Hawaii Mike: High Vibes, Higher Purpose — Culture, Cannabis & Community

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This is the strongest [ _ ] marker known to mankind, Gabe. I got ripped. 0:04 4 seconds Yo, this is So when I was out tagging, this is this was those markers. This is And I didn’t ask you this, too. What’s 0:11 11 seconds your wildest mom Deep story? I didn’t ask you this on the joint, but I know you got a bunch of them. 0:18 18 seconds I mean, just on a regular night, every time Shorts came on, it would just be fights. So, it’s like one time we were in Cleveland, and Pete used to tell this 0:27 27 seconds story all the time also. One time we’re in Cleveland and you know we’re at a steakhouse and I see them after we eat dinner they 0:35 35 seconds take the steak knives. I’m like the [ _ ] y’all doing? Why y’all taking steak knives? They’re like they’re like cuz we ain’t got nothing on us. Like we got
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nothing. We’re flying you know to each location.
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And uh you say like we need something. But this is like big ass serrated steak knives. They’re not even like you
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somebody like to hurt them. you know, they’re blunt tips. Like, it’s crazy. And so, um, that night we’re on Biggie’s Biggie.
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It’s It’s us. It’s Biggie and I forget who else. And, and so I, they give us their mics. I’m
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with the sound dude. You know, they have their mics. I have the DAT ready to play. And all of a sudden, I hear Biggiey’s music come on. His DJ I think it was enough or I forget who was DJ.
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I’m like, “What the fuck?” And so all of a sudden he’s playing, they’re backstage, and then he next thing you
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know, they [ _ ] rush the stage. They pin the security guards. They’re [ _ ] chasing big like it’s melee and it’s just mayhem in the whole spot.
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Finally, when everything [ _ ] calms down, I finally get backstage and I just see pee and half in the back standing with the knives. 1:50 1 minute, 50 seconds So that’s another thing to be said. So you you you are the biggest cat in the group. So I I I you know I’ve I’ve met the other Yo yo you you what 510 Mike? 2:00 2 minutes Yeah I’m 510 and I was like and but back then I was like 145 pounds like I was skinny as [ _ ] So
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like and I was like exactly I’m the biggest dude in the group. That’s you know is like 4 feet 10. Yeah.
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You know he’s like 5’4.
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Yep. Yep. I always said I always felt this way that that P should have been mentioned in the same breath as Nas.
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Think about the age P was when Infamous came out and the subject matter but my mind is old.
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Exactly. So the subject matter what he was saying and and if you can’t make the parallels to to what the Magnus Opus for Nazis which is ilmatic this there’s P
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should have definitely been mentioned in the same breath even more so because of how he had to go about doing it. We talked about, you know, Nas kind of had
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that that whole thing busted open for him when when you signed Colombia. And this was this was not that. They grinded that from the from the bottom, the
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ground up. Shook One’s part two is the most recognizable hip-hop like next to like rappers Delight. Like it’s that
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level. Like like everybody that comes on again thanks to M too. But that comes on you know what it is immediately. So much so that when you hear a track that has
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that snare in it that somebody sampled that snare, you know, oh that’s the ship on the snare.
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That’s nothing’s nothing’s crazy like that. Nothing could be nothing could be crazy.
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And the energy the energy of that record is like yo it’s insane. And then I know that the groupies so that they they attracted a
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different type of groupy. So the the the groupies for my for deep had to be all over the board and and and and it
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was some it was gutt. So if I don’t even know if we had groupies yet.
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Stop it. Yo, like it was not. Bro, you got to remember this is 95.
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I get it. I’m telling you. Listen. I used to listen. When when when when Havoc used to roll through and this is early.
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It’s hard to go back. But if you went back in time, man, you see it was grainy, bro.
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It wasn’t like Nah, it was grimy back then. So we didn’t have no it wasn’t like no groupies even before real shiny
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suits and all that [ _ ] Do this sauce. It’s just a fluid chef. I’m here 4:19 4 minutes, 19 seconds to remind y’all I’m sick with it. My name is ubiquitous meaning it’s one of the simple and plain. I’m all about my 4:27 4 minutes, 27 seconds paper. The bacon cheddar and pain. I got these lames running for the border. The talent to the border. Keep it flowing like it’s water. Here we go. There we 4:36 4 minutes, 36 seconds go. Creeping to a low speed. Is it him and his friend sitting in these ble 4:44 4 minutes, 44 seconds acting like they know we welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of the Taste Music Kid 4:51 4 minutes, 51 seconds Food podcast show. I am your host Ed Porter. This is the home for all things food, music, and culture and how they 4:59 4 minutes, 59 seconds all connect. Today, my guest today is is one of those guys that’s uh the Swiss 5:06 5 minutes, 6 seconds Army knife of of the culture. Um, this this this cat is has the things he’s seen, the things he’s done, the things 5:15 5 minutes, 15 seconds that he’s currently doing, and the manner in which he goes about that is obviously all inspiring and all about 5:24 5 minutes, 24 seconds community. And so I’m going to attempt to give this man his flowers with this intro right here. So here we go. In a 5:33 5 minutes, 33 seconds realm where flavors elevate, music resonates, and the plant heals, today’s guest moves like a conductor of culture. 5:40 5 minutes, 40 seconds From managing hip-hop royalty in the ‘9s to hosting cannabis infused supper clubs that feel more like sacred gatherings. 5:47 5 minutes, 47 seconds He’s turned lifestyle into legacy as the visionary behind chef hire, co-founder of Fly Private Social, and the host of 5:55 5 minutes, 55 seconds the soulbearing mask off podcast. He doesn’t just build brands, he builds bridges, rolling up truth, taste, and 6:03 6 minutes, 3 seconds tradition. He’s shifting narratives and feeding communities one elevated experience at a time. Let’s light it up 6:10 6 minutes, 10 seconds for a true architect of the culture, my brother, Hawaii Mike. 6:15 6 minutes, 15 seconds Hey, what’s good? Thanks. Thank Thank you for that introduction. Appreciate. 6:19 6 minutes, 19 seconds Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. So, like I I tell everybody that that’s on the the pod is that I selfishly 6:26 6 minutes, 26 seconds cherrypick everybody that comes on this joint. So, I have ultimate reverence for anybody that I interview and we go back 6:34 6 minutes, 34 seconds anyway. So, you know, you’re my guy. So, um this was uh uh you know, something that had to be done. 6:40 6 minutes, 40 seconds And let’s talk about let’s just jump right in, man. So you the things you’ve done, the things you’ve seen, the things 6:49 6 minutes, 49 seconds that you currently do, and the spaces that you move in are like you live like four different life lifetimes. I don’t even know if you sat down and really think about it like like the like Yeah. 6:59 6 minutes, 59 seconds You ever seen that? What’s that? Uh quantum leap when dude be like like that’s you, bro. Like you I mean I tell people I feel like I live 7:07 7 minutes, 7 seconds five lifetimes, but I still feel like a kid at the same time. Absolutely. You know what I’m saying? Absolutely. 7:11 7 minutes, 11 seconds Like I always tell people like when they ask me what I do, I’m like I’m the executive intern. 7:15 7 minutes, 15 seconds That’s dope. That’s dope. That’s That’s the bomb t-shirt. 7:18 7 minutes, 18 seconds Yeah. Well, because like I’m always learning. Like if I if I get to a point where I feel like, you know, I I feel like I get stagnated if I think I learned everything already. 7:28 7 minutes, 28 seconds Absolutely. 7:29 7 minutes, 29 seconds You know what I’m saying? And every business I’m in, it starts from the ground floor and I’m like, “All right, how do I do this?” And so it’s figuring it out. So again, if I 7:37 7 minutes, 37 seconds if I stop learning, that’s my last breath. That’s the last lesson I learned. 7:40 7 minutes, 40 seconds Yeah. Yeah, you got to you got to do you got to subscribe to being a forever student and no matter what no matter what field you in specifically if you 7:48 7 minutes, 48 seconds going to bounce through a couple different things. So let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about your journey through you know the managing and and 7:55 7 minutes, 55 seconds and then getting into the the the food and then how you know bringing cannabis into the fold and and you just basically 8:04 8 minutes, 4 seconds just bringing people into to to to the lifestyle on a different level. So let’s talk about how you know the inception of all of that. 8:13 8 minutes, 13 seconds So let me take it all the way back to the beginning. I’ll just say kind of like through life my three pillars have been um cannabis because like my mom smoked 8:22 8 minutes, 22 seconds with me in the womb. You know when I was a kid my dad was you know told me to smoke in the house. You know I got in trouble for smoking outside of the 8:29 8 minutes, 29 seconds house. Um, food was an interesting thing for me because I was raised vegan and like very strict vegan. Like you know, 8:37 8 minutes, 37 seconds my mom is like still sprouting vegetables and things of that nature. 8:41 8 minutes, 41 seconds And you know, when I was nine, I was living in Hawaii and I was I felt left out. So I was like, you know, I want to 8:49 8 minutes, 49 seconds eat chicken or something like and so my dad sent me a recipe. They weren’t together. My dad sent me a recipe and that’s that’s when I first started cooking. And then fast forward, I moved 8:57 8 minutes, 57 seconds in with him. my first job became prep cook was a prep cook at a restaurant in San Francisco. Um 9:04 9 minutes, 4 seconds and then like I don’t know community with me I think has been something for me because 9:11 9 minutes, 11 seconds um I’m multithnic like I have so many different my grandfather’s from Palestine my father’s from the Philippines my mother’s from Brazil so it’s kind of all over so community 9:19 9 minutes, 19 seconds became like you know this thing for me and so I was selling weed as a kid taking weed from my dad and sneaking 9:27 9 minutes, 27 seconds into a music convention called the Gavin um back in like 1991 one and then by 92 people were like, “Yo, you got to 9:35 9 minutes, 35 seconds hustle. What are you doing? Do you know where you’re at? Like if you come to New York, we’ll get you an internship.” And 9:41 9 minutes, 41 seconds so that was like February 92. I moved to New York Janu uh June 92. And got an 9:49 9 minutes, 49 seconds internship at this record label called PW Well America and Diamond D. I got hired at Diamond B’s Best Kept Secret 9:57 9 minutes, 57 seconds video shoot. So, I got to go to that shoot and then met like the principles at the label and they, you know, got me the internship. And ironically, my 10:06 10 minutes, 6 seconds brother, I just got to shout out my brother out who just passed away last year. Scoop. Yep. 10:09 10 minutes, 9 seconds Um, so Scoop was the intern at PWL when he got his job at Tommy Boy. That opened up my opportunity. 10:19 10 minutes, 19 seconds Got you. 10:19 10 minutes, 19 seconds You know what I’m saying? So, like I always shout him out for that. You know, not that he did it on purpose, but it was just timing. And, you know, I’m I 10:26 10 minutes, 26 seconds obviously know him. until he passed away last year. Um, and so, you know, cannabis is what really got me into the music industry. 10:36 10 minutes, 36 seconds And so, I’ve always been known for that. 10:38 10 minutes, 38 seconds And I I hopped around did a few things in the industry. Um, I worked at that label as a national director of radio promotions. I worked, you know, Diamond 10:46 10 minutes, 46 seconds D, uh, Edog and the Bulldogs. Uh, my brother Scientific who passed away. Um, and then after that, when I lost my job, 10:54 10 minutes, 54 seconds I ended up becoming Mob Deep’s road manager. during the infamous album. So that just celebrated its 30th anniversary. 11:01 11 minutes, 1 second 30 years, bro. 30 years. 11:03 11 minutes, 3 seconds Which is wild. Like to think it’s been 30 years. Like when you say so when you say five lifetimes, bro, that’s 30 years ago. 11:10 11 minutes, 10 seconds Yeah. 11:12 11 minutes, 12 seconds And and you know, blessings on blessings and with all the gratitude like you know, people still think I’m in my 30s. Yeah. 11:20 11 minutes, 20 seconds You know what I’m saying? So, so it it it’s and that’s why it’s it’s really like I really don’t believe in time the 11:28 11 minutes, 28 seconds way they present it to us, right? You know, like, you know, I don’t believe in age. That’s more of a mindset to me than anything because I see a lot of people 11:36 11 minutes, 36 seconds that are very vibrant and healthy and active in their 70s and 80s. Yeah. You know what I’m saying? And then I see 11:44 11 minutes, 44 seconds other people that are lethargic and depressed and totally gone in their 50s. 11:50 11 minutes, 50 seconds facts, you know. Yeah. 11:52 11 minutes, 52 seconds You know what I’m saying? So, it’s like all of these things are this this kind of mindset to me. But, um to get back after manage mob during the infamous 11:59 11 minutes, 59 seconds album, I went to the source magazine as the the marketing manager, the mobile marketing manager. So, we had these big 12:06 12 minutes, 6 seconds vans, used to go all over the country, tours, and you know, create block parties and stuff like that. So, I managed that with my man. 12:15 12 minutes, 15 seconds Um and then later became the lifestyle editor at the source. So, I did like flavors of the month. I did basically 12:23 12 minutes, 23 seconds all of the products you would see um in the magazine that weren’t on models, like the fashion director did all of that. I did everything else that 12:31 12 minutes, 31 seconds was product oriented. So, if you saw like an artist or a basketball player in their cars or their motorcycles, like I did all of those things as well. myself. 12:40 12 minutes, 40 seconds Um, ended up creating my own magazine, uh, LTV, and then started the agency with some friends where, um, we did a 12:49 12 minutes, 49 seconds bunch of websites. We also created In magazine, the tattoo magazine. 12:53 12 minutes, 53 seconds Um, so I’m the founding editor and chief of Inc. magazine as well. 12:56 12 minutes, 56 seconds And, uh, then got into management. Nigel Sylvester, the BMX athlete. I’m sure everybody’s heard of him at this point. 13:03 13 minutes, 3 seconds Um, first BMX athlete on Jordan brand. 13:06 13 minutes, 6 seconds um Mercedes, like all kinds of crazy stuff now. So DJ Clark Kent y um on CNLV producers, Jonathan Manion, 13:16 13 minutes, 16 seconds the photographer, and all the while I’m selling trees, you know, um and again, everybody knows me 13:24 13 minutes, 24 seconds for it. And so, you know, you talked about the supper clubs. Uh 200, I think 12 or so when uh legalization in 13:34 13 minutes, 34 seconds Colorado in Washington happened, everybody started looking at me like, “How you getting into the industry?” I know. I know you’re going to be in the 13:40 13 minutes, 40 seconds industry. I know. Ah. And again, I I’ve kind of been one of those people that just kind of goes with the flow of life 13:47 13 minutes, 47 seconds and happened to meet a chef from Seattle that was doing it. and we started a company. It didn’t work out and then I 13:55 13 minutes, 55 seconds just kept doing it and selftaught you know in the kitchen. 13:59 13 minutes, 59 seconds Um you know we did once we started the actual supper club dinner is dope. We did it from August 2015 until uh March I 14:09 14 minutes, 9 seconds think 16th was the last one. 2020 that we did in a row. 14:14 14 minutes, 14 seconds Um but I’ve done hundreds of them since you know all together. So it’s just kind of become you know my alchemy. 14:20 14 minutes, 20 seconds Yep. For sure. Like that’s the that’s the long short story. 14:24 14 minutes, 24 seconds No, that’s dope. So, and what’s crazy is that so we we could have very well ran into each other back in the infamous 14:31 14 minutes, 31 seconds days because that’s I was running wild then. You know, I was a youngster and a matter of fact I think Hav used to mess with a chick in Co-op City which is 14:40 14 minutes, 40 seconds right by right and I’ve seen him in the Honda smash through there. You know, this is way early though. This is way 14:48 14 minutes, 48 seconds this is that yo. So, real talk, I might have co-signed for that car. 14:53 14 minutes, 53 seconds That’s crazy. So, so, so the thing is I don’t know how I cosigned for somebody that age. 15:02 15 minutes, 2 seconds He had no credit. I have anything. Um but P, God bless the dead, um 15:09 15 minutes, 9 seconds had decided to abandon his whip and left it on the side of like the LIE or the Southern State or some [ _ ] like
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that with the plates and everything on it. Oh, in your name. Yeah.
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In our name. So there was a bench warrant out for both of us. Wow. And I had no clue. Yeah.
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Ended up getting pulled over at LaGuardia. We were sending some stuff down to how can I be down. I ended up getting pulled cuz I went into the inner lane. You’re not supposed to do that.
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Yeah. And I And so I got pulled over.
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They rammed me and they ended up locking me up at the Oh, you was at at the airport jail. Yeah.
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Yeah, man. And I just remember the dude in there knew I worked at the source and
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started asking me about Chino and all this other stuff and saying he knew him and started talking about graffiti and then they started doing all these pranks over the loudspeaker. It was like it was
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a real weird experience. But yeah, that’s that’s crazy. That was probably a car I cosigned for.
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That’s so that’s Yeah, I’m telling you I I I’ve on many occasions he was messing with this chicken in in Co-op City. So yeah, we could have came and then so
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right before you started the the dinner series, that’s when that’s when we actually met D through Pete.
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And so yeah, cuz I was you were sourcing.
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No, it might have been after that all I’m pretty sure it’s after. It was it was pre 2015.
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Yeah, cuz I was still in the bay. I left the bay in 2015. So we we Oh [ _ ] Yeah, bro. So this was like 2012 2013. And the 16:39 16 minutes, 39 seconds reason the reason why I know that is because I just um we had just finished with the Willie made Skybox Lounge and I had time and me and Pete was hanging 16:48 16 minutes, 48 seconds tough. So that’s that’s when that all happened. So yeah, it’s crazy crazy. 16:53 16 minutes, 53 seconds All right. So right about now, we like to play a little game called this or that. So I’m going to give you 17:01 17 minutes, 1 second some items. It’s very simple. You choose one or the other. Very straightforward. Okay. Cool. All right. 17:09 17 minutes, 9 seconds [Music] 17:14 17 minutes, 14 seconds Oh, Air Max 95 for sure. 17:15 17 minutes, 15 seconds Can I ask Can I ask the question? Can I Can I So, yes. Go ahead. Tell me the story. 17:22 17 minutes, 22 seconds Oh, that was like You didn’t ask the question. I thought you were just I’m not I’m going to say it. I mean, not not everybody knows not everybody knows that that’s the Air Max 95. I mean, they 17:31 17 minutes, 31 seconds should and they definitely should know the Sheltos, but Okay. Air Max 95. I’ve I’ve never worn a pair of shell toes for like a whole day. 17:41 17 minutes, 41 seconds Oh, you know why? Cuz they’re not killed my big toe like I mean it might be TMI but I used to get 17:49 17 minutes, 49 seconds ingrown toenails in my big toe and nah I couldn’t rock showtoes bro. Like you stub your toe with shell toes. Ow. 17:56 17 minutes, 56 seconds Yeah, that’s Yeah, facts. That’s why you gota wear you got to wear them a half size too big to have the room. That’s That’s I’m 18:03 18 minutes, 3 seconds telling you that’s why that’s why Run DMC did that. They had to Well, actually, they had to go down a size to wear no laces. Anyway, that’s the Okay, so MX95s. MX95s. All right. Next. 18:13 18 minutes, 13 seconds For sure. 18:15 18 minutes, 15 seconds Beef patty with cocoa bread or bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll. 18:23 18 minutes, 23 seconds Now, now it depends where it’s from. You You pick your pick. Your pick. Yeah. Let’s just say let’s just say Brooklyn. 18:30 18 minutes, 30 seconds I mean, from the from the right spot. 18:32 18 minutes, 32 seconds Yeah. I’m going with some of beef patty and some cocoa bread. 18:35 18 minutes, 35 seconds Facts, facts, facts. Especially if the cocoa bread is fresh. All right. Oh, for sure. All right. Next. 18:42 18 minutes, 42 seconds Now we doing soundtracks. Okay. Official soundtracks. Boys in the Hood official soundtrack or Above the Rim official soundtrack. 18:51 18 minutes, 51 seconds All right. So, if you we can we can we can start naming some joints off them because they was both they’re both smashes 18:58 18 minutes, 58 seconds in my opinion. two of the best movie soundtracks to ever be. 19:03 19 minutes, 3 seconds Man, that’s a tough one, man. Um, but I think I’mma have to go with Above the Rim. Above the Rim. Okay. Yeah. 19:11 19 minutes, 11 seconds Okay. Any reason why? 19:14 19 minutes, 14 seconds Cuz I was out here at that time and I was more in the industry and everything and it just was like 19:22 19 minutes, 22 seconds I don’t know. I just felt like I was more attached to that even though Boys in the Hood was such a man that had that had the Tony that had just me and you on it. 19:31 19 minutes, 31 seconds The the Boys in the Hood that had just me and you on it. But uh I I agree with you. Above the rim will be for my for me as well. Okay. And finally, 19:40 19 minutes, 40 seconds we gonna go with Fubu or Kana. I never wore it either. 19:47 19 minutes, 47 seconds This is just about impact. I me No, I know. 19:49 19 minutes, 49 seconds Me either. Um, I’m gonna say Carl Cany because he opened the door. Facts. Facts. 19:55 19 minutes, 55 seconds You know, facts. 19:57 19 minutes, 57 seconds Um, I think, you know, Fubu obviously got way, you know, bigger as an entity of the company, right? 20:04 20 minutes, 4 seconds But I think without Carl Cany, yeah, this doesn’t happen. 20:08 20 minutes, 8 seconds They might they may not do what they do, you know? Right. Agreed. Agreed. Okay. All right. Dope. Dope. Dope. That was just that. 20:15 20 minutes, 15 seconds All right. So let’s let’s talk about your your you talk about your alchemy about 20:24 20 minutes, 24 seconds how you decided that okay cool cannabis has always been a part of the the the the the landscape but now I’m going to 20:32 20 minutes, 32 seconds we did this you know this joint venture that didn’t work that’s fine but when you decided to run with it because just for the people that are out there that 20:40 20 minutes, 40 seconds that that don’t know we’re not just talking about these these were this the dinner is dope series was an event that 20:49 20 minutes, 49 seconds was very much the place to be for culinary as well as the experience of 20:57 20 minutes, 57 seconds having that mixed with cannabis. It was we’re not talking about basic food items. We’re talking about like an actual event like very very high brow 21:05 21 minutes, 5 seconds above standards on everything across the board and it wasn’t run-of-the-mill. And that’s why I think, you know, they were 21:12 21 minutes, 12 seconds so such an event and such a a place to be and people wanted to be in the room. 21:18 21 minutes, 18 seconds And so talk to me about how how you went about, you know, making sure that these events were 21:27 21 minutes, 27 seconds felt like you were bringing people into to your your world, but still giving them a dining experience that was bar none. 21:36 21 minutes, 36 seconds So, I mean, we I I’ll honestly say we grew into that. The first ones were very much like 21:44 21 minutes, 44 seconds they were like tasting menus, but it was me figuring it out. Like I can’t front. 21:48 21 minutes, 48 seconds Like I I had no real experience in cooking for people or plating or like I 21:56 21 minutes, 56 seconds could show you some of the first photos and it be like damn that’s what y’all was making. Um you know and I think after probably like 22:05 22 minutes, 5 seconds the first four or five like they were always themed and things of that nature. 22:09 22 minutes, 9 seconds We were finding our footing and you know cuz the the main thing was like how do we introduce the endockinabonoid system in our relationship with this plant and 22:18 22 minutes, 18 seconds it was like well everybody eats right you know what I’m saying like how so everybody has endockinab but they don’t know that but everybody eats so that language of 22:26 22 minutes, 26 seconds food we can bring people together right um once you kind of have their attention through entertainment you can kind of educate them right 22:34 22 minutes, 34 seconds uh and that’s what we would kind of do by talking about you know how we infuse used it. Um, in the beginning, I think we used to put like different strains 22:43 22 minutes, 43 seconds and things of that nature. What I actually learned with that was the the experience could be so much different 22:49 22 minutes, 49 seconds for everybody that for me and the way I did it at least, it was better to have a singular experience, right? 22:56 22 minutes, 56 seconds Um, that ended up being our goal and kind of how we did things. Then as I started to get comfortable in the kitchen and 23:03 23 minutes, 3 seconds started to bring in other people um to chef with us, that’s when I think things started to really kind of elevate because now I’m starting to learn real 23:12 23 minutes, 12 seconds technique and understanding. Um actually, you know, real talk, I went and took some classes at ice, you know, you know, I was Yeah. I you know, just 23:20 23 minutes, 20 seconds to get, you know, my culinary or even my uh my cutting skills, my knife skills right to understand, you know, all the different sauces and, you know, even like little plating things and things of 23:29 23 minutes, 29 seconds that nature. Plus, just being in the kitchen and seeing all of the different um tools that they have or equipment that they have and going, “All right, 23:37 23 minutes, 37 seconds well, how can I do this if we’re doing this out the crib?” So, we ended up doing like 200 person catering jobs out of the crib. Yeah. It’s crazy. 23:44 23 minutes, 44 seconds You know what I’m saying? At certain points. Crazy. 23:46 23 minutes, 46 seconds Um, but we were cooking for 40 people five course meals and doing that all out of the crib. Yeah. you know, a real 23:52 23 minutes, 52 seconds fourburner regular ass regular regular oven, like you know, and so we would 23:59 23 minutes, 59 seconds create menus that wouldn’t put us in a corner and you’re able to execute but still felt high level, right? 24:07 24 minutes, 7 seconds Um, and that was always the goal, man. 24:09 24 minutes, 9 seconds So, that’s why I say it became my alchemy because it was like, you know, turning that that that brick wall into 24:17 24 minutes, 17 seconds something that people were like, “Wow.” Because you know the the great thing about when we was doing this, nobody else was doing it. Yeah. 24:24 24 minutes, 24 seconds And we we used to we got to a point we was charging $150 ahead. You didn’t know the location till the day of the event. 24:33 24 minutes, 33 seconds You didn’t know who was going to be there till you walked in the door and you didn’t know the menu until you sat at the table. 24:39 24 minutes, 39 seconds Yeah. And that’s I mean that’s Yeah. New Yorkers love [ _ ] like that. That’s just that’s really what it like like because you’re in you’re still in. I don’t care what’s going on. I’m I’m I’m in here and
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I can talk about it. You you once was quoted by saying that food is the glue of communal celebration and then
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cannabis is the lubrication for the engine.
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H how did you because you’re also the music guy. So how and how did you how did music play a part in that triad that
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triad sorry of those moments being as special as they as they were and are?
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I mean, sometimes the music was as simple as the playlist, you know what I mean, for the background or we bring a DJ in, things of that nature. Um, other
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times we really built menus around um music. Like one of my favorite menus was I think it was September 28th or 29th. I
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think it’s the 28th, 1998. There’s like five albums that came out on that date.
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Yeah. the the the the the probably least known one is Foundation by Brand Newbie and their second album. Uh it was Tripol
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Quest, the love movement, and then you just had Black Star. You know what I’m saying? Then you had
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Outcast, Aquini, and then you had Jay-Z volume two. And all those albums came out on the same day. Same. Yep.
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Yep. And we built a whole menu, you know, reflective of influences on there.
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Like that’s where that’s where hard knock rice came from.
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Yep. Y actually that was the first time we used hard knock rice. Okay.
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And you know used that and you know we I think cuz he said something about beef in that in that song and so we made like uh a steak with some
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like rice and peas and you know so it’s like just you know taking music and the influence but I think it’s just all of these things like I look at hip-hop as
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as the thing that brought us all together. Absolutely. You know it it it’s it’s so universal.
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was so communal if we allow it to be because it’s all energy.
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And so, you know, hip-hop was always a part of it just culturally, you know, culture is just how you express yourself and what you look like and how you dress
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and how you talk. And for me, you know, hip-hop is how we live and that’s I don’t think anybody would be like, “Yeah, I don’t know where this kid, you know, or what he likes to listen to.” You know what I’m saying?
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Like, I don’t think that would ever be a question with people hear me talk or see me dress. Uh, so, you know, it was always that.
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And then food is part of every celebration. Yeah.
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Like every celebration. There’s no even even the celebration of death and people passing there as a repass. There’s food. Yep.
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You know what I’m saying? Like food is everywhere and everybody eats. Yeah.
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And so, you know, having all of these kinds of things. And then the other thing that I’ve really learned about this and hosting people and and now having flat private social is intention.
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intention really creates the containers and and it’s like once your intention is
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really in a positive building way like people to me and and they’ll probably feel it if it’s negative as well but for me people
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really feel that and and that’s what I think draws people in and makes people comfortable and it’s like I still got people that talk to me about those
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dinners or randomly send me a picture because you know it came up in their you know their photo album as a memory you know what I’m saying like and it’s was
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wild to think of like how many people we cooked for and how many different dinners and you know till this day even at the restaurant my favorite compliment
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is yo I never eat this but every time you make it I eat right yeah no better they’re usually talking about there’s no better talking about
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something like Brussels sprouts or they’re talking about you know what I’m saying like or a salad or a soup right or you know because it’s like you know
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you get a good steak as long as you don’t overcook it you’re not really gonna mess that up Right. Right.
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Yeah. But to get some people to eat out of their their comfort zone is a whole different thing. Tell me about your experiences with and I know that hip-hop
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plays a major role into just who you are and how you are, but how you basically seamlessly just, you know, everything
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you do and that’s why it’s a lifestyle, it’s a culture. you just touched on that too, but but speak to that because of the pillars of hip-hop and community and
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what that means and why it’s just a natural progression of what it is that you’re doing anyway.
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29 minutes
Yep. Uh I mean like Chris said, like Caros said, rap is something you do.
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Hip-hop is something you live. Like that’s just how you live. It’s culture.
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Uh so for me, I know everybody, you know, I know everybody through literally through either hip-hop, through cannabis, or
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through food. like I it’s it’s all some type of connection through those three things. I I can’t think of how I know
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people, you know, besides that, you know. Um and so for me, it’s also like I don’t know if you’ve seen uh uh DJ Rob
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Swiss book. He wrote a book with this other dude. I forget the guy Russul I forget his last name, but they wrote a book called The City of Hip Hop. And
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basically what it’s saying is like there’s nowhere else or no other time that hip-hop could have started except
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New York. And so, you know, it’s I think it’s just that happened to be aligned
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with the time we’re living in and me being a part of it from such a young age and being aligned with its kind of like
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you know is is growth it arch into the world. And so I think we hit these certain pinnacles right around the
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pandemic actually or right you know even before that um and after like saying you know Virgil being you know at at Louis
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Vuitton. Louis Vuitton is somebody who never wanted us. They need us now.
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You know what I’m saying? or after the pandemic um you know breakin in the Olympics like
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that’s that’s the you know largest sports stage you know and most respected and honored tradition of sports
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in the world globally y you know and for something that was about gang culture right and peace to hit that
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stage I think is incredible and so now we’re at these kind of like crossroads where it’s like all right
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those things are great those accolades are awesome but how come we can’t do this for ourselves you know and I think that’s where this
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thing idea for me at least celebration comes in we’re not we don’t celebrate like we don’t celebrate as a culture we
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destroy we don’t build we destroy and and it’s like we’re not supposed to be here if they
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31 minutes, 19 seconds
were writing it we wouldn’t be here absolutely we’re here because of that authenticity because of that natural power of energy,
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right? That frequency that everybody for some reason is attracted to and aligns with. And not everybody, a lot of people
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because this is a global phenomenon for sure.
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Right. If you’re in modern society anywhere in this globe, you know rap songs, you know rappers.
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Period.
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Yeah. Period. You go to anywhere where they play music or there’s a jukebox or there’s something, trust me, there’s somebody rapping in there.
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Facts.
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32 minutes
You know what I’m saying? But if you go to one of our spots, you’re not going to find a country music record, right? Like we’ve permeated every facet of popular culture globally.
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And so now what do we do with that?
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Like, and that’s been my thing is like, how do we talk to people through this lens of hiphop to say we can all be together? Because if we all closed our
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eyes and went to a party, right? We all got this invite to a party, but we all went there blindfolded and the party was like, “Oh, it’s hip-hop. It’s you get to
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go see Kendrick Lamar and you get to shake his hand. You get to go see um Grandmaster Flash DJ and you get to go see Rock McDaniels doing a video set.”
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You would see people from every ethnicity, every walk of life, everything you could think of wanting to be in there.
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And if you revealed that afterwards, you’d be like, “Oh [ _ ] this is crazy.” You know what I’m saying? And that’s how we have to start celebrating, accepting. 32:58 32 minutes, 58 seconds The problem is our eyes lie to us. Our eyes will carry prejudice, right? It’s not our hearts. Yeah. 33:03 33 minutes, 3 seconds It’s not our souls. You know what I’m saying? Those are things that we create through our eyes. And our eyes lie to us. And if we allow our hearts to be the 33:11 33 minutes, 11 seconds things that connect us to those frequencies and those vibrations, right, that’s when I think we start to connect. 33:17 33 minutes, 17 seconds And that’s how kind of fly private social was born. 33:19 33 minutes, 19 seconds That’s right. That’s a good segue cuz I was about to touch on that. Let’s let’s talk to me about, you know, and you’re sitting in it. Talk to me about Fly Private Social, what it is, the meaning. 33:29 33 minutes, 29 seconds You talked about the meaning behind it right now without even talking about it. 33:32 33 minutes, 32 seconds But let’s let’s let’s let’s let’s let’s paint a picture for somebody who hasn’t been and want to be and what it actually 33:39 33 minutes, 39 seconds is because a lot of people have uh they they feel like it’s a club and that they you know it it it needs membership and 33:47 33 minutes, 47 seconds and which is an excl it’s it’s an exclusive thing. But I want you to to hear from from you exactly what is Fly Private Social? What’s going on there? 33:56 33 minutes, 56 seconds Let’s talk about the things that you got going. 33:58 33 minutes, 58 seconds Well, honestly, I mean, that is the goal is to create social clubs or different iterations of gathering spaces that reflect our culture, our lifestyle, and 34:07 34 minutes, 7 seconds our experiences. So, I just don’t think we have that this hours, right? And so, Flat Private Social is a 34:13 34 minutes, 13 seconds celebration of unity through food. Uh we use the the lens of hip-hop as as to share as as a culture and we just 34:22 34 minutes, 22 seconds communicate unity because unity at the end of the day is our capital. So when you see us write the word community, it’s lowercase cm m with a capital u n i 34:30 34 minutes, 30 seconds t y and again intentions and you know words and verbalizing and visualizing things 34:38 34 minutes, 38 seconds to manifest you know these things to actually come to life and people to be able to engage with them. It’s it’s how 34:46 34 minutes, 46 seconds do we create something organically but with the intention of being able to build together like to create these safe 34:54 34 minutes, 54 seconds spaces for us to truly come together in collaboration. 34:58 34 minutes, 58 seconds um you know and you you know so actually during the pandemic is how I really came up with the whole community thing was you know I was it was there’s nobody has 35:06 35 minutes, 6 seconds immunity to co right and and that word immunity is I am m unity y 35:13 35 minutes, 13 seconds right so I was like oh wow we’re this is this is something that kind of connects us all and so I looked up how many words have the word unity in it and I looked 35:22 35 minutes, 22 seconds at it as an opportunity there’s 13 of them so I looked at it as an opportunity to communicate unity Right. 35:28 35 minutes, 28 seconds And so using those three words of immunity, opportunity, and community um really just kind of like started to 35:34 35 minutes, 34 seconds flesh out and and get this idea into a space of like, yeah, we we need these, especially after co, right? We we need safe spaces. 35:43 35 minutes, 43 seconds Uh we need third spaces in general that aren’t our home and our workplace. We need spaces for us to be able to gather where we feel safe to be around, you 35:52 35 minutes, 52 seconds know, the people that are there and and with us. And I started looking at like, all right, cool. is well Soho House that’s probably the most popular 36:00 36 minutes iteration of a of a social club that we know and if you look at them I was actually collaborating with them for like four or five years I got membership 36:08 36 minutes, 8 seconds with them I think around 2017 18 to do dinners with them so I was already being put in a position to learn you know what I’m saying and to 36:17 36 minutes, 17 seconds be able to to see from an inside perspective the operations and how these things kind of work unbeknownst to me 36:23 36 minutes, 23 seconds even having this idea later Right. And and so for everybody listening, for me, that’s that’s what helps me is those 36:31 36 minutes, 31 seconds kinds of things is what helps me even when I’m in a space of like I’m me I want to have social clubs built in every city the hip-hop went like how am I 36:40 36 minutes, 40 seconds doing that right? 36:41 36 minutes, 41 seconds But for some reason that’s what the universe keeps putting in front of me. 36:45 36 minutes, 45 seconds And so just trust your path. Trust like that you’re never not where you’re supposed to be. and whatever’s in front of you, as ludicrous as it may sound, if 36:53 36 minutes, 53 seconds it makes you feel good, you get excited about that [ _ ] try it. And that’s really, you know, how I’m here. Yeah.
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So, it’s, you know, we’re for Green Brooklyn and using this first location as kind of like the proof of concept, you know, and again, you know, like I
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said, I started looking at Soho House, who look at their programming.
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50 60 70% of their programming is really geared to us or from our culture. I mean, DJ Premiere was just spent in a Dumbo House.
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Yeah. It’s crazy like who brought that? There wasn’t anybody on their staff that brought that in. That was one of the cool members, you know what I’m saying? Or something
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like that, right?
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37 minutes, 29 seconds
Uh then I started looking at well what are the other things and organizations that that bring people together that create these longlasting or or lifelong
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37 minutes, 37 seconds
relationships or educational or just whatever it may be. And you looked at fraternal organizations, right? people
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join fraternities and now you have a global network of people you could tap into that that you know come from a
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place of education and then I looked at Masonic lodges y right and you know that’s steel sharp
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37 minutes, 59 seconds
and steel you know that’s building together and and and you know that’s kind of like you know the knowledge wisdom and understanding that was so
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deeply ingrained in the beginnings of of hip-hop culture and the fraternities to me were kind of like the unity peace and love but more famili IO side
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and so now it’s in hip hop we sample. So how do we sample those three organizations and and kind of come up with something new and again that’s how flat property social was born.
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38 minutes, 26 seconds
That’s dope. That’s dope. And then also you know you got the food side. So let’s talk about chef hire because
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38 minutes, 33 seconds
these two things all commune in that building. That’s right. No, but they both they but they they one, you know, one came one pushes the other and the
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other one is still highlighted no matter where it’s at. And so well, that’s why I say food is my alchemy.
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Absolutely. Because because at the end of the day, the food is up here. Right.
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Right. And then the food kind of like um communicates the the how we connect with people and
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39 minutes
and that’s that’s why I say it’s really my alchemy because it’s like I I had no intent. I never cooked on the line until I had my own line.
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39 minutes, 7 seconds
And that’s okay. That’s okay. That’s okay. You know, but I tell you what, Chef Hire as far as a brand in New York City is, you know, you you did your thing, you know, and and it still are.
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39 minutes, 18 seconds
So, let’s let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about how how that all came about and then and then and how that plays a role into what you’re doing as a as a as as a respected name in the industry.
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That’s the other thing, too. So you also are, you know, you was at the the when all this stuff started to hit, you was
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already there doing it anyway. And so your name is synonymous with with all of it. So that’s why everybody was looking to you like, I know you’re doing this
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because, you know, you have to be you’re like, you got to be you’re the guy. You know what I’m saying? So talk to me about that.
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39 minutes, 50 seconds
Yeah. I mean, you know, again, like chef for hire the the evolution after we was doing the supper clubs was to get into the legal market,
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right? And being from Cali, I really wanted to launch it in in in California, but Prop 64 is just not really the move.
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40 minutes, 7 seconds
And so I decided to plant a flag in New York. And if the 22 immutable laws of marketing say if you can’t be first,
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create your own category, like create your own lane. And so we weren’t going to be the first cannabis brand, right?
40:20
40 minutes, 20 seconds
But we can’t be the first culinary brand in cannabis. And so we came up using um extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil,
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40 minutes, 28 seconds
honey, and ghee, clarified butter in our kitchen, in our um those are like the main fats we would use in the dinner is
40:37
40 minutes, 37 seconds
dope series. And so those just became our actual products we came to market with. And so we launched I think we’ve been in the market now two years.
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Um like but really officially since like I think it’s like a year and a half, maybe you know a little under that. And
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40 minutes, 53 seconds
we know you can find us in about 140 dispensaries right now and you know about to put out a couple of new things
41:01
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and reworking formulations on the gummies and I’m actually about to start a podcast with chefs for hire um you
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know to kind of like the main goal with the podcast is to get people to understand that your relationship with this plant is your relationship.
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41 minutes, 20 seconds
I feel when I smoke something the same as you smoke the same exact time in the same exact place, I’m going to feel different than you feel.
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And I just want people to have an experience of going in and approaching their relationship in that way so they
41:37
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can find out what’s best for them. not listen to all the marketing, not listen to all of the oh effect based stuff, not
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listen just, you know, do this for yourself and see how it works best for you.
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And I think, you know, once we have that, we’ll have a much more educated consumer cuz right now it’s it’s it’s it’s scary
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in the in the New York dispensaries to me.
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Absolutely. Absolutely. And you you touched on something too. You also have the Mask Off podcast, you know, and which it’s not a typical podcast, you
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know, it’s raw. is introspective and often uncomfortable in the best way. And
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um and and I say that because there is a there’s a growth that happens on camera
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during this podcast. And so this is the third year you’ve done it. So third season started it.
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Third season.
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Yeah. I started a while ago and I started originally in 2018. I think 2018
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2019 was when we recorded it. And the idea back then was that as men,
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especially coming out of hip-hop, we we’re kind of like very standoffish when it comes to mental health. We’re
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very like prideful. We, you know, we’re not trying to hear anything about therapy or even talk about these things
42:58
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with our friend. And I kind of went through a little bit of a bout of depression, but nobody ever thought that about me,
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right? And so I decided that we need to have these conversations because I also look at like rappers, a lot of a lot of
43:12
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the songs like we’re more vulnerable than a lot of genres of music when we’re in that booth.
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You know what I’m saying? But when we’re not in that booth, we’re not really opening up. And so I wanted to find a way for us as men to be able to speak to
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one another and have these conversations because one, we get to learn about the other person. We get to practice
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practice active listening, which is a huge skill that I’m still practicing and working on.
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It just helps with our community and our people so much because most people, they just need to be heard.
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That’s all it is. it it’s really nothing more than that. Most problems and issues that people have before they get into a
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really bad place or or sands any like you know serious mental issues and things of that nature, right?
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44 minutes, 6 seconds
If we could be heard have these conversations and have somebody listen to us and have somebody relate to us
44:13
44 minutes, 13 seconds
like it could be somebody you know for ever. You guys never have these conversations. So, I wanted a way to create a safe space for people to be able to like be okay having these
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conversations cuz I learned that vulnerability is a superpower for sure.
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You know, for sure like that’s that’s cuz vulnerability is authenticity.
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44 minutes, 31 seconds
Authenticity is your heart space. That’s that’s love. Yeah.
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44 minutes, 35 seconds
You know what I’m saying? And if you can lead from that space of love, like it changes how you receive all of these
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44 minutes, 42 seconds
other external um energies that we go through in life. And I also learned that a lot of people can’t even be told, “I
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44 minutes, 50 seconds
love you.” You know, they they they can’t even process.
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44 minutes, 54 seconds
Yeah. They can’t receive it. Yeah. It’s hard to receive love. They can’t receive that.
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44 minutes, 58 seconds
And and it’s interesting. And I also don’t want people to be discouraged by that because you shouldn’t tell somebody you love them for their response, right?
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You should tell somebody you love them because you [ __ ] love them. Like and and you want to say that and it’s it’s it’s therapeutic for you to say that as well.
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Yeah.
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45 minutes, 16 seconds
And then the last part. So that’s my side of it. And the other side of it is, you know, the people that I’m interviewing are a lot of them have
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45 minutes, 24 seconds
names. They they’ve been out, you know, we might know them from social media, but we know them at a certain level, right?
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45 minutes, 31 seconds
So one, it’s great for the listener to be able to hear their story and and and hear some of the things that they’ve went through because again, you know, we
45:40
45 minutes, 40 seconds
see success and we think it’s just successful. Every day is successful.
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Every day is great. What do you mean? I got money. I got this, I got that, you have everything. You’re here, you’re there. Why would you ever be mad? I wouldn’t be mad if I was in that position.
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45 minutes, 53 seconds
But it’s like, you don’t know that person’s story, how they got there, all the things they had to go through. So that’s for the listener. And then for the person that I’m speaking to, my
46:01
46 minutes, 1 second
guest, they have to reflect on their lives, right?
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46 minutes, 5 seconds
And you know, that’s something that that type of contemplation, that kind of introspection isn’t something that we do naturally.
46:14
46 minutes, 14 seconds
Right. Right. When we do do it though, it is therapeutic. It feels great. It is, you know, gratifying. It’s it’s so
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46 minutes, 23 seconds
many different things. It’s healing. And and so again, like I think, you know, for me, I try to do things that are
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46 minutes, 32 seconds
mutually beneficial to all of those involved.
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46 minutes, 35 seconds
And, you know, I think with Mask Off, it’s Yeah, man. we can we can really have these conversations cuz as as much as you know I’m not telling anybody not
46:44
46 minutes, 44 seconds
to go to therapy but there’s a lot of therapeut that can be had amongst friends right you know amongst co-workers amongst you
46:53
46 minutes, 53 seconds
know because the more we do that the more we start to understand how much we’re alike right we’re 99.9% alike
47:00
47 minutes
yeah yeah that.1% can make a world so much and so it’s like if we can agree and see ourselves in one in one another through that 99%.
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47 minutes, 12 seconds
We can learn how to acknowledge and celebrate that 1% that makes us different.
47:16
47 minutes, 16 seconds
Right. That’s that’s that’s a beautiful thing. I I always say that um even the the biggest on the planet, the most
47:24
47 minutes, 24 seconds
racist person ever, there’s two times of the day where they’re not thinking about segregation
47:33
47 minutes, 33 seconds
or separation. And that’s usually when it comes to what they ingest and what they eat and what they’re listening to. And I I
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47 minutes, 42 seconds
really believe in that the fact of and this is why I always tell people first off hip-hop is the most diverse genre of
47:50
47 minutes, 50 seconds
music that will ever be. There’s nothing even close. It has shares DNA and inspiration from every other genre of
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47 minutes, 58 seconds
music. You can’t say that about any other genre. The other thing is that there’s a as a as a true fan of hip-hop,
48:07
48 minutes, 7 seconds
you have a reverence for the art and therefore you have a reverence for the people. If the bigot put
48:15
48 minutes, 15 seconds
had a reverence for the people that made that food, you you can’t biases can’t exist in that world. It just can’t not
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48 minutes, 22 seconds
to the level that they are. And so really when when you sit down and you have these conversations and you you know you give the pink elephant the name
48:29
48 minutes, 29 seconds
in the room and you’re safe with being able to express that those deepest corners of your soul that that’s a
48:37
48 minutes, 37 seconds
liberating thing for yourself. One, but two you make the some people listening like, “Yo, I’m not I’m not crazy. I’m not the alien here. I feel that way
48:45
48 minutes, 45 seconds
too.” And so that’s that level of growth, man, is a is a is a crazily beautiful thing, specifically among men
48:52
48 minutes, 52 seconds
because as as little boys, we’re taught to not cry, to bottle that up, to be tough. Everything about pushing your
49:00
49 minutes
feelings down to the point to where, you know, you you you’re just numb. And then that’s not a real place. It’s not an emotional it’s not a a human thing to do
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49 minutes, 9 seconds
to anybody. So So yeah, I commend you on that. So talk to me about um where you
49:16
49 minutes, 16 seconds
know where people can find the podcast because I think that that is a huge thing for people to to check it out. So talk to me about it.
49:25
49 minutes, 25 seconds
So So the audio can be found pretty much everywhere you listen to podcast. So if you want to go to Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio,
49:33
49 minutes, 33 seconds
it’s it’s distributed everywhere. The video um I think should be on Spotify, but it’s on YouTube for sure. So, if you
49:40
49 minutes, 40 seconds
just look up uh mask off pot I mean sorry mask off with Hawaii Mike you can find it there on YouTube. So the videos are up now and
49:49
49 minutes, 49 seconds
we’re just be releasing like every two weeks. So I want to try to build the audience and then just have time to let each episode kind of breathe instead of that weekly where it’s like you know Yep. Yep.
49:58
49 minutes, 58 seconds
Like we’re not there yet. We got to build that audience up and and and really get that out there. Yes, sir. Yes.
50:03
50 minutes, 3 seconds
And I do want to say this this season I will have my first female guest. So, we broadened it out and brought a female in and I’m excited about that one.
50:12
50 minutes, 12 seconds
Yeah, that’s going to be a big one. So, that that having that that estrogen in the room should uh should balance some things out. That’s going to be a good one to see. Any hints?
50:20
50 minutes, 20 seconds
I mean, she’s a bit of a tomboy, so she’s always around the guys, but it’s it’s still, you know, she’s somebody a lot of people know. Okay. So, it’s a it’ll it’ll be it’ll be good.
50:29
50 minutes, 29 seconds
And I’m still working on a couple other guests that are that are pretty interesting. But, we got a like I think we got a nice, you know, variety. We got
50:35
50 minutes, 35 seconds
DJs and obviously Torres is the MC. You got other personalities and it’s it’s we got some good P good some good folks.
50:44
50 minutes, 44 seconds
It’s dope. It’s dope. It’s dope. Okay.
50:46
50 minutes, 46 seconds
All right. So, right about now, let’s play a little game. It’s the it’s the lightning round.
50:52
50 minutes, 52 seconds
Before I let you go, we going to go through again some rapid fire questions.
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50 minutes, 56 seconds
You spit out the first thing that comes to mind. No pressure whatsoever. All right. None.
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51 minutes, 4 seconds
All right. Cool. So, favorite munchie after a long day?
51:09
51 minutes, 9 seconds
Favorite munchie after a long day? Probably ice cream still, man.
51:18
51 minutes, 18 seconds
Still. Yeah. Yeah. I I have that I got that residual Ben and Jerry’s 20 pounds. I’ve cut it all out though. I
51:25
51 minutes, 25 seconds
will say like 70 doing 75 hard like all last year. Like I ate like I ate some carrot cake yesterday, but usually like
51:32
51 minutes, 32 seconds
when I would smoke, I would go ham afterwards and I found that it’s all a program.
51:38
51 minutes, 38 seconds
Yeah. So because the majority of things that we do with cannabis are a program. We’ve programmed our minds to believe it and it’s become
51:46
51 minutes, 46 seconds
something that’s called the meaning response. It’s basically like we’re placeboing ourselves because everybody else says it too. So munchies.
51:53
51 minutes, 53 seconds
Yeah. It’s not a thing. It’s so because of because of you, I I I did 75 hard.
52:01
52 minutes, 1 second
Only reason I I had to start over because I got sick and I couldn’t do the workouts. I didn’t I missed a workout.
52:07
52 minutes, 7 seconds
So, you know, and and I love the I love the approach of, you know, you’re not you’re not cheating nobody but yourself. You can’t you going to lie to yourself, bro. You
52:14
52 minutes, 14 seconds
gonna lie to yourself. I’m like, that that to me was the most Exactly. That that right there is the the most powerful part of it all. And um Yeah.
52:22
52 minutes, 22 seconds
And it is it is about your belief system. And if you can conquer that that little that little voice inside, if you can do that, you can do anything. It’s
52:31
52 minutes, 31 seconds
amazing. All right. Go-to song when cooking. Goto song when cooking.
52:40
52 minutes, 40 seconds
I got it made. Special ed.
52:43
52 minutes, 43 seconds
I got him. Yeah, that’s Hey, that’s a dope one. It’s a dope one. Okay. Most underrated herb or spice? I got a feeling what you’re gonna say, but go
52:51
52 minutes, 51 seconds
ahead and do under an herb of spice for cooking cannabis. Yeah, by far.
52:57
52 minutes, 57 seconds
And so most people don’t understand and think about it, it is an herb. It’s a literal herb. And if you think about it, it’s a herb. It flowers. Yep.
53:05
53 minutes, 5 seconds
Like it’s a plant like that’s and so again like so back to the other podcast thing is we need to educate people on that. Absolutely. On all of these things. Yeah.
53:14
53 minutes, 14 seconds
Right. People still think indicica sativa. I’m like no those are botanical terms. They got nothing to do with effect. Absolutely.
53:20
53 minutes, 20 seconds
You know, but we’re so caught up in that. So like, yeah, even herbs or spices, like how do you differentiate? Yep. Yep. Absolutely.
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53 minutes, 28 seconds
Most Oh, no. Dream dinner guest, living or dead?
53:39
53 minutes, 39 seconds
Bob Marley.
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53 minutes, 40 seconds
That would be dope. Yeah, that that would be I mean I could I could probably talk to that dude and just chill and smoke and philosophize.
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53 minutes, 50 seconds
You know what I’m saying? Yeah. Forever.
53:52
53 minutes, 52 seconds
Yeah, that would be because cuz I look at him as somebody that like he’s hip-hop before we had hip-hop. You know what I mean? As far as
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54 minutes, 1 second
like and and I think how I look at it, he was just always trying to bring people together through music period.
54:08
54 minutes, 8 seconds
You know what I’m saying? and lifestyle and and cannabis and you know what I’m saying?
54:13
54 minutes, 13 seconds
The all the above. Yeah, that’s yo that’s that’s you bro.
54:17
54 minutes, 17 seconds
But that’s what I’m saying. Like I’d love to have a conversation with him and just be like you know cuz it’s a it’s interesting man. I mean you know they always say being an
54:25
54 minutes, 25 seconds
entrepreneur is one of the most loneliest like loneliest things you can do, right?
54:30
54 minutes, 30 seconds
I think also you know not necessarily being a martyr. I wouldn’t call him that. But that where you just believe
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54 minutes, 37 seconds
and that’s just the way you no matter what anybody, anything, society, family, whatever says. Nah, that’s what I believe.
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54 minutes, 47 seconds
Dope. That’s how I’mma do it.
54:48
54 minutes, 48 seconds
Dope. Okay. One word to describe your culinary philosophy.
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54 minutes, 57 seconds
Stampling.
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54 minutes, 59 seconds
Um, you know, I look at, you know, how we first started to learn. We foraged. Mhm.
55:04
55 minutes, 4 seconds
You know, we traversed the globe and just touched, tasted, saw what worked, what didn’t, and then just put it together. And, you know, like they say, nothing’s new under the sun, right?
55:15
55 minutes, 15 seconds
Everything’s already been done. And so, it’s just kind of like, how can we sample, you know, different things and kind of, you know, EQ them and mix them
55:23
55 minutes, 23 seconds
and match them and, you know, come up with something new? Cuz the beauty about like cooking versus baking, as long as it tastes good.
55:32
55 minutes, 32 seconds
Yeah. You got freedom. Ain’t no ain’t no wrong way to do it. Baking. Nah, you got to do it like this.
55:37
55 minutes, 37 seconds
Cooking is I always tell people I tell people that cooking is jazz and baking is poker because it has to be it’s the
55:44
55 minutes, 44 seconds
same exact You haven’t heard a different poker song. It’s the It’s the same same two four, you know.
55:52
55 minutes, 52 seconds
I mean, it could still be an orchestra like a symphony. True. Yeah.
55:55
55 minutes, 55 seconds
Right. You can still take them through the heart and soul different things, but yo, you got to hit those solos.
56:02
56 minutes, 2 seconds
Yeah, you the whole section has to be together. It’s all got to be within those bars and measured and on time like, “Oh, we got to start again.”
56:10
56 minutes, 10 seconds
You know, like you can you can cook something with food, break it and bring it back together.
56:17
56 minutes, 17 seconds
Or that broken thing is now a new thing. Now it’s the old it’s a happy accident.
56:22
56 minutes, 22 seconds
Like we that’s that’s that’s that’s yeah, that’s a fact.
56:25
56 minutes, 25 seconds
Like in baking that can happen every so often. I remember I was making a cake one time and man, Andre Herel, rest in peace, and a bunch of other people was
56:34
56 minutes, 34 seconds
at this dinner and uh the whole cake just fell.
56:41
56 minutes, 41 seconds
Like the whole middle just collapsed, which means it was moist though. Which means it was moist though. Which means it was moist. So if it collapsed, it
56:49
56 minutes, 49 seconds
means it didn’t have the structure, which means it was probably real real moist. Which plays, right? So it became like a deconstructed cake.
56:57
56 minutes, 57 seconds
Absolutely. Break it up, bro. Hey, so look on on on on pressure cooker, it’s a my my guy Brian, bro, he like I told him he should have ran with this and he
57:05
57 minutes, 5 seconds
still should. So on the show on he had the dessert in in our in our competition and um he made panakata and it broke.
57:13
57 minutes, 13 seconds
Yeah. Yeah, it broke. But but the the judger who was who was judging the food, she that was her favorite thing. She said the flavors were amazing. I said, “Dude, if you
57:21
57 minutes, 21 seconds
don’t open a broken pan cutter store immediately just the problem is to break it on purpose, it’s a whole another thing.” Like,
57:30
57 minutes, 30 seconds
it’s a whole another Now you have to know how.
57:32
57 minutes, 32 seconds
Yeah. You got to figure out figure out the to be able to Now you got to replicate it. You’re putting that on the menu.
57:37
57 minutes, 37 seconds
Yeah. Yeah. You got you got to replicate it. I was just doing it I was just doing a private dinner is dope in, you know, another state, right?
57:43
57 minutes, 43 seconds
So for us it didn’t it didn’t matter as much. Um, but to be able to replicate that over and over, that’s
57:50
57 minutes, 50 seconds
Yeah, exactly. That’s where the magic’s at. Yeah. Y, bro, man, listen, it’s been amazing talking to you, uh, sharing your
57:58
57 minutes, 58 seconds
stories, um, all that you do, everything that you’re putting together to forge community at the heart and soul of it
58:05
58 minutes, 5 seconds
all. And to put hip-hop, again, listen, hip-hop is selling everything from batteries to to baby formula, which is crazy. Especially coming into a time
58:14
58 minutes, 14 seconds
like when I came when I got into food, bro, as a kid from the Bronx and I went down to Midtown Manhattan and I’m in all these fancy restaurants, I was always
58:22
58 minutes, 22 seconds
made to feel way too hood, way too hood. And I had to tone down, you know, don’t tell people you’re from the Bronx. Like maybe say, I
58:30
58 minutes, 30 seconds
don’t know, I something else. Use another term, you know? It was too It was too urban. and to see where it is
58:37
58 minutes, 37 seconds
now. how the the hip-hop is the most popular most popular substance on the planet
58:46
58 minutes, 46 seconds
global like it’s everywhere and and the fact of you know what was crazy to me seeing seeing Snoop at at at at the
58:53
58 minutes, 53 seconds
Olympics was was crazy to me like it was cuz because Snoop has always been Snoop like he’s a known a known gang member a
59:02
59 minutes, 2 seconds
known a known use of cannabis never hit it and yet and still He’s the most
59:08
59 minutes, 8 seconds
recognizable face probably on the planet and he’s and he’s hip-hop through and through. So,
59:15
59 minutes, 15 seconds
well, I’ll say this. I think that we have to be proud of the circumstances we came from because we didn’t create
59:23
59 minutes, 23 seconds
them, right?
59:24
59 minutes, 24 seconds
I think there’s a certain shame that comes with that once you get into certain spaces. And I think we’re now
59:32
59 minutes, 32 seconds
seeing those boundaries kind of broken, you know, or those walls kind of, you know, taken down. And we got to own it.
59:41
59 minutes, 41 seconds
Yeah.
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59 minutes, 41 seconds
Like that’s what’s dope about Snoop is like this is where I came from. But yeah, I can sit with Martha Stewart, too.
59:46
59 minutes, 46 seconds
But I’m still going to be me because you guys made me, right?
59:49
59 minutes, 49 seconds
You know what I’m saying? Your system created this. I didn’t ask for this. Facts. You know? Yeah. Facts.
59:54
59 minutes, 54 seconds
And so it’s like I think once we start owning that part, then what can they say to that? Yeah. you know. Yeah.
1:00:02
1 hour, 2 seconds
And we do sell everything. I look at Ari Melbourne, MSNBC. Look at everywhere, bro.
1:00:06
1 hour, 6 seconds
We are we are the most universal global culture. Period. Period. Yeah. Hands down.
1:00:13
1 hour, 13 seconds
And you know now to your point to your point, we got to we have to own that culture. We have to be the benefactors of said culture
1:00:22
1 hour, 22 seconds
and not not out here buying a watered down version of it that they’re, you know, selling. It’s it’s crazy how it came full circle. Like look at Deba Dan
1:00:29
1 hour, 29 seconds
now. Dab. So that is the darling of these major fashion houses when they was trying to shut him down. They like nobody everything they he did they
1:00:38
1 hour, 38 seconds
copied to this day and and it all came from him understanding what the streets wanted
1:00:45
1 hour, 45 seconds
when and and that was a very hip-hop you know way of going about it. So um again bro I you know you know how I feel about
1:00:53
1 hour, 53 seconds
you bro. I you know nothing but reverence for you. Um I I appreciate you. I applaud you. Um, you’re you’re
1:01:00
1 hour, 1 minute
you’re that guy in a lot of ways. And so, tell everybody where they can follow you and connect with you on all your
1:01:08
1 hour, 1 minute, 8 seconds
endeavors and everything that’s going on. I’m talking about down from the address to where you sitting at right now because creators are horrible
1:01:16
1 hour, 1 minute, 16 seconds
self-promoters. So, give them all.
1:01:18
1 hour, 1 minute, 18 seconds
All right. So, I’ll start with the the the social medias, the internet.
1:01:22
1 hour, 1 minute, 22 seconds
There you go. Um, my personal is at H W MK Hawaii mic with no vowels. Steph for
1:01:29
1 hour, 1 minute, 29 seconds
hire is just Steph for hire. C H E F O R H I G H E R because they’ll take you higher higher understanding.
1:01:38
1 hour, 1 minute, 38 seconds
Uh, and then flyprivateocial. Um, chefhire you find at chefhire.com. Flyprivatesocial.com.
1:01:46
1 hour, 1 minute, 46 seconds
And then the address, if y’all come to New York, we’re at 240 Decalp Avenue in Fort Greenclinton Hill, depending who
1:01:53
1 hour, 1 minute, 53 seconds
you ask. Brooklyn, a few blocks from the park. Yeah. Come through, pull up on us, man. Get some great food. You know, might have some dope DJs.
1:02:02
1 hour, 2 minutes, 2 seconds
Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely.
1:02:04
1 hour, 2 minutes, 4 seconds
Again, man, I want to thank Hawaii Mike for stay stopping by. Um, check him out. Definitely follow him on all the things.
1:02:11
1 hour, 2 minutes, 11 seconds
Definitely check out the Mask Off podcast. It’s for real a dope dope dope.
1:02:16
1 hour, 2 minutes, 16 seconds
Listen, this has been the Taste Music Hear Food podcast show. I’m Ed Porter. Till next time, peace.