THC-spiked giardiniera exists thanks to J.P. Graziano and nuEra | Eater Chicago
"One of the last independent businesses along Randolph Street in the West Loop, known for Italian sandwiches and packaged goods that are shipped nationwide so folks can enjoy a little bit of Chicago away from the city. In 2024 the family-owned shop partnered with a local cannabis company to release GiardinuEra, a limited-edition, cannabis-infused Chicago-style giardiniera launching Friday, November 15, 2024; the super-charged pickle will be available only in Illinois at all nuEra locations and select other dispensaries, priced at $14 for a 4-ounce, 25mg THC-infused jar made with the shop's hot giardiniera recipe spiked with THC, and is for those 21+. Jim Graziano writes, "Coincidentally, I’d been tooling around the idea of getting into cannabis." He says he vetted the partner because, "They aren’t the big guys and I trusted them to maintain the quality our customers expect from us," and Graziano writes that nuEra’s addition of THC keeps "the heart and soul of our giardiniera." The collaboration also allows customers to pair the infused condiment with one of the shop’s Italian beef kits, and longtime regulars reportedly embraced the idea—"one of our long-term regulars, Richard, was in earlier this week and asked when the infused giard was coming out." - Ashok Selvam
