Meet Cloth + Flame: the Arizona cannabis culinary group.

What’s up with weed in AZ?

The Broccoli Report 
Friday, July 15, 2022
Time to read: 5 minutes, 21 seconds. Contains 1071 words.

Above: A desert table scape by Cloth & Flame. Photography by Winona Grey.

Meet Cloth + Flame: the Arizona cannabis culinary group.

It’s been a while since we hit the road to explore an emerging cannabis market. Lately, I’ve had my eye on Arizona, where there’s a healthy recreational tourist flow, a social equity program, and lots of sunlight for cultivators to thrive in less environmentally-taxing ways. So, when I heard about a Phoenix-based company that pivoted from offering hot air balloon experiences to cannabis dinners, I decided to reach out and ask them a few questions.

Cloth & Flame launched as a hot air balloon experience that concluded with a sensory dinner in the desert. From there, the business grew into producing private events, weddings, and community dinners at special natural destinations and historic properties all over the U.S. As they put it, the company is interested in creating “temporary venues and culinary experiences wherever they can be imagined, while working to conserve land by keeping it accessible and top of mind.” Across all the experiences they craft, though, the cannabis dinners spark extra creativity. While chefs get playful with terpene tinctures as aperitifs, guests partake in entertainment like sound baths, stargazing, or a vibey hammock lounge between courses. 

I chatted with Cloth & Flame co-founder Matt Cooley, who says the weed dinners are the most fun for the team to produce. We talked about who’s attending these sensory dinners and why, and he shared his take on the general cannabis culture, state of stigma, and opportunities in Arizona.