Meet Dorothy Lawson | Owner/Chef & Yoga Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dorothy Lawson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dorothy, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
There is a lot of math. Cooking with cannabis, in particular, demands a lot of it. Throughout the day, you’ll be figuring out dosages and percentages and you really need those to be accurate or else you’re going to give somebody a really bad time.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Ruby Red Confections specializes in gourmet sweet and savory treats designed to tickle your fancy and whet your appetite, many of which are infused with cannabis. I have been infusing treats for a decade and feel I’ve found my niche. For orders infused with cannabis, the customer supplies the cannabis; I will do the infusion and there is no sale of cannabis. Ruby Red Confections edibles are made with lots of love, gourmet ingredients, and the very best infusion. Some things to be proud of are my cannabis competition awards; at the Errl Cup 2022-2022: 1st place, Cashew Brittle – THC infused, 1st place – CBD Cashew Brittle, 2nd place – Dark Chocolate Bon Bons, 3rd place – CBD infused Vanilla Extract. AZ420Fest awards 2014: 1st place, Garlic Herb Butter. I got to where I am today by never giving up and keep moving forward no matter the setback. Like Dory, just keep swimming! An important factor in my success has been my desire to strive for success. I am always hunting for a better way to do something, be it a process to save time or finding that perfect ingredient that puts the recipe over the top. Plus, I’ve had some amazing mentors along the way that have helped keep me on track. In the early days of the cannabis industry, there was a lot of legal risk even providing medicine to patients. I helped run a lounge before dispensaries even existed and used that as an outlet to get my edibles out to patients. Although the risk was high, it was worth it to follow my passion and start my business the way I wanted to. The best lesson I learned is that going back to school is well worth it. I was self-taught for the first 5 years and going back, really refined my skills. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. It was great to learn the pros tips and tricks and being in a room full of passionate students is a pretty rewarding experience! I feel that going to school helped push me to roles I wouldn’t have thought possible before school. As much as I love infused treats, I love making non-infused treats just as well! Around town, you can find me popped up with the Monster Market (fall/winter/spring), Sidewalk Saturdays at The Churchill (fall/winter/spring), and senior independent living centers, and I’m always looking for more venues to pop up at, so please reach out!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Let’s say my best friend is visiting around Spring time. For breakfast, I would take them to First Watch. They have really fresh artisan food and great drinks; plus they make their own bread! Next, we’d head over to the Desert Botanical Gardens and check out the spring wildflowers and the butterfly pavilion, making sure to stop by for a bite to eat at Gertrude’s. After being out all day, we’d head home and rest up with dinner at home for a relaxing evening catching up. In the next couple of days, head over to Wonderspaces in Scottsdale to check out their interactive, ever-changing art show. We’d also find some time to relax by the pool at The Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs, then drive up for dinner at a Different Pointe of View to take in Phoenix at night. On day 4, we’d drive up to Sedona, stopping at Javelina Cantina for lunch or dinner. We’d make sure to check out what’s new at The Melting Point, a local glass-blowing studio. Day 5 drive out in the early morning over to Clarkdale which has the best European pastries I’ve found in northern Arizona, Voilette’s; be sure to go early, it’s well worth it! While in the area, we’d explore neighboring Cottonwood or Jerome, both cute, artsy towns. Before heading back to Phoenix, we’d be sure to take an easy afternoon hike over at Crescent Moon Park or a sunset drive to Airport Road. Returning with only a day to spare, we finish off the trip by having a lovely lunch or dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Season 52 in Phoenix.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shoutout my husband, Lawrence Lawson/Satin Extracts, Extraction Lab Director over at Aeriz. He deserves a ton of credit. Hes’s been my support and inspiration since I began my journey and keeps encouraging me to move forward and do better. I’d also like to recognize Chef Turtle for being super motivational and supportive, especially when deciding to take on Ruby Red Confections as my full time job. Thank you to Billy & Starr Hayes and Adrian Ryan who helped perfect my infusions. Thanks to The Cannabis Spot Vapor Lounge, The Superior Dispensary & The Mint Dispensary. Finally, thank you to my fellow foodies/yogis along with the cannabis community. They encouraged me with ideas to go above and beyond and follow my instincts.

Website: www.rubyredconfections.com

Instagram: @RubyRedConfections

Facebook: @RubyRedConfections

Youtube: Ruby Red Confections

Image Credits
Dorothy Lawson