The pandemic hit chef Andrea Drummer hard. A pioneering leader in both the culinary and cannabis industries, and the driving force behind West Hollywood’s Original Cannabis Café, she watched her dream shuttered and endured unexpected surgery while wondering how she was going to put the pieces back together. It was a lot to lose sleep over.

The cannabis cafe was at its peak at the onset of Covid, where she had created a first-of-its-kind menu complementary to heightened senses from cannabis. Opened in October 2019, the Original Cannabis Café was reflective of California flavors with its farm-to-table experience for both cuisine and cannabis.​ With so many moving parts involved, it’s uncertain when the neighborhood joint will reopen.

“The pandemic was a real journey for me,” Drummer tells L.A Weekly in a telephone call. “I’ve done a complete overhaul of my diet and realized how important and restorative a good night’s sleep is. I realized how important rest is and what that’s going to look like moving forward. I’d really like to change the industry. In the restaurant industry, I think historically in the past we’ve seen ourselves as martyrs – we’ve got to get up early, we’ve got to go in early and work, work, work. We’re not investing in ourselves and prioritizing sleep. It’s the most restorative thing we can do for our bodies. I want to change that narrative.”

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West Hollywood’s Original Cannabis Café (Michele Stueven)

Part of that process has been teaming up with Sleep.com as an advisor and talking about how food impacts sleep. 

“There are foods you can eat to get proper sleep, that are packed with melatonin or foods that promote serotonin,” says Drummer, who spent two months searching out the perfect bed and creating an ambiance conducive to a good night’s sleep. “Omega 3 fatty fish is really good for that as well as eliminating foods with lots of sugar and of course alcohol. Your body tells you what it needs and often we ignore those cues. I share this with my staff as well, because I believe that creates a healthy and balanced work environment.”

Drummer shared her recipe for Shrimp Flatbread with Almond Pesto and Black Garlic Dressing with us, which also incorporates CBD oil. 

“Shrimp is packed with Omega 3 fatty acids and L-tryptophan and carbohydrates are good for getting sleep as well,” she says. “We kind of want to steer away from garlic, but black garlic because it’s fermented, changes the composition. The pesto is with almonds, packed with components that promote good sleep. The CBD helps promote relaxation and I use it a lot in my personal routine. I use it in my chamomile tea at night and it’s great in dressings. I just don’t subscribe to store-bought salad dressings. They’re so easy to make and you can control what you’re ingesting. If you have a trusted source of oils and tinctures, they will tell you what the accurate dosage is, but you don’t need much. The yield is far and long with a dressing that can last you upward of a couple of weeks.”

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Shrimp Flatbread with Almond Pesto and Black Garlic Dressing (Courtesy Andrea Drummer)

Shrimp Flatbread with Almond Pesto and Black Garlic Dressing 

INGREDIENTS 

  •       Prepared flatbread dough 
  •       8 ounces peeled & deveined shrimp 
  •       1 Cup Feta Cheese 

 

PESTO INGREDIENTS 

  •       3 Cups of packed basil leaves  
  •       ½ Cup of almonds 
  •       ½ Cup of grated Parmesan 
  •       ½ Cup of EVOO 
  •       3 garlic cloves 
  •       Salt & Pepper to taste 

 

CBD INFUSED BLACK GARLIC DRESSING 

  •       1 head of fermented garlic 
  •       1 tbsp CBD oil 
  •       1 tbsp chopped shallot 
  •       3 tbsp lemon juice 
  •       Zest of one lemon 
  •       2 tsp mustard 
  •       6 tbsp of EVOO 
  •       Salt & pepper to taste 

 

TO PREPARE 

  •       Preheat oven to 425 
  •       Combine the ingredients for the pesto using a food processor then set aside 
  •       Using the tips of your fingers, work the prepared dough into flatbread making sure to spread it thin 
  •       Add a drizzle of oil to the prepared dough and then spread pesto to the surface 
  •       Add shrimp 
  •       Add feta 
  •       Cook in preheated oven for 8 minutes 
  •       Finish with CBD infused black garlic dressing and fresh arugula 

 

 

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