s, and DeMarco was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, according to Toniann Contarino, a librarian at the Farmingdale Public Library.

When Charlotte’s Speakeasy is open for business, DeVito likes to show people photographs of the outside of the building from the 1920s and show them the old escape route. On the way to the escape route, there is a table with mementos from the past and objects that people have gifted to the speakeasy. One such item includes a bottle from the shipwrecked Lizzie D.

The Lizzie D was a tugboat that left New York Harbor in 1922 to allegedly assist a distressed schooner and vanished in a strong storm. There is speculation that the Lizzie D carried illegal liquor. The ship was found in 1977 when divers discovered the ship with crates with hundreds of bottles of Kentucky bourbon, Scotch whiskey and Canadian rye, about 15 miles off the coast of Long Island, according to the Mob Museum.

“What are you giving this to me for?” DeVito said.

“Look, about 100 years ago, this was on its way to you and it missed by [a few] miles. I wanted to be the one to finally deliver it to where it was supposed to go,” said the man who gave DeVito the bottle.

A bottle from the shipwrecked Lizzie D, gifted to Charlotte’s Speakeasy by an unnamed donor. Photo by Megan Naftali

“I wanted to be the one to finally deliver it to where it was supposed to go.”

A Long Island speakesy 100 years in the making

Photo courtesy of Nataliya Vaitkevich / Pexels

THE MUNCHIES

WITH LEGALIZATION, CANNABIS-INFUSED DISHES RISE IN POPULARITY

By Darian Kukral

Decadent fudge-covered cake pops, fresh zingy chicken tacos and sugar-coated lemon berry cupcakes aren’t the only dishes and desserts that can be infused with marijuana.

In fact, nutritional fat and marijuana are the best of friends. When the two interact, it causes a unique high.

Any fat such as butter, coconut oil, olive oil and even bacon fat can be infused with marijuana.

Marijuana-infused baked goods, culinary plates and beverages have become a new trend in a number of states. From household ingredients to small businesses and restaurant empires, marijuana is popularly used in the kitchen.

The Marijuana Regulation Taxation Act (MRTA), passed on March 31, 2021, legalized adult-use (21-plus), recreational cannabis in New York State.

With legalization came the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), governed by the Cannabis Control Board, to regulate adultuse, medical and cannabinoid hemp (CBD). The OCM issues licenses and regulates this new industry.

Many cooks with a passion for the plant, novice or expert, have since started businesses specializing in marijuana-infused food.

According to David Falkowski, founding president of Open Minded Organics (OMO), a certified hemp grower, marijuana-infused food has become noticeably more popular on Long Island after the MRTA passage.

Photo Courtesy Alesia Kozik / Pexels

A Caprese Sandwich. Photo courtesy Open Minded Organics.

“Especially now with the passage of the MRTA, decriminalizing marijuana and edible products had a delay in receiving regulations which led to licensure,” said Falkowski. “I know many would like to call it a gray market, but it’s not. I would definitely say that edibles, consumables, chewables, etc. have been the largest growth sector in products in the cannabis space here on Long Island.”

Many Long Island business owners have taken advantage of their culinary skills to create restaurants and bakeries specializing in edibles.

Places such as OMO create their food from the cannabis plants that they grow in their facilities. OMO opened a food truck in 2021 that included fresh infused foods and treats for customers to buy and sample.

“In 2018, when the next round of hemp licenses opened up in New York, we received orders right away because we already understood the cultivation, and most importantly, the processing of these products,” he said. “When we brought products to market early, many people were grateful it was us because we had that long-standing relationship with them.”

Korean fried shitake. Photo courtesy Open Minded Organics.

MAKE SURE YOU “KNOW YOUR MAMA”

For Falkowski, OMO has become a company distinguishable from other hemp organizations because of its licensure.

“First and foremost, always know your mama,” said Falkowski. “In other words, you will want to know where this stuff is coming from, right? Is it a trusted friend who made it and has already consumed some of it themselves? Buy from a reputable source and ask questions and know what it is that you’re consuming.”

Fifteen years before receiving a hemp license in 2018, OMO was growing certified organic mushrooms, vegetables and herbs. While operating farmer’s markets and processing foods like pesto sauces, OMO also had a long-existing customer base before selling marijuana infusions.

“You could cook a little cannabutter on the stovetop and make an edible infused batch of brownies, but there’s only one way to find out how effective they are — through eating them and experimenting,” Falkowski said. “Whereas when there is access to analytics, as a licensed manufacturer would use, infusion starts to get a lot more professional and easier.”

The rise of marijuana-infused food has become a great market for Dead Baked Treats, a Long Island certified baker that has been in the food industry for eight years.

With an allergen and gluten-free certification earned under AllerTrain in 2019, Dead Baked Treats’ owner, who does not wish to be identified, has continued to keep her transparency by creating her own natural, safe environment of marijuana-infused treats to help customers feel comfortable with where they may be purchasing from.

Since 2015, Dead Baked Treats’ owner has also been certified by the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) as a food manager and handler. After attending culinary school for years and working as a head bread baker, she quickly moved to create her own small bakery business within the marijuana industry.

“Some people never really cooked before and some may think that if you grind up the weed and add it in the food, it will work right away, but a lot of people don’t understand the true science and effects behind it,” she said. “There are true culinary lessons to learn before cooking with cannabis.”

MARIJUANA’S PLACE IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

“There are hundreds of ways to infuse marijuana with food,” Dead Baked Treats’ owner said. “Some practices start with concentrating products, maybe using [carbon dioxide], making a butane hash oil or an alcohol tincture.”

When gifting treats, Dead Baked Treats tries to connect with the customer to gauge the perfect infusion for each individual. Whether you have pain or insomnia, Dead Baked Treats has you covered.

“I have a lot of people that have back pain, insomnia, and I also know a lot of people that unfortunately have cancer, and it helps them in so many ways,” said Dead Baked Treats’ owner said. “An indica dominant hybrid in my baked goods is usually what I

Italian Rainbow Cookies. Photo courtesy Dead Baked Treats.

go for because it allows individuals to earn a relaxed feeling, to take away certain pain and to overcome insomnia.”

Dead Baked Treats also uses all-natural ingredients without including nuts, peanuts, gluten, dairy or fish.

Misean Fredricks, Hofstra University junior public relations major and Long Island native, prefers marijuana-infused food when he needs to creatively relax, including infused pizza, brownies and lollipops.

“The taste is just a giant plus, but marijuana-infused food has always been something to turn to when I need to clear my mind,” said Fredricks.

Dead Baked Treats has long dreamed of becoming one of the first fully medical marijuana-infused bakeries on Long Island that helps local customers with helpful and professional advice.

“I just know a lot of research, and I’ve done my training. I have even traveled to the states where it is completely legal to learn and understand the business and creation of marijuana infusion,” said Dead Baked Treats’ owner. “There are no bakeries on Long Island, and my goal in life is to be one of the first fully medical bakeries very soon.”