Chef Dan DiGiuseppe has always made a habit of crafting innovative dining experiences for his loyal customers.
His Cafe on the DL in Laurel Springs has developed a large fan base dedicated to their creative takes on casual dining dishes.
But for nearly a year now, DiGiueseppe has been serving up something designed to take that creativity to new heights – his monthly 420 Dinners on the DL – private, ticketed events where diners are served multiple courses infused with THC.
DiGiuseppe said he got the idea to host the events at the cafe after he had done a couple of catered infused dinners for clients in their homes. He said he decided to try it as a party at the restaurant in order to open the idea up to more people.
“We got pretty good feedback on the first one,” DiGiuseppe said. “Then we got a lot of emails from people saying, ‘hey, I saw your post and the tickets are already sold out. Will you consider another night?’ That kind of kicked off the train rolling.”
The chef said he had previous experience experimenting with infused foods, crafting gummies and other candies like salt water taffy at first, followed by baked goods, and finally savory dishes.
The Dinners on the DL events started with just one-night events each month, but he said the demand quickly warranted even more expansion of the idea.
“We got so many requests, we started doing them for a whole weekend,” he said. “Once a month we shut down Saturday and Sunday night, close the restaurant, and just do a little private event.”
DiGiuseppe said he always announces the schedule for coming dinners, and their menus, on their Facebook page two weeks before each event weekend. He said tickets have been selling out in days each month.
To keep things manageable, he said they’re keeping the reservation list down to about 30 people per each night’s event.
Each menu is offered with at least three courses – a starter, a main entree, and a dessert – each with varying amounts of THC infused into the dish.
“We don’t get too crazy with it,” DiGiuseppe said. “We just play around a little bit. It’s more about the vibe and the atmosphere, being able to chill and hang out.”
DiGiuseppe said they keep the overall dosages relatively low, with recent menus listing dishes with a total of 10 mg spread out over three courses.
The level of THC infused in the meal is completely customizable for each individual diner, and the chef said some guests choose to not partake in any infused foods at all.
Dishes on the menu typically have one component that contains the THC, and that part of the dish could be left off or switched to one without the dosage.
DiGiuseppe said guests buy tickets to attend the event through their website, and the meal is given out complimentary to those in attendance.
The night typically includes live entertainment, and he said they’ve been working with different dispensaries and other companies to provide prizes for raffles and giveaways during the event.
DiGiuseppe recently announced details for their March event, and tickets are selling fast, if they’re not already sold out.
He said that in April they are planning to make it a three-day event, with dinners on Saturday, April 18, Sunday, April 19 and, naturally, on Monday, 4/20.
DiGiuseppe said they’re also looking in to starting a club where members will receive advanced notice of upcoming dinners, early access to tickets and discounted prices.
Based on the popularity of those dinners, it’s likely their fan club will fill up fast.
“People keep asking us when’s the next one,” DiGiuseppe said.
Leave a Reply