Three Questions for Bobby Berg of Haute & Heady Cannabis Cuisine | Food + Drink Features | Seven Days
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When Bobby Berg spoke to Seven Days in 2019, we didn’t use his full name. “Chef Bobby,” the mysterious cook behind Haute & Heady Cannabis Cuisine, was catering multicourse “stoney suppers” and selling holiday pies with 1,200 milligrams of THC by word of mouth — activities then prohibited under Vermont law.
But in January 2023, Formulation Station, the Colchester-based cannabis product manufacturing and packaging biz that Berg cofounded with Kyle Rapoza and Tim Ruarks, received its manufacturing license. It was time for Berg, 33, to step out of the shadows.
“Vermont has done a really good job of enabling a lot of traditional market actors,” Berg said, referring to the cannabis market that existed before legalization. “I think it’s important to be forthcoming about the fact that we took risks for this plant and this industry.”
Haute & Heady’s THC-infused chocolate Bliss Bars, Blazin’ BBQ Sauce, Heady Honey and Stoney Syrup hit select Vermont dispensaries in early March; 20-plus retailers will restock them in time for 4/20.
Haute & Heady is developing three product lines: Heady at Home pantry goods; Haute Chocolate bars and confections; and Not Your Typical Edibles, a nostalgia-fueled line of treats, such as Dunkaroo-inspired Dipperz and frozen Potsicles made from local fruit.
Berg took a break from making soup for Passover to chat about letting the world know he’s “the weed pie guy,” his approach to sourcing, and his dream line of Haute & Heady products.
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SEVEN DAYS: You’re out in the open now. How does it feel?
BOBBY BERG: It was a trip to walk into a bank with a manila envelope full of cash — from weed — and not feel sketchy about handing it to the clerk.
I get a kick out of actually being able to tell people what I do. Unfortunately, I lost my father at the beginning of the year. At the shiva, everyone would come up to me like, “I haven’t seen you since you were a kid. What are you doing now?” I’d just bluntly answer, “I make weed food.” [Laughing]
SD: How do you decide whom to work with when you’re sourcing ingredients and choosing retailers?
BB: I want to empower small businesses owned by local Vermonters. Bern Gallery, Winooski Organics — those are longtime friends who will go out of their way to support craft producers. I can list others for days, but we won’t work with any store that has an outlet in another state.
We draw on preexisting relationships, then vet them ethically and sustainably to any degree we can. Backwoods Alchemy [the maple farm in Enosburg Falls that supplies the syrup for Stoney Syrup] runs their operation in a way that doesn’t impact local bird populations. The sap lines can impact nesting and flight patterns. I had no idea.
On the cannabis side, it’s trickier. We try to source biomass [stems, stalks and leaves of the cannabis plant] from farmers we know and adore, but there’s a lack of processing right now for cannabis concentrate. Most of the people involved with that are somewhat morally dubious.
SD: What are your dream products?
BB: Haute & Heady’s roots are in fresh baked goods. We used to do pie sales for holidays or Pi Day — 1,200 milligrams per pie. Granted, that’s a pretty hefty margin. I’d be fine not being able to reach that one anytime soon. But unless we pre-cut it, we can’t package that. And who wants a brownie cut into 10 little tiny pieces?
Most of my dreams can’t become a reality until there’s reform in packaging and dosing regulation. So, yeah, contact your legislators.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity and length.
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