Life is so funny that sometimes things come together all on their own. After years of wanting to work in a cultural area, months of job searching, and weeks of training, I found myself working in the artistic oasis that is Pilsen. It’s honestly been slightly short of a dream come true, not only am I surrounded by art, but I’m also surrounded by my culture and my favorite food. It was in discovering my new work surroundings that I came across the Pilsen Art House.
The Pilsen Art House is exactly what it sounds like. A safe space for artists and creatives alike to just exist. A space where local art can be shown and enjoyed. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been a part of two of their showcases. I attended their Art Bazaar, where I enjoyed the artwork of some very talented local artists. As soon as you walk in, you feel at home. At home in this house that boasts brightly colored walls and a refrigerator that has been signed by just about everyone who has visited the place. It’s small and quaint with a large backyard area where you can enjoy a doob if you want to. I really encourage everyone to support this gem, a local hideout made by artists for artists. I’ll link you to their social media HERE.
The event that I’ll be discussing in this week’s post is the Art & Edibles event that took place this past Saturday. A gathering of elevated creatives sharing their love for artwork and infused food. It was exactly the place where I needed to be. I met some amazing people and got to try some of their yummy treats. Through this post I’d like to introduce you to 3 amazing edible vendors. We’ll start with the first one I saw.
I was setting up my table when I caught, out of the corner of my eye, one of the vendors happily giving another vendor a taste of what I immediately recognized as Mac and Cheese. Hungover from a night of drinking, and starving from skipping breakfast, I made a beeline toward her table. Jayne, which I hope is her real name, served me a generous portion of her infused Mac and Cheese. I don’t know if it was the cold, my hunger, or a combination of both, but that Mac and cheese was delicious. She mentioned it was about 8 mgs a spoon, which is honestly the perfect dose for me.I enjoy low doses in the delicious food that I’m unable to put down. After eating the bowlful, I did feel slightly toasty, but not the usual punch to the head that some edibles give. I checked out her table and immediately what caught my eye were these solid chunks of chocolate shapes she was selling. While I stood there salivating over these chocolates, she looked me dead in my eye and asked me “What are you going to do with that piece of chocolate?” I smiled, knowing that I would devour it slowly in bed in my underwear while watching crime documentaries. I asked her how many mgs were in the chocolate, and she smiled at me and said “Just go slow”. I’m afraid I won’t have self control enough to stop myself from eating that entire chunk of chocolate in one sitting. All in all, she had great quality items, and an even greater personality. Make sure to check her out on Instagram!
There are few people in this world who are able to work a room in an effortless manner. Well Joy is definitely one of them. The unofficial door greeter at the Art & Edibles event, sitting smack dab in the entrance, was her smiling face and welcoming demeanor. The kind of soul who’s words heal. I am passionate about passionate people, and hearing her talk about her reasons and why was refreshing. I have to admit, I am not a fan of the higher dosed edibles. I did enjoy hearing about her own personal family experience with pain and using edibles to medicate. I understood why she makes them higher doses, and I learned a little about how and why they are dosed that way. I was extremely skeptical to try her 600 milligram cookies, so instead I chose a very non threatening confetti cupcake to try. I also purchased CBD infused honey. I used the honey in my tea over the weekend, I actually tried it alone at first. I’m a big fan of honey and it tasted delicious on it’s own. I had the honey in my tea as I was feeling under the weather over the weekend and it helped me doze off to sleep. I also tasted the cupcake, only the tiniest bit, and it was actually very good as well. Looking forward to some down time when I can eat the whole thing.
The girls from Mama Mia Delights are what their name would imply, absolutely delightful. They are downright the friendliest and funniest bunch I’ve had a chance to meet. It’s a treat meeting so many nice people in the cannabis community. They had a bucket full of small samples of their seasonal pumpkin bread and their brownies. I am not usually a fan of pumpkin. In fact, I was slightly sad that their usual banana bread was replaced with pumpkin bread. Then I tasted it. It was so soft and moist and was the perfect teaser to what I imagine their delicious banana bread will taste like. I also picked up one of my guilty pleasures, a rice krispy treat. The rice krispy treat, I was impressed, was made with the original rice cereal. I’m used to seeing a lot of variations of cereal, but there’s truly nothing like the classic. It was delicious and a perfect dose of 75 mg’s per treat. Just enough to permeate, but light enough where you’re still able to be productive. The same can be said about most of their treats, based off of what I saw in their menu. As someone who can’t bake to save their life, I can really appreciate the consistency and the quality of their baked treats. Very excited to be getting my banana bread soon, I imagine it’s just, if not more, delicious.
I am truly grateful to the Pilsen Art House not only for allowing me to showcase my blog, but also for introducing me to some amazing people. It’s a humbling experience to encounter the people who are putting their sweat and tears into their artwork, and into their food. The cannabis industry is new in Chicago, and it’s been very eye opening to encounter all the new edible makers putting out amazing infused food. Looking forward to watching this industry develop right in our very own city, with help from places like the Pilsen Arthouse.
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