Herbal Notes is a collaborative project created by
Chef Manny Mendoza and creative studio Field Guide.
We are a Chicago-meets-San Diego team with roots in both cities,
and a vision to expand worldwide.

My journey cooking with Cannabis began on the south side of Chicago about five years ago.
I had just finished culinary school in New York at the Culinary Institute of America, and I left with a new sense of openness to the World, cooking, and especially Mary Jane.
While cooking around the City, I decided to take extra college courses that peaked my interest: Music, Nutrition and Business. Those subjects helped propel me into a new direction towards finding a way to incorporate so many of the things that I love:
helping people understand mental, physical and spiritual wellness through food and music.
At that point, although cannabis was not medically legal, I began testing my own infusions, starting with basic butters and oils. My ‘Eureka!’ Moment happened when I simply steeped flower into some whole milk, mixed it with chocolate, strained and chilled it and created the most amazing iced chocolate milk I’ve ever had.
From then on, I knew I was on to something, despite the legal setback.