On Gabriel Reeves’ brawny left calf, just above the pink sock emblazoned with a pot leaf, is a tattoo of Ferdinand the Bull. Sitting in a room just off the lobby at Elemental Wellness, a medical marijuana collective in San Jose where Reeves teaches a weekly “Cooking with Cannabis” class, the chef talks about how he identifies with Ferdinand, the bull who would rather smell flowers than fight.

For those who aren’t familiar, ultimately the moral of the story is to always be yourself. Reeves, who has a bushy red beard, ink twisting up both arms and today wears a double-breasted chef’s coat, has embraced this concept as he makes a name for himself in cannabis culinary circles.

“I used to hide it,” the 31-year-old says about his hemp habit. Before coming to work at the wellness center, Reeves spent almost a decade in mainstream restaurants, including a stint in Google’s famously epicurean kitchen. Though he had been baking pot brownies for even longer, it wasn’t until the California native was diagnosed with testicular cancer several years ago and experienced firsthand the medicinal impact of marijuana that he reevaluated his career path. Reeves now dedicates his time to teaching others how to treat their ailments through what he calls the science of consumption. “It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” Reeves says. “I’m helping people feel better. If that means I smell like kush, so what? I’m happy now.”

It’s sunny and warm, and Elemental Wellness is bustling. Grey-haired women, a middle-aged man wearing a puffy blue vest and loafers and stereotypical 20-something stoners filter in to fill their prescriptions. Just about every 10 minutes one of those patients gets a glimpse of Reeves through the glass window and pops in for a handshake or hug. “You have get to know each person, because you have to find what works for them,” Reeves says.

Reeves starts each dish by infusing the processed bud, usually in the form of hash, into a base such as oil or cream. Each marijuana strain has a different effect, due to different combinations of cannabinoids, THC (the psychoactive component), terpenes and other compounds. Some are calming, others are energizing. Unlike other chefs, Reeves not only pairs flavors but also healing properties. To treat inflammation, he may make a curry with turmeric, or a lavender tea to ease stress.

Because of possible negative side effects of smoking, Reeves sees edibles as the way of the future. But right now it is still the Wild West in the medical marijuana industry. That’s mostly because there aren’t any dosage regulations. Reeves is a vocal proponent of lab-testing every batch of cannabis for potency and labeling every edible in milligrams. One of the reasons he started teaching classes was so he could offer people standardized recipes. If someone wants to bake cookies, they’ll know exactly how many cups of flour to use per milligram of hash and exactly what dosage they are ingesting with each bite.

Paula Walter, founder of Kind Medicine Cannabis Products, sees Reeves becoming the Rachael Ray of the medical marijuana community. “He’s into quick foods,” Walter says. “He can make something simple into a gourmet meal.”

Walter has watched Reeves evolve over the past several years. She says what has always differentiated him is the way he is able to connect with people. “He’s the man you want talking to your grandma who just found out she has cancer and doesn’t know what to do,” Walter says.

Reeves also envisions hosting his own television show on a cooking with cannabis channel. But, he says, that’s after publishing a cookbook, which is in the works, and creating a line of edibles, as well as opening a restaurant alongside his personal farm. “We’re just at the beginning,” Reeves says. “You can’t just eat at one restaurant. You can’t just have one outlet. My goal is to make cannabis boutique and gourmet and accessible.”

It looks like Lil Scrappy will make it to San Jose, after all. After cancelling his June 14 show at the Agenda to go to rehab for weed addiction, he’ll be back in action July 13 at the Motif.

Lil Scrappy claims he checked himself into rehab to get help for his addiction, though rehab also kept him out of jail when he failed a court-ordered drug test and refused to take a second test.

According to TMZ, Scrappy checked out of rehab on June 29th, after being “weed-free” for 30 days. His lawyer, Mawuli Mel Davis told the site, “Scrappy was able to kick his nasty habit … Scrappy has had time to reflect, read, and write. He is now drug and alcohol free.” TMZ also reported that Scrappy left rehab inspired by his newfound sobriety to also mentor troubled teens.

San Jose will be one of the first cities host the weed-free Lil Scrappy for a performance. The Atlanta rapper is known mostly for his association with Lil Jon in the mid-2000s and the Southern crunk sound. He was featured prominently on several Lil Jon’s records and released hs 2006 debut album, Bred 2 Die Born 2 Live on the producer’s BME Recordings label. The album yielded Lil Scrappy’s biggest hit to date, “Money in the Bank.”

The album’s proper follow up, Tha Gru$le, wasn’t released until 2012 but between the two albums Lil Scrappy released several independent albums, mixtapes, and stand-alone singles, like another cash-themed jam, “Addicted to Money.”

Reality show fans also know Lil Scrappy from the show Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, and his rocky relationship with ex-girlfriend Erica Dixon.

Lil Scrappy is due out for another album soon. It’ll be interested to hear what he writes now with a brain clean of that sticky ichy ichy stuff that so many rappers like to puff. Presumably, money will still be a popular theme.

If you are the kind of person that celebrates 4/20, and you’re looking for something better to do than get high in your sister’s inexplicably dusty apartment with her weird boyfriend and their horse-size dog that keeps eating your munchies (or was this just me?), then you’ll want to check out Hempcon 2013, “America’s Largest Medical Marijuana Show.”

Coming to the San Jose Convention Center’s South Hall this weekend, the convention promises to be an “educational event as well a full weekend of seminars and presentations by industry leaders, advocates, and attorneys.” The three-day lineup features seminars such as “How to Start a Delivery Business,” “Small Space Cultivation” and “How to Be in Compliance in California.” This last item will probably be especially important for dispensaries and patients until California follows Washington’s and Colorado’s leads in legalizing marijuana, which may be sooner rather than later given that a Pew Research Center poll has for the first time found national majority support for legalization.

The keynote speech will be given by Freddy Sayegh, “celebrity criminal defense attorney” of the Foxx Firm. According to the Hempcon website, the firm covers the A through W of criminal defense, everything from Arson to Wire Fraud. This wide area of expertise of course includes the common legal defense needs of medical dispensaries and patients.
In addition to the various seminars and speeches, Hempcon will host performances by Wu-Tang Clan member Cappadonna and the Los Angeles–based dubstep DJ and producer 12th Planet. Virtuoso Jordanian percussionist Hani Naser will also make an appearance.

Fortunately, this year’s edition of Hempcon will not coexist at the convention center with any teenage girl volleyball tournaments, as it did last year. The San Jose Mercury News published an article last summer about the odd coincidence, quoting a couple of parents concerned about “degenerates” peddling “grass” and “dope” to their daughters. However, this year the Leigh High School prom looks to be scheduled at the San Jose Civic Auditorium across the street on the Saturday of the conference. No word yet on whether concerned parents are in need of interviewing.

Hempcon
Friday, 3–9pm, Saturday, 11am–9pm, Sunday, 11am–7pm; $20
San Jose 
Convention Center