Margaret 00:00:05 Welcome back, friends to episode 305. And today I am thrilled to be sitting down with Christina Wong of Fruit and Flower. Welcome to Bite Me, the show about edibles where I help you take control of your life. I'm your host and Certified Ganjier Margaret and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here. Friends, welcome back to another episode of Bite Me. I'm so glad you're here to listen in on this conversation, which I was really excited to have. I've been following Christina's work for quite some time over on Instagram. She makes the most beautiful baked goods I have ever seen. And not only that, hosts what looked to be the most magical events that I could imagine. And as someone who has been looking to host in-person events locally because I can't always get to the nearest big city to attend, And I thought, who better to ask than this queen of cannabis events? And so when Christina said yes, that she would come on the show, I was very excited.

Margaret 00:01:14 Now, if you're not familiar with Christina, we will get into it. Of course, in the episode, you'll hear it straight from her. But Christina is a Clio Award winning storyteller and seasoned PR and communications pro who spent over half a decade in the food and restaurant industry working with well-known chefs, restaurants, hospitality and cannabis brands. Her imaginative and delectable creations have earned numerous awards and accolades, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. You're going to hear a whole lot more about how Christina hosts events, what makes them so magical, what makes them so buzzworthy, and why people keep coming back. And if you've ever thought about hosting your own event, whether that is just a simple dinner party with a few close friends, or something larger and more formal than this episode is for you. So please, without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Christina Wong. Okay everyone, I am really excited to be joined today by Christina Wong of Fruit and Flower. And in case you aren't familiar with her work, I'm going to have Christina say hello and introduce herself to the listeners of Bite Me and to maybe tell the listeners what it is that you do.

Christina 00:02:29 Hey, everybody. Thanks for having me on, Margaret. So I started as a baked baker. I was just really interested in learning how to cook and bake with cannabis, and then it just kind of opened up a whole new world. And my background, before I started doing, before I became fruit and flour, I worked in public relations and marketing and branding for restaurants, chefs, food brands. So I was very familiar with the culinary World. And when I got into cannabis, I noticed that there was an opportunity to really use food and this farm to table narrative and language and storytelling that I was working on in the food space to teach people how to choose better cannabis products for themselves. in the culinary cannabis space.

Margaret 00:03:19 That is amazing. It also explains a lot because your baking is absolutely beautiful. Like, if I don't know if anybody hasn't seen your Instagram yet, they should really check it out because your baking is is stunning and you obviously have the the background of photographing beautifully as well, which is a big component to that.

Margaret 00:03:36 But you've been doing a lot of things obviously in the culinary space for a while, but you've kind of shifted into this cannabis event planning. And as someone who's been sort of wanting to do something around in, in person cannabis events for I am, I thought, who better to talk to about it than somebody who's hosting these absolutely beautiful events. So can you talk a little bit about how what drew you into doing cannabis event planning to begin with?

Christina 00:04:04 Yeah. So it's funny that you mentioned my baking because that's something I love to do. And that was like my way of processing my emotions and using it, making art and storytelling. But the odd thing is, these days I find that I don't bake that much anymore. Like when. Yeah. And it's been really odd because I struggle because I'm like, oh, you know, like I should be making more time to bake and trying to make a schedule to force myself to do this thing. But the odd thing was I realized that before it was it's the plant guiding me.

Christina 00:04:33 Before, when I would get high, I'd have these beautiful ideas of the things that I wanted to make and the flavors and how they would pair and the stories that they would tell. And now when I get high, I'm imagining all of the different events and gatherings and stories and how to bring people together. And when I first started, it was I was baking desserts or different things and bringing them to my event so that people could taste them and try them. And I quickly realized that I can't host, produce an event and bake things and do all of it. So it became a lot. So I let go of the baking for a bit, just simply because it wasn't what inspired me anymore. Creating these gatherings and these spaces for people to be able to physically experience the fruit and flower world, like the baked goods, you can see it, you can make it at home. There's an educational aspect, and then there's an opportunity to taste it. But then there's the world and the universe of fruit and flour coming to life through these gatherings.

Christina 00:05:33 So that's kind of the evolution of how it evolved. And I think because I've always worked in hospitality and PR, it's the world of events and hospitality is something that's always called to me. So using events to gather people to provide safe spaces and opportunities for people to try, experiment, learn and talk about cannabis. I feel is really important and much needed because dispensaries are places to purchase cannabis and you might get some education if you are lucky and have a good dispensary and a good bud tender. There's a lot of online education, but overwhelming and difficult to parse through. and a lot of the events that I noticed that I was going to hear in Los Angeles were not for me. I didn't feel comfortable there. it wasn't that I wasn't welcome, but it was just not the type of environment where I no one wanted to talk to me about the type of conversations that I wanted to have. And so when I met Chef Wendy and we just started hanging out, getting hi cooking food and eating, and a lot of it was just, And chef Wendy Zhang is a Sichuan chef here in Los Angeles, and we co-host together, and she cooked some of the most amazing food, and we would just get high and eat her food and talk and just share stories.

Christina 00:07:00 And so much healing happened that we're like, wait, how do we do this with more people? I think more people would really enjoy this connection of culture meets food meets cannabis. And so that's how Magoo Magoo was born, and that's why we host so many of our gatherings and events. Like it's not just a party. I know on Instagram, it just looks like a fabulous party. And it is, but there's so much story and healing and narrative and themes behind each event that's very intentional, that it's very difficult to get across, in just like a highlight reel on Instagram. So we've started doing more long form storytelling as well. But we realize, you know, things take time to build and we have to be patient.

Margaret 00:07:46 Yeah, I don't I know that's so true. And you know, when it comes to like things like baking, there's I feel like in life there's always an ebb and flow. You kind of have all those ebbs and flows. I mean, I used to bake a ton of sourdough bread and I've done that, you know, throughout periods of my life.

Margaret 00:07:59 But sometimes I'm really into it, and other times I haven't baked it. So and I think there's a real also desire for people to get together in real life again.

Christina 00:08:08 After.

Margaret 00:08:09 You know, this post-Covid world that we're in and people are really craving that in-person connection. So I can see why it's so important. And like I said, you say it doesn't really translate over the Instagram real, like the the real essence of your events. And that's probably true to a point. But I think some of it does come through, which is why they look so magical. Now, I am curious if there's any misconceptions about the the events that you're hosting, and maybe you can touch on a little bit more in depth about the events that you've been to that didn't really resonate with you, because I feel like I've been to some of those as well.

Christina 00:08:41 Yeah. What does that look like for you?

Margaret 00:08:45 probably. Like, I hate to say it like this, but bro culture I guess like the really like.

Margaret 00:08:52 Yeah, just heavy dabs and like, heavy smoking. And maybe that's because I'm not in that space. I'm like, I enjoy cannabis pretty much every day, but I'm not like a super heavy smoker. And yeah, just my experience of the plant is a lot different than that.

Christina 00:09:07 Yeah. And same, that is the exact environment in which I found myself, because that is the type of cannabis culture that is being portrayed to us currently for marketing for sale. That's who, you know, the high dose DAB consumer. mostly men on on the surface level are what seems to be driving sales. But really women are the primary sales drivers. And when I would go to those events, I would be there and it would just be a haze of smoke and guys wearing hoodies and hats. And, you know, many are very nice, very helpful, taught me how to roll. My first joint gave me my first dabs. but I realized that for me, when I'm high, I like going deep.

Christina 00:09:54 I like having deep conversations, and really exploring the depths of our soul and healing and doing different things and just doing things. I like to craft. I like to learn, I like to do new things. And so every single event that I do is in all of these gatherings, it's really out of my own curiosity. Like, I just want to learn more about something and then the opportunity comes together. So we're like, all right, let's make this happen. but the like the gathering, okay. Some misconceptions about the events that we do. that any of this makes money. yeah, they look really fabulous. And a lot of work goes into them. but this is truly, truly a community created experience. Wendy and I could not do this without the support of our friends volunteers. Our co-hosts are generous. You know, the farmers, like none of this, is a cash transaction based experience. and when we started, they were free. they were, you know, we would bring together all of our friends who were in the industry, and it was just kind of to meet because a lot of the other events we would go to or things that were geared for, like APIs and cannabis are more business networking.

Christina 00:11:17 And that was nice. But like we again, I like to go deep into my emotions and healing and trauma. And so, the business networking was great. And that gave us an opportunity to meet each other and kind of spin off onto this side. And so, what each event is totally different. it it started with just us, but then it grew into bringing on co-hosts to tell their stories. and, you know, people look at cannabis from the outside and think, wow, there's so much money. But if you're here in California, it's collapsing and not doing well at the moment, and it's kind of been on a decline. However, you know, the world still has to continue. Stories still need to be told, and we still feel it's really important to continue gathering and continue meeting. And just because a brand or somebody doesn't have, you know, cash to contribute, to participate, doesn't mean that they can't. So a lot we have like we've created volunteer opportunities for people who want to attend, to be able to pitch in.

Christina 00:12:18 And in that way, it's very much like a traditional potluck where every person and every brand, everyone who comes, participates in some way, whether by donating something that they have, giving some piece of knowledge, sharing, volunteering, helping in the kitchen, you know, even washing dishes and taking out trash is immensely helpful because what we realized was, when we were starting to do these. It was just Wendy and I. We were trying to do everything ourselves and we weren't even enjoying the party. We weren't able to talk to our guests. We were just running around trying to, you know, manage. And so when people volunteer and say, hey, how can we be helpful? It was also an experience, a learning lesson for us on how to ask for help and how do we accept the help a little bit? Yeah.

Margaret 00:13:07 How to let go a little bit. And I love what you're saying to about everybody participating in some way, because that also means that everybody has a little bit of buy in to what's happening.

Margaret 00:13:16 And when you say also that, like, you know, you're not doing this for profit first, I think that also really shows up in how these events turn out. Because when you have profit motive as the primary goal, things often look will look a lot different. They can't. Exactly.

Christina 00:13:32 Yeah. And it's not that I'm like I will happily accept cash sponsorships because that makes it possible for us to, you know, it's just a little bit less stressful. And so what I like to tell, you know, any brands that I'm partnering with, I'll say, okay, like here's what we need. How would you like to participate? And oftentimes they surprise me. Those who do have cash and are able to participate in that way do like do and they offer. And so they're offering to give something instead of me asking for something in exchange, which changes the nature of the relationship and how we interact together. You know, we charge ticket prices. At first it was free, but then we were like, all right, we kind of got to cover some of our costs, like, we can't be out of pocket for everything.

Christina 00:14:15 So we really try to make it as affordable and accessible as possible. That's something that I'm always trying to push for because I just I know that it's hard. I know that it's it's hard to part with those hard earned dollars right now. So I try to make it accessible. But also we want to pay people for their art, for their creativity, for their talents. So whenever we are able to raise enough, You know, it ends up being given to our co-hosts. Like we just hosted a Bad Asians comedy tasting show, for 420 weekend with Jenny Yang and a bunch of comedians. And I was so proud that thanks to everyone's contributions, our sponsors included, we were able to pay them like comedians don't get paid to do gigs like they were already. They were just happy to be there and do it. But we're like, no, like, let us pay you. And so that felt really good to be able to do that. And, you know, pitching in to our kitchen staff, being able to pay our photographers and video people to help, like tell the story because again, at first it was just me trying to do all of it.

Christina 00:15:23 And that's not possible. And so.

Margaret 00:15:25 Yeah.

Christina 00:15:26 Yeah, yeah. So it's really grown in this very organic way. And I think for those who are interested in hosting gatherings, you know, don't be dissuaded because a brand doesn't have money or you can't pay for something. Yes, there's realities of hard costs, but be creative and open minded about how to achieve and accomplish your needs and goals.

Margaret 00:15:48 Yeah, and I think that that will also be reflected in the event afterwards. Like I already mentioned, when you get that buy in from people and they can participate in ways that feels good to them as well.

Christina 00:15:57 So I think.

Margaret 00:15:58 I think that does translate in the way your events come across online as well. I'm just going to say that so.

Christina 00:16:03 Oh thank you.

Margaret 00:16:05 Yeah. Now how do you incorporate the storytelling and the cultural, cultural context into your events that you're doing? Because you've touched on this a little bit, but I'd love to hear you talk more about that.

Christina 00:16:15 It always starts with a theme.

Christina 00:16:17 Wendy and I go hard on a theme and all the way, and it's it just almost comes to us. It just comes naturally. We have so many ideas that we really just sort of put a pin in things or sit on it until all of the right elements come through. But again, usually it's something where just naturally curious about, like for example, we hosted a Diwali and Dabs back in 2003, and that was just Wendy and I sat back and were like, oh, all of the events we're hosting are very East Asian and Chinese focused holidays and events and storytelling, because that's what we know. We're both Chinese, different kinds of Chinese, but still. And we're like, well, we're forgetting about the other A's and the P's and the I's, and how can we make this more inclusive and how can we be better ourselves and learn? And so that's how we ended up hosting a Diwali. And we invited our friends Mira and Maha to co-host with us. And sometimes the theme comes out in the planning.

Christina 00:17:16 It's not intended, you know, it started off as celebrating Diwali and Holi and this, you know, the contrast of light and dark. But really, what came out of the conversations and the speeches that day, like the event itself isn't the narrative. Sometimes the story comes out of it because what I heard from everyone who attended, they're like, wow, I've never experienced anything like this before, or I never felt Indian enough to celebrate this. There's a lot of intersectionality in the Asian American diaspora. You know, I'm Chinese American. Sometimes someone is Filipino and Mexican. You have a Spanish and Chinese. Like, there's just so much crossover of our identity and politics that sometimes, like that's the conversation that comes up. And so with both of our co-hosts, they were both half Indian. And so they grew up celebrating it kind of. But they were told that they were not Indian enough to celebrate Diwali. And or people are saying, this is the first time I've ever celebrated it. We also partnered with Latinas and Cannabis with Suzi Plasencia to co-host Dia de Los Muertos because I just really, selfishly, also really wanted to celebrate a Dia de Los Muertos.

Christina 00:18:31 But I also found, I learned and found a commonality that in Filipino culture. There is also like a day of the dead type celebration called undoes, and it's around the same time, very similar traditions. And so it was an opportunity to be able to explore that. And again, the theme of, you know, people came to Dia de Los Muertos and they said, because my family grew up so Catholic, we didn't get to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos. This was the first time. And so being able to incorporate cannabis with those experiences just opens us up to that conversation. makes us feel I feel like it's a little bit of a truth serum, you know, like once you feel people being vulnerable, like it just starts to come out because people feel safe to share that. And that's what leads to the collective healing. And that kind of experience has been very magical. And so the narrative part is it's a lot we that is something that Wendy and I are working on wrapping our minds around, because it's really just us and we don't make, you know.

Christina 00:19:35 No one pays us to do this. We just do it for fun because we think it's interesting. You know, it helps definitely bring business to our individual respective work. but we're working on more YouTube YouTube content. possibly podcasts. I was I would love to put all of these stories and photography and like the how to host a gathering and the recipes into a zine. but you know, that all takes time, creative energy and a little bit of budget.

Margaret 00:20:06 So yeah, yeah it does. And you're already pulling off so much, but I think you have the creative spirit to do it, that's for sure. I mean.

Christina 00:20:13 Yeah.

Margaret 00:20:14 Listening to like the way you two come up with all these like, themes, it's just it boggles my mind, really.

Christina 00:20:19 And it's really the, the cannabis guides. It truly like we're just high and we're sitting here and we're like, we'll eat something. We're like, oh, wouldn't that be so rad? And then the next thing you know, it's like, come to life in front of us.

Christina 00:20:32 And her husband laughs last because he'll be in the background working in the garden or doing things, and he'll just hear us just, you know, being silly and talking. And then the next thing he knows, a couple of months from now, like it's in front of him and it's a reality and he can see it. He heard the idea, and then all of a sudden it's brought to life. And so for us, we really doubled it. We narrow down the theme. It's very specific. and it's easy to kind of want to include too many things, but curation is key. every single one of our gatherings is extremely curated from, like who? We're not just accepting every and any brand to participate like, it's very it's an invite only that we're curating. or if brands come to us and we're like, you know what? This isn't a right fit. But like, let's talk about what are your goals and how can we make something or create something that does feel authentic and natural and real? and anyone who's interested in hosting these kinds of events and gatherings, we I highly, highly recommend a book called the Art of Gathering by Priya Parker.

Margaret 00:21:35 I just read that book very recently. It was amazing. It was so good.

Christina 00:21:39 It's so good. So Wendy and I decided to read it together, and then we would kind of discuss it and talk about it. And the takeaway from that was like, I think that as we're natural, I'm a natural people pleaser. So I want I want to say yes to everything. But what I learned from that book was that you have to say no. It is. It is our responsibility as event hosts, as gatherers, as producers, to curate it, to say no and sometimes saying no is creating a better experience for the guests. limiting the amount of people. So each event starts with like, okay, what's the wherever the genesis of the idea came from, sometimes, like we're doing a puff and pottery, a queer puff and pottery in a couple of weeks. And that the instructor came to us because she was introduced to us by someone in our community. And she's like, I would love to do something.

Christina 00:22:31 And we're like, all right, great, let's hang out. She came over, we smoked, we had some tea and like, talked about. Like what? Like her dream would be. And then we just started to build around it. And the theme of that was very much this intersection because it's also June and Pride Month. You know, this intersectionality of like a celebrating your Asian queerness and letting go of perfection and just really allowing the creative process to flow. because so often we're we're taught this level of perfectionism leads to success. So we're all nervous wrecks. And, it's a point of conversation that's come up a lot. So we thought it would be fun to be able to get high, get your hands to craft, learn something new, and just do something with the joy of doing it. And it's not going to be perfect, and it doesn't have to be. And there's no one telling you that it has to.

Margaret 00:23:24 That's beautiful, I love it. I'll be looking for the photos of that online when it comes out.

Margaret 00:23:29 Yeah. Yeah. so, I mean, the way I'm hearing you talk about this, you obviously have, like, a real attention to detail when it comes to creating these events. Is there any other approaches that you take to creating these events from the ground up?

Christina 00:23:45 I try not to rush them. I know that sometimes we work on a timeline where we pick a date first and then force everything to work into it. And my biggest lesson through all of this baking life and hosting these gatherings is that you have to let go and flow, and everything will happen in its own time, in the way that it's supposed to be. So we really don't commit to a date on anything until certain elements are in place. You know, it's like, okay, do we have do I have enough secure? Do I have enough interest in partners and people who are a who are definite yeses that I can work with and around to be able to produce this event. Instead of choosing a thing and then trying to, like, squeeze everyone in at once because that creates unnecessary stress, I feel.

Margaret 00:24:40 okay. I mean, that's pretty interesting. But then I see you're like, you seem very prolific, like you're putting out events on a pretty regular basis, which impresses me because they're, again, they're not just like event that you've thrown together. You've put a lot of time and attention into them. So I'm just curious, like how.

Christina 00:24:59 Thank you, I feel, What? I'm very tired. it is a lot. Yeah, it's a lot. I'm like, okay, we're doing like, Magoo. Magoo. We're doing like, one event a month and then, you know, depending on kind of if we're busy or things, we take a break. and then even my own personal fruit and flower ones, those are becoming quite a lot, too. So I think being realistic with your time, I'm also able to be prolific and do so many of these because I was an event planner in my very early, early career days. And then I did PR, so, I do have my planning document and my tools to make it extremely organized.

Christina 00:25:35 And also because I have a great partner, Chef Wendy and I is like, we're excellent collaborative creative partners and we have complementary skill sets and resources. So having someone to do this with who's a friend who, it's just more fun. I couldn't do this alone. I it's it's honestly quite a lot. And the the keys to our success are one chef Wendy space because she. So chef Wendy was on chopped for 20 and she was one of the winners. And she's been on a couple other shows too. But she and her husband used their winnings to build out their home in their backyard to create her dream outdoor kitchen. Farm to table supper club space. because prior to the pandemic, she was hosting a lot of cannabis infused supper clubs and dinners and events, and a venue was one of the biggest challenges that they had. Finding a consumption friendly venue that didn't, you know, charge the cannabis fee or freak out and panic and like, cancel the event at the last minute was just so hard.

Christina 00:26:45 Even to this day, when I'm if I'm trying to host something not at Wendy's house, it's very difficult. So because we have her home and it's we're safe there, it's it's free to consume. It's legally it kind of checks all of the boxes. and it's already turnkey. I don't have to think about the venue and setup every time I go there, because we already have everything. I already know I have the role, I have a list of what's available. So that takes out a lot of work, which makes it much easier to do these on a regular basis. And then I have my event planning document that makes it even easier. Like I already know. What elements do we need? you know, the volunteer spots, my budget template, and, that has made it much easier to execute these, over and over again and also again, having Wendy and her talents because she's a chef. And the thing that she loves more than anything is to feed people and make them happy with her food.

Christina 00:27:48 And so being able to partner with her to create the food and the menu infinitely easier, because otherwise I'm either calling for catering or I'm trying to work out food myself, and that adds to the costs. So these gatherings and events for both of us are like a canvas for each of us to express our own artistry, and watching it just grow and blossom in different ways. And like, I love seeing her menus and the food that she's created and how. her creativity with the storyline of Magoo and these ingredients that show up in traditional Chinese medicine and like some of our traditional foods, like and modernizing it for today and seeing this like farm to table like fine dining, quality of food, but put together with this cultural element and with cannabis is just magical.

Margaret 00:28:47 Right? And I mean, when I'm hearing you say this too, it sounds like you've removed some of those big barriers to putting on an event. Like you said, the the venue, which I hope to ask about that in a little bit, but also the partnership, because it's it is nice to have somebody that you can rely on and like, bounce ideas off of each other, as you clearly do.

Margaret 00:29:06 And I can just tell by the way you talk about Wendy, how important is to have her as part of this whole process now? Do you have any non-negotiables as far as a successful event or just event planning in general?

Christina 00:29:19 no. Assholes. Like it's truly like, if no assholes, if someone is being a jerk and difficult, then like, no, we just have no tolerance for creating this kind of space and we will not tolerate that behavior. So that's definitely non-negotiable. you know, paying her a venue fee, that's it's built into the budget because she invested her money and time and energy and effort and even using the space puts wear and tear. So, that's just already built in. also just trust between the both of us to do the work and move quickly. Like, we're able to make decisions quickly because we both just trust, like we know each other and we trust each other. So I don't feel like neither of us feel that we have to check in with somebody in order to make a decision.

Christina 00:30:13 It doesn't have to be like a collaborative. Agreed. And moving forward. It's just like we already know the framework and the outline, so we can be very nimble in our decision making. and again, a complete trust. We're both on the same page. So, and just also no stress. The, the purpose of this is to have fun. And if we're not having fun and something becomes stressful, we have to stop and be like, okay, how one how can this be not stressful? And, what do we like? How do we want to resolve it?

Margaret 00:30:51 Right. I like part of me. I like that too, because it makes me think of my mom. My mom's passed away now, but she used to really like to host, like, you know, dinners for special occasions and stuff. And she used to get really stressed out about it. And then that would create, like, stress in the house when people were coming over and stuff. And I don't know why she just couldn't relax.

Margaret 00:31:13 But having also that trust with the partner that you're working with in this space is huge, Because, I mean, I think what you have is probably very special, because I do also recall a lot of profs telling me in university because I went to business school and they're just like, you have to be really careful with partnerships because they often don't end well.

Christina 00:31:32 So yeah. And that's something we do talk about. Both of us have had partnerships with friends and business partners and collaborators that haven't gone well. So we do check in a lot. You know, we do post event, you know, check ins and be like, hey, you know what went well? What didn't go well? you know, we'll have guests who come, who are rude to our friends who are working in the kitchen. And it's like that guest, that person is no longer welcome. You know, it's we. Yeah. Like our like our purpose. And our mission is very clear. And it makes it really easy.

Christina 00:32:07 And also like, it's kind of broken out and built in to how we work together and our friendship, knowing our past histories and traumas. So just the fact that we can sit and talk about what our traumas were and me understanding where she's coming from, like there's been occasions where, you know, we had a really stressful event when we first started and Wendy was like in the kitchen working really hard because we didn't have enough volunteers, we didn't have enough people. I wasn't available to help her because I was outside trying to get the party going, replace, you know, water trash set up. And so being prepared and having enough resources to be successful is so important as well. So when we sat down, we're like, all right. Like what was unfun about this and what led to like that? You know, that us feeling one way because she was like, I was being like, okay, can you hurry up? And she was like, I'm only one person. I can only do so much.

Christina 00:33:02 And I'm like, okay. Like, what resources do you need? So now those are just built in, you know, we have we have a call for volunteers. So we'll have front of house and back a house so that I have help with the front and like refilling waters. She has help in the kitchen and everyone's. And then the people who volunteer are really happy to be there, sharing their skills and talents to be a part of it. so, yeah. And you know, I'm also realistic where our friendship and business partnership could go sour. That's not off the table. I don't want to say that like, oh my gosh, we're best friends and that'll never happen. Like misunderstandings are going to happen. But we have, you know, we have a responsibility and respect towards each other to be able to have a conversation about it and work through it and come to a mutual agreement.

Margaret 00:33:47 Yeah. You'd be able to have a conversation or communicate about it before things just went out the window.

Christina 00:33:52 Yeah. And we do track everything. You know, like again, like there's a, you know, it's not for profit, but like, we do run it like a business and we track everything and things are split and fair. And we definitely talk about fairness. You know, does this feel fair to you? Is this okay? and so there's no hard feelings at the end of all of it feeling one way or another.

Margaret 00:34:13 Now, what have you learned about community building through hosting your events and and how do you keep people coming back? Although from what.

Christina 00:34:20 You're saying.

Margaret 00:34:21 That's why people come back. But is there anything specific that you've learned about building community?

Christina 00:34:27 I think that the word community is thrown around a lot. I think it's often misused as well. And just because you have a like minded group of people, it doesn't mean that it's community. Just because you have people who gather for an event doesn't mean that they are automatically a community, automatically a community. I think there has to be more than that.

Christina 00:34:47 And there's like a shared the shared sense of belonging that has been created through Mongomery and through the work that Wendy and I do that's created a really wonderful community. it's the support for each other, you know, in the business networking way. Like Magoo, Magoo isn't intended for everybody to come in business and network, but naturally you're hanging out with friends, meeting other cool people who are also creatives and entrepreneurs and forward thinkers in the space, you're naturally going to meet other rad people you want to collaborate with and create partnerships with. So we've seen a lot of success come out of it just naturally, which has been really, really cool and satisfying to see.

Margaret 00:35:31 Right. Yeah. Okay. I do sometimes think the community is thrown around a lot, but I also think that that's because people are really looking for it and it's, yeah, something genuine and deeper than just a bunch of people getting together and smoking weed, although that can be community as well.

Christina 00:35:46 But I think there has to be more to it.

Christina 00:35:48 I think that's the challenge. Everyone. Everyone thinks that, oh, I got weed. So it's I got weed in. It's a party. there I think that there that could be okay too. And that is perfectly acceptable. But I think community is people are looking to connect with other people who have shared interests, who have shared passions, people that like, it's just really like a really close connection of friendship and support.

Margaret 00:36:13 Right? Which means it's on a bit of a deeper level as well, I think.

Christina 00:36:17 I think.

Margaret 00:36:17 The level.

Christina 00:36:18 Yeah, we're we're looking for understanding. We want people who understand us and or want to explore the same thoughts and ideas. And it's like we can belong to multiple communities and communities kind of bump and bump back out every once in a while. but we're always for us. I think we keep people coming back because it's always different. There's something new, there's something unique because we're always working with a different collaborator. They're also bringing their audiences, who are hearing what we're doing for the first time.

Christina 00:36:50 So this point of intersectionality is really important. You know, Wendy and I are both food and we'd kind of that intersection. But we've through Mo, we've been able to expand out into comedy and entertainment through our 420 event with Jenny Yang into fashion when we did our Goddess Garden party with Da Wang, and, you know, with Latinas in cannabis, that was a whole other community of, you know. So it's and finding commonality between all of it. And so the cross-pollination that we're seeing, I think is what people why people love coming back, because you never know who you're going to meet or what the conversation's going to turn into. You just know that, like, if this is what makes you feel good and this is like the type of conversation you want to engage in, like people just keep coming back.

Margaret 00:37:38 Right. So then how do you go about choosing your collaborators? Because that sounds like some of them are starting to come to you now as well. But obviously, you're probably looking for folks who are going to resonate with the vision you have for your events.

Christina 00:37:52 They just kind of flow into our lives. It's yeah, it's very natural. It's either, you know, an idea will pop up and I'll think, who? Who do I know that might be a fit? And then eventually I'll, you know, or I'll start to talk about the idea. And naturally, Somebody who's really interested will step forward. And so things will come together. or. Yeah, somebody just comes straight to us and we'll be like, okay, like you seem cool or. And a lot of times if somebody wants to work with us, but they've never been to a mogul event before, we'll be like, yeah, we're down. But like, just come experience this. Yeah, come experience this. Because like, it's different. And once you've been to one and you kind of understand the vibe, then it helps set the tone for the collaboration and the partnerships that we're going to do.

Margaret 00:38:44 Right. Which is which is a real fortunate thing for you because you've had so many of these events.

Margaret 00:38:48 Now that you can invite them to them beforehand and vet them that way in a sense.

Christina 00:38:52 So, yeah, and we also want to go to their like and support them and their events, like with our pottery making. You know, Wendy went to attend one of her classes, at Pot Studio so we could support her. you know, we'll go we'll do different things with our collaborators. And it's it's not just like a one time thing. It's a period of time. There's a friendship that grows. It's like a really cool project that we kind of get to put out into the world. And then they're part, and then they become part of the community and they'll show. And then, like those collaborators will come to the events as guests and vice versa. And then now I start to see other attendees cross crossing into other people's events. And it's just really cool. Like that's where I see community, because it's like everyone's starting to show up in each other's worlds.

Margaret 00:39:38 Right? And I love that too, because you were mentioning this a little bit earlier, but just the support for the artists that are that you're collaborating with, it feels so important right now in this sort of age of AI that's kind of commoditized, a lot of stuff in a way that I don't know how I feel about that yet.

Margaret 00:39:57 Yeah, no, it's very positive. So, you know, finding ways to support the people in our communities that are that are putting out great work, I think is really important.

Christina 00:40:06 Yeah. And that's why we feel really called to doing like in-person live events and gatherings this year. last year before the election, before. Before 2025 even started. We were actually going to take a break from hosting events because we were doing these. We call them tentpole events, these really big, epic events. And we were just like, damn, we're tired. Like, let's focus on content and storytelling and doing a zine. that's what really felt was needed. And then just everything changed between November and January. We're just like, wow. Like. And it gave us a moment to take stock and where we were at and where our community was feeling, and we really felt that people were really needing in-person connection again, to learn how to do things. like so this year, the theme of the events are not about holidays and cannabis, and they're not big temples.

Christina 00:41:00 They're actually much smaller gatherings, which is why they're also easier to execute. They're more workshops and classes because we want to teach people how to do things, how to make your own medicine, how to grow your own plants, how to make things with your hands. Because, that seems like a really good survival skill to have for most. And so, we we pivoted and shifted what we thought we were going to do. And while we would like to do all of those things at the same time, this feels like the right thing to do right now.

Margaret 00:41:31 Yeah. And I think people are looking for that, like the intimacy that you get in a smaller event as well, because if it's really big, there's no way you can really talk to all the people that are there. And when it's smaller, it just creates it's a different vibe, I guess. So I can.

Christina 00:41:43 Yeah.

Margaret 00:41:44 You've gone that direction.

Christina 00:41:45 Yeah. Well, in Priya Parker's book she said, right, like 15 is like a really good, like small group size.

Christina 00:41:50 And then beyond that it's like 30 something and then it's like 75 or more.

Margaret 00:41:56 yeah. Now, have you ever faced any resistance or pushback when you're trying to put together any kind of events?

Christina 00:42:03 I mean, The resistance from like neighbours who might not be happy about parking. But, you know, this could be resolved. like the resistance, I mean, resistance other than, you know, cash flow and needs, rain, weather, things that are beyond your control. extreme weather. We definitely had our our Lunar New Year event two years ago. Had a giant rainstorm. It was the heaviest, hardest rain that has ever happened. And we switched venues to an indoor venue thanks to a friend. And people still came. Like they parked. They trudged up the hill, like in a monsoon, and we did a sound bath. It was like a year. The dragon sound bath and you could see this rain coming. You could hear it and it ended up being really magical. So it's working around things like that.

Christina 00:42:55 We've also had, the heat waves. So we had another we had a mahjong party during a heat wave. It was 106, so we switched it to a pool party, had frozen towels and frozen snacks and drinks. and, like, bumped it back an hour. So it's like things like that, are challenging. Like pushback wise.

Margaret 00:43:19 I mean, you're in California, so it's been legal for a long time, so I could see you're not having too much pushback. I think people in other jurisdictions might possibly. I know my.

Christina 00:43:31 And hosting events is kind of a gray area in California. You know, it's these are private events. So, you know, that's cannabis lounge.

Margaret 00:43:40 Cannabis lounges are legal. Yes.

Christina 00:43:42 Yes, we do have legal cannabis lounges where you can have open consumption. But honestly, working with them is really difficult. Yeah. Okay. It's really it's difficult for me because, a lot of the and especially for the work we do with because the, the lounges need to they're transaction based business.

Christina 00:44:03 They have to be right. And we're chewing. Trying to do not transaction based. So it makes it challenging. And so like that's kind of the resistance that gets frustrating when, you know I'm trying to either make it accessible cheap or free and they want to charge more because they need to do this. Or it's like, okay, like purchase required and tickets and all of these things. you know, also, I don't want to host events in places that don't match my level of hospitality and attention to detail and places that don't align with my beliefs, that maybe don't carry all the products or support the place, the brands and people that I would like. So I'm like, we're very choosy with what we work with. So the lounges are great. It's awesome that those are options. And I've done a lot of events there with Buddhist. So I think for the right events, for the right audiences. These places are great because they do have open consumption available, but the challenge is in the accessibility and affordability for a lot of them.

Margaret 00:45:12 Right? That's a really good point that you bring up because yeah.

Christina 00:45:17 Yeah.

Margaret 00:45:17 Like here. And it sounds like those challenges would be similar in a lot of ways. And we don't even have legal consumption lounges in Canada yet. So that's.

Christina 00:45:26 A frustration. And like it's not even a knock on them. It's this is one of the hardest jobs that they have. It's like you're running a legal dispensary, which is already hard as fuck and almost impossible, and losing money here in California. And then you're trying to open a consumption lounge, which is kind of like a restaurant, kind of like a bar. People haven't quite decided what it is yet. And like, that's a layer of hospitality on top of running a shop that is even more difficult. And then over at the Woods in West Hollywood, they just opened like a coffee shop next door. So like, you're just right. And then now you're layering more and more. And then in California, the governor just signed a bill that said that now these consumption lounges can serve food because before they couldn't serve food or drink in there, it was a loophole that you would order it via like DoorDash or Postmates and have it delivered.

Christina 00:46:18 And like, yeah, there's all these weird workarounds. And then there's the other place, the OG Cannabis Cafe, that's actually a sit down restaurant where you can consume. But like the way that they're able to keep they're able to do business is like it's a very limited menu. So you can't get all the brands that you want. You can only get their brands. And I'm like, you can do a bio, but it's expensive. Table side fee. And so, it's really hard. It's kudos to all of them for trying and doing it. Like I would I could not do it. so I think it's.

Margaret 00:46:57 Like the private. The private space is the best way to go.

Christina 00:47:01 Yes, yes. Yeah. Especially for the type of events that we're doing. working with the lounge can work for sure. It just takes a lot of extra, coordination that sometimes I don't have the patience for. So, I feel very lucky to be able to have a space like Wendy's house. but it's, you know, there's events that I go to there.

Christina 00:47:23 I host an event at one of them, or I was part of an event. And because I already kind of knew what to expect when I went there. Wendy and I both showed up at this event, like, completely prepared. Like, I brought all my own bongs. I brought extra grinders, extra rolling trays. I brought extra lighters, like, just because we were there representing ourselves and the farms were partnered with. And I was like, I really want to make sure that when someone steps foot into like, this space, it feels like you're coming here to my home to experience it. And so if I'm going to a space that it doesn't have all of these things that like, I would like to show like, I try to think through all of that. So it's just, I mean, I also worked in restaurants for a while. So part of hospitality is all about anticipating what your guest needs. So all the way down for okay, I'm going to need if I have bongs and other things people are smoking out of.

Christina 00:48:13 You need alcohol wipes. Where are you going to put the trash for the alcohol wipes? Where you get the little Q-tips? Where do they throw them away? like grinders and papers and all these little accoutrements and things, that like having them there and thinking through the entire experience makes all of the difference. And the attention is in the details.

Margaret 00:48:36 Right? Which is what makes your events so wonderful. Because you do think about these details.

Christina 00:48:40 I try to we try to. Yes.

Margaret 00:48:42 Yeah, yeah. But I mean, like you said, you have the background in hospitality, but you mentioned Priya Parker's book, but I'm trying to remember the name of it right now. I read another book written by a gentleman on the topic of hospitality. I wish I can remember the name of it right now.

Christina 00:48:56 Setting the table by Danny Meyer.

Margaret 00:48:58 No, it's by the fellow who runs a. Is it the vegan Michelin star restaurant in New York? Will I wish I could remember it, but it's all about.

Christina 00:49:10 Yes, yes, I know who you're talking about.

Margaret 00:49:13 Yeah. And a lot of it is that attention to detail, those little things that a lot of people can easily skip over or just not even think about, that's going to make like something go from that was a fun event to like, wow, that was magical. And then you're talking about it for three months, like, yes. Now do you have any like, what would you say to somebody who wants to host their first cannabis friendly event, but they're not sure where to start?

Christina 00:49:42 Just do it. I'm so excited. I want more people to do this and like don't feel like you can't because you're limited. You're like oh well I don't have this beautiful space like this. So I can't let go of the cans and just figure out what can I do? And just go for it. You know, it's your home is a place, a park. Like, I just technically consuming cannabis in public is not allowed. But, like, you know, there's gray zones and also, like, what am I trying to do? So think about what you want to accomplish, what you want to do.

Christina 00:50:13 What type of gathering do you want to do? You know, and cannabis and something is usually a really great place to start, whether it be crafting, listening to music, drawing and coloring, going to a botanical garden, going for a hike, reading a book, book clubs. So like, I love that cannabis and any niche topic really work together. And that's how you find your audience in your community. So, be narrow about what you're doing and don't be afraid. I think, if you're hosting an event, the first thing you need is when a place where where are you going to do it? where are you going to get your cannabis products and things? So whether you're talking to a brand or a dispensary or if you're providing it yourself, figure out where you're going to acquire your products from. And then food, always food and especially water. So, once you throw an event with a bunch of stoners, you will see that they're very hungry. They eat like a plague of locusts.

Christina 00:51:20 And we all need lots of water because we all have dry mouth. So that's that's something that we try to make sure we have at every event, that there's plenty of water available, because the worst is walking around an event and you're so high and you're so thirsty and you can't find any, or so we try to make sure we have that little snacks and things for people to eat, because if you get too high and you are on an empty stomach and you don't have something to eat, people could definitely over consume. And we've had a few people accidentally pass out at events. So, consider that. Keep it low dose. it's sitting at home and getting high off your ass is different than being in a social setting and consuming cannabis. Less is more. Give people choices and options. I don't, Wendy, and I actually don't recommend doing infused foods at events, because I've been to a lot of events with infused foods and everything is infused, so it's not fun. It's actually very anxiety creating because I don't know what I can consume.

Christina 00:52:22 It's hard for me to keep track of how much I've consumed at different levels. And, it creates for a not great experience. I think for one of the first ones I went to, it was like a pizza and movie night, and it's like the pizza was infused. There was the student glass with the gravity bong. All the drinks were infused, and I had tried all of them, and I was like, oh, I need to get home. Like, I can't even stay to enjoy this because I'm gonna get too high. also like giving people a safe and quiet place to be high and have a quiet moment. a lot of people who attend my events are also neurodivergent. A lot of us who consume cannabis are also neurodivergent. If you're introverted, it is very difficult to be in a high extrovert, high social situation. So creating and providing like quiet places is really important. So we'll have like a side of the venue or a corner and we have a sign where like this is a quiet place that you can sit.

Christina 00:53:22 And if you see somebody sitting here like, know that that's what they're doing. And that is perfectly acceptable.

Margaret 00:53:29 And is that like a quiet place that people can use to if maybe they've over consumed a little bit too much and just in a minute to sort of calm down?

Christina 00:53:36 Yeah, exactly. Yeah. We had recently at one of the Blue Dream tasting party. I mean, there was 13 different farms with 13 different strains of Blue Dream, and it was the first hot, sunny spring day. And while we had food and water, you know, like. And there was there was a lot of consuming. And so we did have a couple people who passed out. And so like that was really scary. So having cold towels on hand, that was definitely a lifesaver. Like cold, wet towels that people could put on themselves, especially if it's hot. if you have CBD available, tinctures or even like a smoke that can help reduce people if they accidentally consume too much, orange juice. Always helpful.

Christina 00:54:16 A little shot of vitamin C, orange juice. Get some sugar, drink some water. Just sit down. And then. The cool thing is also a lot of people in the space community, like we've all been through it. So we know. So mostly people are, ashamed, right? They're like, oh my God, this is so embarrassing. We're like, no, no, it's good we got you. Like, this happened like.

Margaret 00:54:37 Everybody.

Christina 00:54:38 Always. Yeah. I was like, this happened to me last week. It's fine. yeah. And and everyone's so nice. Like, they, they, they just like, I got you sit down. And they sat and talked to them and, But, you know, considering that so this is not a race, I think that the best events and gatherings and the unlocking of conversation happens, when it's just a light dose. So we try to keep our events mostly to smoke balls and then, anything that is infused, we clearly label and we put a sign on it and we'll say, like this.

Christina 00:55:13 Like this contains wheat or mushrooms. Consume responsibly. and we set it aside so people can either take it, take it home to consume on their own later or again, being responsible and knowing their own dose.

Margaret 00:55:27 Right. So you don't typically do a lot of edibles. There are they are available for those who want them, but the food isn't infused. I find that interesting. I have been to some infused meals before, and I the one that I really liked. I've been to a few by now. The one that I really liked the most probably was a woman put on this lunch and there was so much food and it was so amazing, but she didn't infuse any of the food. She infused the butters and the sauces and things like that, and everything was clearly labeled. So you knew how much was in it. So that means you could dose yourself. But then if you wanted seconds or you wanted a little extra dessert or whatever, you could freely enjoy it without worrying about getting too high.

Margaret 00:56:03 But how do you feel about infused drinks at these events? Because they do tend to come on faster, and then they have a much shorter onset than a traditional edible.

Christina 00:56:12 I love them, I think they're great. I think they're a great option to have at events. we often say, you know, like cannabis infused drinks should be available just like wine, beer and cocktails at any event. And people can have a choice. especially, again, low dose. I would not put any of the 100 milligram things out for guests at a party, just simply for your own liability. unless unless you know your audience and you know everybody has a tolerance and you've asked that question, I would always keep things low dose. and also providing options, different ways for people to choose how to get high. and I've had some people, I think I there was an article I was interviewed for in Lifehacker about how to host your own cannabis gatherings, and somebody in the comment section was like, what? I wouldn't give away my free.

Christina 00:57:01 I would never give away my weed like that. you know, it's like but also like, if you like to throw a party, it's food, wine, drinks. It's kind of the same thing. And so, again, think about your guest. You want them to have a good time to have a good experience. What does it feel like for them when they come to this event? And they walk through and they see all the options, what would they want to see? not necessarily what I want to see. And you have to think of everybody from the lowest dosed new consumer to somebody who's very experienced, the best cannabis infused food dinner I went to recently was actually for the Bon Appetit, 420 reunion episode that was.

Margaret 00:57:46 That looked good. I saw that I saw that online too. Yeah.

Christina 00:57:49 Yeah, that was that was one of the best infused dinner experiences I went to. and there's a couple reasons. Because Vanessa Lovato was producing and overseeing the kitchen. She had asked each of us what our tolerance was.

Christina 00:58:04 So she had all of that information. And the basis of the episode was that there was a chef who had no cooking with cannabis experience, partnered with a chef that does have cannabis cooking experience, and they were to collaborate to create a meal together for us who are attending the dinner party. And so when Chef Wendy was the chef with the cannabis experience, and that was that, dinner was the most high, I've been in a second without getting sick. Like there's been times where like, I've accidentally over consumed in the next thing you know, I'm like passed out or barfing. I don't like to do that. And I try not to make a habit. but this was like, this pushed the limits of my high. Like I was very high, but, like, kind of pushed the ceiling. And I kind of came back that had I mean, I arrived, we were smoking. B-Real was there. So naturally there's a lot more smoking. we shared dabs out of the new mocha pivot.

Christina 00:59:06 There was welcome. There's a welcome CBD mocktail to kind of bring us down from what we had been smoking. And then each course was clearly like dosed and then also same like similar to your experience. Mostly it was like the sauces were dosed and it was very light. So and then the chefs were very clear about the experience and like so not only just that you're going to get high, but they were curating like the cultivar and the product so that it would kind of take you on like a flow and a journey. And sometimes people say that, but I don't feel it. This this dinner really took us on an experience like each dab that was like paired with the courses, like the flavors, the terpenes, the experience matched where the host wanted us to be at that point. And then like, kind of like mid meal when we were all, like extremely high and kind of dipping. one of the infusions was with caffeine and kush, which is like an espresso and chocolate like infused. It's a capsule.

Christina 01:00:12 But she, Wendy, took the capsule apart, infused it into like, a cream and a sauce, and used it to make these, like coffee, brown butter, baby corns that were so good, but also that little bit of like the caffeine and that sativa like, brightening. But it kind of took us from like that food coma, like overly high state to like, awaken us back into the conversation. And then they did this really beautiful mid meal like mocktail over a Grenada. That was, I thought, so elegantly presented. So I if you look at if you watch the episode on YouTube, which is now available on, munchies channel, like you can see my eyes at the end of the episode and I'm just I'm so high. It was intense. yeah. But they were able to really they knew that, and they were able to kind of bring it back with like CBD at the end and like take us into a nice journey.

Margaret 01:01:08 So that was experienced cannabis chefs as well. So folks do not try this at home for your first.

Christina 01:01:14 Yeah I wouldn't I actually I didn't even do all of the pairings for each course like the smoking pairings because I was like I'm just nope too much. So knowing my limits, I also I also know from experience how much of an edible I can eat and how much I can smoke on top of it. so now I'm much more aware of my experience and what I'm consuming. When I was newer to these events and cannabis and I didn't know that information, it was really intimidating. so that's that's something I still try to remember when I'm hosting my own. I'm trying to remember myself as the bright eyed, excited person in the space who was just very intimidated and unsure of what my own limits were.

Margaret 01:02:01 Right. And that's that's I'm glad you pointed that out, because as a host, you want to be mindful of that, that some people might have experience with edibles and with smoking, but maybe don't combine them very often. And as a guest, it's important to sort of I shouldn't say it's important, but it's the more experience you have in that area, the more comfortable you can be trying everything, I guess.

Christina 01:02:20 So, yeah. And also no pressure. Anyone who comes to the events like consumption is totally optional. it's just this is what we're doing and what we enjoy. It's here. If you want to learn more about it, you can take some home if you'd like. but a lot of people, like, you know, if you want to take just one puff, that's fine. No one's here to make you feel judged or shamed, or that you don't know how to do something, or you can't take the biggest, fattest bong rip. like we are here. It's it's kind of like we look at ourselves as, like, aunties, right? It's. We want to make sure you feel safe. You're being able to experience and try this in a really, in an environment where, like, you know, like we got you.

Margaret 01:03:03 Yeah. Sun setting, as always. And it's really important to remember that cannabis is so incredibly personal to everybody. So, you know, what works for one person is going to work for the next.

Margaret 01:03:13 That's to keep in mind when you're hosting events. Now, do you see any any trends in the cannabis events space that have been sort of formulating at all?

Christina 01:03:23 definitely. Like you were mentioning those fast acting nano drinks? I'm I'm loving those. I know that that's really popular and very easy to find now in like the hemp beverages. So now in the US, because of the loophole in the farm bill that they haven't addressed yet. So now there's. You can get tons of just gummies and especially the drinks you can go to like bevmo and, you know, regular grocery stores. And you can find these hemp derived THC drinks, and most of them tend to be low dose. Know that a hemp derived THC high is a little bit different than a THC high. So if you're getting products from like a legal dispensary in a market, those for me that that high can depending on the ingredient it can hit a little bit harder. but if you keep it low dose, keep it clearly labeled so that people can make informed decisions for themselves.

Christina 01:04:23 and have a backup plan. You know what? If somebody does get too high, that's why we we'll try to have, like, CBD elixirs or like those tinctures available so that people can make something for themselves, and then also provide options so that if people do want to smoke but they don't want to be too high, we'll have a CBD or herbal blends that they can put together. An herbal blend is a great way for somebody to who's nervous or hasn't tried it to like. They can try a tiny bit and you get to smoke, but it's not the full like too strong experience.

Margaret 01:04:53 Yeah. And you have to remember like. And I don't mean you, I just mean people in general need to remember that people are often very intimidated about consuming cannabis for the first time, especially in a social place, like you said. So having those options is a good idea. I never would have thought about the herbal blends, but I do tend to personally combine a lot of my my, THC dominant flower with CBD anyway, because it just takes off because I am prone to getting paranoid when I, when I like smoke or vape cannabis.

Margaret 01:05:20 But again, you know, cannabis is so personal to everybody that having the option as many options as possible sounds like the best route to take. Now, is there anything right now that's lighting you up as far as. what's lighting you up right now?

Christina 01:05:38 Oh, man.

Margaret 01:05:40 I mean, we just talked about all your amazing lighting.

Christina 01:05:45 I know it's hard. It's kind of hard when the world is so stressful right now. it's been really intense, honestly. What is lighting me up? I love the feedback. Honestly, I love hosting these events because like you said, just the joy that I see from people when after they've come to an event and the reactions and how it's made them feel like that, that level of joy is unmatched. It's like there's such a great sense of satisfaction for me personally. I mean, I'm also, judging for the California State Fair, so I have a giant bag of the entries. So that's bringing me great joy at the moment. Yeah.

Margaret 01:06:29 Yeah, that sounds like fun.

Margaret 01:06:30 I like the fact that they have this at a state fair I think is incredible too.

Christina 01:06:35 It's so cool and it's so innovative. Like at the California State Fair next to like, all of the other agricultural food and beverage and drinks and plants and things that are judged and win an award. Cannabis is there. And so this is the third year, I believe they've been doing it. And so I'm part of the judging group, and I can't really say anything else about it yet, but it's so exciting and that there's a whole area dedicated to California grown cannabis at the state fair. Like people can walk through and learn about, like how it's grown and like, meet the farmer. And there's a consumption area that people can, like, try these products and buy. Like it's really neat. And I hope that it continues to destigmatize and that other states will welcome it into their state fairs.

Margaret 01:07:28 I would love to see that at local fairs here in Canada too, because obviously we have the agricultural fairs and I do like to go to some of those in the in the fall in particular.

Margaret 01:07:36 And seeing cannabis at them would be incredible. But I'm one day, one day we'll get there. But one last question for you before you wrap up, because I want to be mindful of your time. What would surprise people about you?

Christina 01:07:52 I'm actually really introverted.

Margaret 01:07:54 Really. That is surprising. Yeah.

Margaret 01:07:57 I.

Christina 01:07:58 I used to be much more extroverted when I was younger and these days, actually it's really draining. I don't really like to be around people that much, but I love hosting events. I love hosting gatherings. I like seeing all of the elements coming through, but that's also when somebody, someone else had mentioned like that. It was overwhelming to them and they need and I could see people like trying to find quiet corners to hide. And I do that myself at events. And then there's this weird need to, like, force people to be social and extroverted. It's like, no, like it's okay. So I actually, I find lately especially, I need a lot of alone quiet time and in social settings, it's okay to be the quiet person in a corner.

Margaret 01:08:50 I love that, I'm glad I that's I think that's a perfect way to end this because I resonate with that so much. So yeah. So, Christina, I am so grateful that you took the time to spend with me today and answer all my questions about hosting cannabis events. It's definitely renewed my interest in doing the same where I am. And yeah, I think everybody should check you out and I'll have show notes where people can find you online. And yeah, once again, thank you so much.

Christina 01:09:14 Oh, thank you so much. It was such a pleasure being on. And thanks for having me. Yes, you should host events. I mean, you also teach people how to cook and bake with cannabis. And people really want to like small groups of just, like, making cookies, making tinctures. Like we're going to make mints at a gardening class for potheads. And people are so stoked about it. So it's cannabis is more fun with friends?

Margaret 01:09:38 Yes it is. Yeah. Well, friends, I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did, and I hope it inspires you to think about creating some special occasions for yourself, and whether it's a small group of friends or something bigger and more formal, then I hope it inspires you to create something magical.

Margaret 01:10:03 And of course, I will post everything in the show notes that we talked about today, with links to Christina's work and where you can find her out in the world, and some of the other things that were mentioned in the episode in the Show Notes and Bite Me podcast. And with that, my friends, of course, please share this episode with somebody that you think would learn from it as well. I'm your host, Margaret, and until next week, my friends stay high.