I just wanted to share a few thoughts and photos from our experience with the Zac Brown Band. What an adventure…
It was his love of music and food that got Brown thinking about a better experience for some fans at his shows. He thought the traditional “meet-and-greets” were impersonal and did not allow for a performer to really know fans. So, he teamed up with his friend and chef, Rusty Hamlin, to create the “Eat & Greet.”
So where does chef Rusty get enough food to feed 150 selected fans in a strange town with only a few hours to prepare? He and his staff search out local farmer’s markets and/or farms to provide fresh seasonal items. We were contacted on Monday via email (thanks to our website) requesting produce for Thursday. We were just lucky enough to have some of our winter squash still available as well as fresh greens and eggs.
Hamlin’s stage is 54-foot semi that has been converted in to a state- of- the art kitchen with all of the bells and whistles. Her name is “Cookie”. We delivered produce on Thursday morning and got to meet Rusty and tour the kitchen.
Later that evening we were invited to the “Eat & Greet”. For over an hour band members stand behind tables spooning large helpings of Rusty’s food on to fans plates and Zac Brown stands at the end of the line talking to each and every person as they pass by. People linger and talk food and music. There is one rule… No pictures or autographs.
Most of the pictures I have included are prior to the “Eat & Greet” the additional few are public photos made available from the band’s photographer.
What a night to remember…
