JFarmz is a Los Angeles cannabis brand that began in 2016. As a company, they have flavor dialed-in from the founder’s lifetime of experience in the culinary world. The story of how Jason Harley came to graduate from some of the world’s most prestigious culinary institutions and subsequently take the restaurant world by storm is fascinating. When combining this with his journey to create one of Los Angeles’ most premium indoor cannabis brands, it’s almost worthy of a film.
Chef J brings his knowledge of terpenes and the power of flavor into the mix. As a result, JFarmz is able to create stunning pesticide-free cannabis that speaks to a veritably full-spectrum experience. JFarmz also creates potent whole-flower “pre-rollz” and extracting “JDiamondz.” His line of extractions is inventive as well as uniquely aligning with his chef-curated brand.
From opening his first restaurant in New York when he was 20-years-old to becoming a celebrity for A-list celebrities in Hollywood, Jason is a master of presentation and impeccable taste. This directly translates to his lines of cannabis products in a way that echoes his already substantial empire. He lent further insight into how he came to power in the culinary world. As well as how that has influenced his approach to producing one-of-a-kind cannabis products.
From Young East Coast Restauranteur To LA Celebrity Chef
Jason came to love food and cannabis from a very young age. He began cooking with his grandma making cheesecakes, matzo ball soup, etc, while growing up in Brooklyn, New York. When he was just 14-years-old he was already cooking professionally while still in school. At the tender age of 18, he was the youngest at the time to gain acceptance into New York’s Culinary Institute of America (CIA.)
By 20 he was done with school and opened his first restaurant on Sidney Island at a yacht club. During this time Harley was known as “Mr. Armani” because he had a collection of custom Georgio Armani Egyptian linen chef coats cut specifically for him. Even back when he was just starting out, Chef J was on another level.
In 1997, Jason was chose out of 400 chefs across the globe to cook at the 50th Canne Film Festival. Chef J went on a 3-month all-expenses-paid trip to France for a once in a lifetime opportunity. Then, in 1999 he went to LA for the first time for a weeklong vacation. This is when his culinary school hit his line for an opportunity to cook a private dinner. It ended up being the chairman for Warner Bros, with his party of guests including Henry Winkler, Michael Jackson, Barbara Streisand, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Black Steel
This led Jason into a career as a celebrity chef, working for A-list celebrities such as Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Anniston, and John Travolta. For several years he was cooking for Tommy Lee Jones and Pam Anderson, eventually opening a restaurant with Pam called Black Steel in Hollywood. Here he rubbed shoulders with all of the who’s who of Hollywood in and around 2005. They eventually sold Black Steel and made it into Parc, and Jason kept on opening new eateries and adding notches to his entrepreneurial belt.
Chef’s Secret Edibles & JRollz
By 2009 Jason had been getting more and more serious about working with cannabis. During this time he had his own line of edibles called Chef’s Secret that were selling like hot cakes in the medical market. He used to make 200mg THC brownies and infused teas. This was just the beginning of Jason’s vision to create a powerful unity between his love for food and cannabis.
He went on to create JRollz the next year and win the 2017 Blazer’s Cup after building his pre-roll brand for a while. Jason’s desire for quality flavor and effects translated beautifully into creating his first line of whole-flower pre-rolls. He was busy opening and closing new eateries during all of this work in weed. A cannabis-infused catering service also came into the mix somewhere around this time.
Three Is The Magic Number
With any business Jason creates, whether it’s food or weed, he credits the number three as his business model. “Three is the magic number, always, even for aliens,” he said. When he’s creating menus for small eateries it always centers around a specific three items. “Burgers, shakes, and fries. Coffee, donuts, fried chicken…my secret recipe is three items,” chef J noted.
His approach to JFarmz is no different. When it comes to his line of cannabis flower and extracts “everything is set to be a morning noon, and night experience.” He went on to explain that there’s so much opportunity in California’s cannabis industry right now. If someone can create a truly unique product he feels they can stand out, and he feels he’s “taking a different approach.”
JDiamondz
Chef J has an especially potent approach to extracting BHO diamonds from his cannabis plants. “I’ve been working with six different extractors over the last few years, and two, in particular, have a huge facility in the desert,” Jason said. In addition to his “JDiamondz,” he also produces a honeycomb crumble.
JFarmz also makes the Shaved Ice (live-resin sauce,) and “Extra Virgin” Honey Budder. With each cannabis creation comes a chef-inspired aspect that brings both originality and ample THC and terpene-rich potency. No one else in California cannabis is currently taking this deliciously original approach to product diversification.
Waffles & Syrup
Jason’s real breadwinner though is his “Waffles and Syrup,” which is his exclusive mix of diamonds and crumble. He went on to say that he has an exclusive deal with his two desert extractors “so no one else can make Waffles and Syrup.”
This concoction is actually the first legal concentrate product to mix different concentrates. It has diamonds and terp sauce poured over some crumble all in one container, fashioning it literally like a plate of waffles and syrup.
Caviar Gold Diamonds
One of JFarmz’s newer and popular creations is their Caviar Gold Diamonds. These gems look a lot like dry isolate diamonds but have terpenes infused to give them ample flavor and smoothness on each dab. JFarmz is currently working with strains like Forbidden Fruit with their Caviar Gold Diamonds to deliver incredibly tasty diamonds.
What Is Chef Curated Cannabis?
“What makes Chef Curated cannabis different is that I’m taking the natural terpene profile backend percentages, and anything that has high limonene, pinene, etc, I’m able to know the effects of each of those terpenes.” “So then I now know which bud to extract with to make a butter or sauce to cook with and nobody is looking at it like that. It’s a very scientific approach.”
Chef J is an industrious man that has proven his ability to bring his business savvy into whatever piques his interest. He’s been a business owner since the age of 20 and always finds a way to bring his ideas to life. Jason truly found a way to bring together his two biggest passions with JFarmz. He was able to keep cooking inventive food and creating equally intelligent cannabis products.
Future Products And Where To Locate
Jason is constantly whipping up new products with his team to bring into California’s hungry cannabis market. There are regular releases of new concentrates within his line of Chef Curated Concentrates, as well as flower and infused “pre-rollz.” He even has a new line of cannabis cigars under the name of “JGarzz.” Currently, you can find a bevy of JFarmz flower and concentrates at DTPG in Downtown LA, LB Collective in Long Beach, Divine Wellness, and Wheelhouse and HPC in Port Hueneme.
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