How sweet it is at Nature’s Medicines these days! With Kristy Fischer’s masterful touch the new Reefer Gladness edibles line in Arizona is already winning over hearts and tummies thanks to her exclusive medicated recipes. Just a bite or sip and you’ll know why.
The native Californian has a long list of culinary achievements including pastry gigs in 5-star luxury hotels to designing gourmet food products for Disney, PF Changs, and Qantas Airlines. She is also the recipient of multiple High Times magazine awards for cannabis products she has designed and manufactured.
Kristy was recruited by Nature’s Medicines last March when she was brought on board as Manufacturing Production Manager. Since then she’s been instrumental in launching the Reefer Gladness brand that currently includes gummies, brownies, cookies, crispy treats, caramels, dry tinctures and sodas.
Kristy does her creating and baking at Nature’s Medicines new culinary facility in Fountain Hills. The daughter of restaurateurs, she started her career baking artisanal bread and then moved on to pastry. “When I first arrived at Nature’s Medicines I was determined to create new recipes in all edible categories,” she said. Her cannabis infused caramels are a testament to her fortitude and talent.
“To conjure up the perfect caramel recipe, I whipped up more than a dozen different batches, constantly adjusting the butter and cream content, temperature, cook time and the relative humidity,” she told AZmarijuana.com. “I didn’t stop experimenting until I knew I had the perfect balance of caramelized sweetness and sturdiness which ultimately lead to the melt-in-your-mouth perfection that I was aiming for.”
Despite her years of top tier epicurean ventures, Kristy had to learn the science of cannabis and the emerging edibles industry on her own. “I understood more than the basics of food science, but I knew I had to study the chemistry behind the power of cannabis and ace it fast!” Determined to understand the new world that had embraced her, Kristy buried herself in textbooks, white papers and consultations with chemists. “Not everyone realizes how much science is required to do the magical cannabis plant justice.”
Since Kristy added her talents to the delicious side of cannabis she feels extremely fortunate to have collaborated with some of the best in the industry. “I realize how much I’ve learned from cannabis visionaries across the country. That includes cultivators, extractors, chefs, chemists, distributors, and compassionate budtenders and Personal Service Providers. It’s the love and appreciation of the plant that drives us and bonds us all together.”
Looking ahead, Kristy predicts that edibles will lead the way in cannabis product sales. Like all mature food sectors, edibles will evolve as consumer expectations grow. Even now edibles are in very high demand, she points out: “They offer a convenient, discreet, smoke-free way to benefit from the healing benefits of cannabis.”
Reefer Gladness edibles are now available at Nature’s Medicines in Phoenix and Glendale. Be forewarned. They look as wonderful as they taste.