Pastry Wiz Mindy Segal Cooks Up Pot Confections in Denver

Rock star pastry chef Mindy Segal, owner of popular Mindy's Hot Chocolate in Chicago and author of Cookie Love spent some time in Denver last week taking advantage of the state's marijuana laws. The James Beard Foundation Award winner is developing a line of pot edibles in partnership with Cresco Labs, the largest cannabis grower and seller of medical marijuana products in Illinois.

"I am in Denver because I can legally make and eat the product we create here," Segal shared. "The first thing we are launching is a cross between a candy bar and a brindle. It is a single dose that we are developing so that someone could eat the whole thing. The focus is on proper milligram amounts, but also on high quality. I am using the same philosophy I have in food, the same core values that I have when I cook in my restaurant when I create these products," she continued.

What else did Segal do while in Denver? She had meals at Linger and Comida, drinks at Williams & Graham, and coffee at Crema. And she found her pastry fix: "I discovered a bakery that blew my mind, Babettes. This baker either worked at Tartine [in San Francisco] or he worked in Europe. I had the ham and beurre sandwich, the bear claw, and the almond croissant and I am going back for more before I leave town," the sweets queen raved. "Hats off to Denver! The food in this city is great."

Segal and her partner Cresco will launch the pot edibles line at licensed dispensaries within the State of Illinois, but distribution for other states, Colorado included, is also in the works.