Tennessee’s 1st legal cannabis restaurant coming this spring

Buds & Brews scheduled to open in spring 2022

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Craft Cannabis founder Michael Solomon is expanding his legal cannabis empire with the addition of a soon-to-open restaurant.

Buds & Brews, an innovative, Nashville-based eatery, is slated for a spring 2022 opening. Tennessee’s first cannabis bar and restaurant will have an American sports theme.

The restaurant will serve classic meals that can be enhanced with legal, hemp-derived THC condiments that Solomon considers high-end.

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"Our extraction process is solventless — like it’s fresh squeezed," he said.

But what does it taste like?

marijuana

A mature marijuana plant flowers under artificial lights prior to harvest at Loving Kindness Farms in Los Angeles May 8, 2020.  (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File / AP Images)

Using a coffee analogy, Solomon likens hemp to decaf and marijuana to its caffeinated counterpart. Condiments, which are manufactured and pre-sealed off-site, are designed to be mixed together.

"We took the 25 most commonly used condiments, and we infused all of them," Solomon said.

Sweet treats and mocktails, like the popular smokey margarita, will also be available.

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MASTERED IN CALIFORNIA; FOUNDED IN TENNESSEE

Solomon, who was born and raised in Middle Tennessee, started the seed-to-shelf cannabis business Craft Cannabis after his job took him to California, where he gained experience in cannabis cultivation. There, he worked alongside dispensary Green Goddess Collective as a licensed medical grower.

In 2017, Solomon returned to the Volunteer State. The following year, the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 was passed, allowing industrial hemp that has a THC concentration of no more than 0.3% to classify as legal.

marijuana

In this April 15, 2019, file photo, a vendor makes change for a marijuana customer at a cannabis marketplace in Los Angeles.  (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File / AP Newsroom)

Craft Cannabis creates one-of-kind cannabis products in its network, operating with full transparency that Solomon is proud of.

"We are a grower, manufacturer and retailer," he said. "We grow hemp, and we extract it, and we sell it."

By 2019, Craft Cannabis birthed "The Holistic Connection" retail brand.

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"We grew over 1000% percent in 18 months," Solomon added.

The Holistic Connection currently has brick and mortar stores across in Middle Tennessee, with plans to expand in less than two years to 17 additional locations, including Atlanta, Chattanooga, Franklin, Knoxville, Lenox Village, Midtown, Nashville and Rivergate.

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Solomon hopes to give Nashville residents and tourists, experienced or new to cannabis, a safe and legal place to enjoy and experiment with different tastes.

marijuana

This photo provided by a marijuana cultivator under the condition of anonymity shows trimmed cannabis buds grown in Northern California on Dec. 3, 2021.  (AP Photo / AP Newsroom)

Buds & Brews took approximately a year and a half to launch. Early in this process, Solomon and his business partners analyzed the constant demand for edibles, suspecting it would be an indicator for the eatery’s success.

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They’re eager this spring to find out.