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"With marijuana now legal in Colorado, the food industry is creating gourmet munchies, THC-spiked sodas, and food\u2013pot pairings. Welcome to the new cannabis cuisine! Desolate shelves. Vacant jars. Lonely bread racks. Stores once replete with cannabis-infused breads, butters, peanut brittles, brownies, chocolates, cupcakes, and other goodies now sat empty. It was January 2, 2014, the day after Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, and not a single edible could be found in my hometown of Summit County. Four state-licensed pot shops; zero edibles. Like frenzied locusts, the masses had swept through town devouring vast quantities of chocolate taffy Cheeba Chews, Twirling Hippy cheesecakes, Julie and Kate Nutty Bites, dank cakes, and good old pot brownies. I was left pondering: How did my edible dreams deferred come to be? Why weren\u2019t enough stocked? When will reinforcements arrive? &lt;strong&gt;And just what the hell is this delicious-sounding dank cake? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cannabis_sativa01.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Wikimedia Commons&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; With the legalization of marijuana, Colorado\u2019s cannabis cuisine scene and its many fans are now out, proud, and buying the hell out of edibles. Suffice to say, these ain\u2019t your dorm-room pot brownies. Cannabis chefs turn marijuana strains with names like Durban Poison, Kilowatt, HD Fruity, and Chemdawg into crunchy brittles, moist cakes, and delectable candies. &lt;em&gt;(Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://cheebachews.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;CheebaChews&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; Colorado edibles begin with the Goliath\u2014two-time Cannabis Cup winner &lt;a href=\"http:/http://cheebachews.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Cheeba Chews&lt;/a&gt;. Started from a home kitchen in Boulder in 2009, these gooey taffies are renowned for their discreetness as well as their consistency of taste and cannabis-oil dosage. A staple of the edible scene, Chews are now produced at a 12,000-a-week clip, a process still done completely by hand. &lt;a href=\"http://youtu.be/sBAUaVJhT_s\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Watch the charming video here: http://youtu.be/sBAUaVJhT_s\u00A0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Credit:\u00A0&lt;a href=\"http://cheebachews.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;CheebaChews&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; A Cheeba Chew is like a luxury Belgian Tootsie Roll meets homemade saltwater taffy...that gets you super stoned. The company is understandably optimistic: \u201CWith the recreational laws in Colorado, culinary innovators feel safe creating products to serve such a wide and growing demand,\u201D says CEO James Howler. &lt;em&gt;(Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://cheebachews.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;CheebaChews&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; For every Goliath, there\u2019s a David. Colorado\u2019s edible David is actually a Beth\u2014&lt;strong&gt;Beth Gonnaget&lt;/strong&gt; (a.k.a. the Cheesecake Lady) of &lt;a href=\"http://www.twirlinghippy.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Twirling Hippy Confections&lt;/a&gt;. Found in over 50 shops statewide, Gonnaget\u2019s individually wrapped cakes, bars, and chocolates have won &lt;a href=\"http://www.westword.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Westword\u2019s Best Colorado Edible&lt;/a&gt; three times. &lt;em&gt;(Cherry Chocolate Cheesecake Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://www.twirlinghippy.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Twirling Hippy Confections&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; Her delicious cheesecakes stand on their own\u2014with or without cannabis infusion. A note about the Snozberry cake: It tastes like &lt;a href=\"http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/the-filthiest-joke-ever-hidden-in-childrens-movie/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Snozberry&lt;/a&gt;. If Snozberries aren\u2019t in season, try the Palisade Peach gluten-free cheesecake (pictured), made from spiced organic Colorado Peaches, creamy vanilla cheesecake, and an \u201Cextra medicated\u201D gingersnap crust. (Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://www.twirlinghippy.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Twirling Hippy Confections&lt;/a&gt;) With a constantly changing menu of fresh breads and muffins along with their stalwart granola, seed mixes, nut bites, and cannabutter, &lt;a href=\"http://www.julieandkate.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Julie and Kate Baked Goods&lt;/a&gt; sets the standard for healthy edible fare. Pioneering the use of single-strain butters and oils, their Teutonic thoroughness and unwavering commitment to organic ingredients ensure a dependable and delicious product. &lt;em&gt;(Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://www.julieandkate.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Julie and Kate Baked Goods&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; The infused revolution doesn't stop at solid food. What could be more apropos than to wash down all these edibles with a cannabis-infused beverage? &lt;a href=\"https://dixieelixirs.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Dixie Elixirs&lt;/a&gt; mixes a line of seven drinks, from Old Fashioned Sarsaparilla to Sparkling Pomegranate boasting 40-milligram or 75-milligram THC doses\u2014marijuana's psychoactive ingredient. The 40-milligram dose is like downing a few light beers or taking a couple hits from a pipe: a decent, short-lived buzz. But the 75-milligram serving is a full-on high lasting two to three hours for most users, so buckle up! Decide for yourself if, per the company's claim, carbonation improves THC delivery.\u00A0&lt;em&gt;(Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://dixieelixirs.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;DixieElixirs&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; Meanwhile, another group on the culinary cutting edge of cannabis is discovering amazing cannabis-food pairings and concocting extrasensory dining experiences. They\u2019re hunting for complex textures, multi-layered tastes and experimenting with innovative combinations. They\u2019re researching and testing foods and ingredients traditionally believed to complement or enhance the effects of cannabis. &lt;em&gt;(Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://www.edibleeventsco.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Edible Events&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; \u201CWe\u2019re breaking the misconception that pot smokers are teenage dropouts that can\u2019t afford anything but pizza and chips,\u201D says &lt;strong&gt;Abby Schissler&lt;/strong&gt; of &lt;a href=\"http://www.threetomatoes.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Three Tomatoes Catering&lt;/a&gt;. Schissler works with &lt;a href=\"http://www.edibleeventsco.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Jane West of Edible Events &lt;/a&gt;designing menus for cannabis\u2013food pairing dinners. \u201CPeople are coming out of the closet and admitting they smoke,\" she says. \"Many are upscale clientele with great palates. It\u2019s a breakthrough.\u201D &lt;em&gt;(Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://www.edibleeventsco.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Edible Events&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; West, a Denver-based event planner for 15 years, started &lt;a href=\"http://www.edibleeventsco.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Edible Events&lt;/a&gt; after testing her concept with focus groups in Denver\u2019s tony Cherry Creek neighborhood. Dishes\u00A0will not contain cannabis\u2014they will complement it.\u00A0\"We're catering to the heightened senses of a cannabis user,\" says West. The first BYOC (Bring Your Own Cannabis) event on January 24 will feature small servings\u2014\"skewers, forkfuls\"\u2014like Chicken Parm Lollipops prepared fresh and plated by chefs at stations around Denver's &lt;a href=\"http://www.spacegalleryevents.com/space-400/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Space Gallery&lt;/a&gt;. Attendees are invited to use the \"smoking lounge\" in a luxury bus parked nearby to smoke or vaporize their marijuana.\u00A0&lt;em&gt;(Credit:\u00A0&lt;a href=\"http://www.edibleeventsco.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Edible Events&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; \"Freshness, variety are key\u2014and no dry foods!\" says West. One of the dishes on tap is creamy corn soup in a demi-cup with a chili-rubbed bacon skewer. \"I want people to taste the evolution of the food as they consume it.\" These unique events, the first of their kind, promise to add a quirky new element to Colorado's cannabis cuisine scene. \"Be prepared for not just an event but an experience where every element of your senses is being thoughtfully catered to with art and aesthetic beauty, food, ingredients, and live music,\" says West.&lt;em&gt; (Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://www.edibleeventsco.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Edible Events&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; It's a brave new world for culinary entrepreneurs across Colorado. Where it will all go is anyone's guess. But if early demand is any indication, marijuana-infused and marijuana-inspired foods will represent a significant chunk of an expected $600 million industry for Colorado in 2014. The next gold rush is happening now. I'm bearing witness. &lt;strong&gt;After waiting a week, I finally scored\u00A0my first taste of dank cake&lt;/strong&gt;. Heavy and moist, yet fully formed, the pleasing slice reminded me of my grandmother's otherworldly bundt cake. I couldn't taste the cannabis, but after about 30 minutes, boy did I feel it. The high wasn't overwhelming; it was enveloping, like being swathed in a down comforter. I enjoyed the famous dank cake, dipping bits into a steaming mug of French press coffee while watching a snowstorm sneak over the 12,000-foot peaks flanking my mountain home in Colorado. &lt;em&gt;(Credit: &lt;a href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three_space_brownies.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Wikimedia Commons&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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