Rusty Hamlin cooks for Zac Brown Band on Rusty’s Rockfeast – (from FYI website) “How do members of a big-time music group like the Zac Brown Band help maintain high energy levels while on tour? By eating farm-to-table cuisine prepared by an executive chef. This FYI series features Rusty Hamlin cooking Southern-style eats in a state-of-the-art, 18-wheel mobile kitchen named Cookie. At every tour stop, unique challenges need to be overcome to pull off the band’s famous “eat and greets” — intimate, one-of-a-kind meals for Zac, his mates and a few hundred lucky fans. Rusty and his team have only a few hours to improvise dishes based on the freshest ingredients available from local farms and markets, and to make sure the fans have an unforgettable experience, Rusty never serves the same menu twice. “I’m constantly impressed at how Rusty pulls it off every night not knowing what groceries he’s going to have,” Zac says. “It’s off the cuff every day and he makes it look so easy.””
Moonshine Post Production did full post for Rusty’s Rockfeast.
About Rusty Hamlin (from the FYI website): “Rusty Hamlin is the executive chef for Zac Brown Brand and host of the renowned pre-concert dinner party, the “Eat & Greet.” Born in Baton Rouge, Rusty grew up steeped in Louisiana’s famed culinary culture, with jambalaya and gumbo among his go-to dishes.
After graduating from the Culinary Arts Institute of Louisiana, Rusty landed his first job as a line cook at the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino. Following the ’96 Olympics, Rusty expanded his culinary horizon by moving to Atlanta. He spent time in several different restaurants before settling in at Atkins Park, where he revamped the kitchen and menu. Rusty then opened a sister location in Smyrna, GA, now over a decade old, where he is the current Executive Chef and owner. After the initial opening, over a decade ago, Rusty met Zac Brown, who was beginning to enjoy local success. As charismatic, larger-than-life southern men who appreciate music, food, and the culture that unites the two elements, the two quickly became good friends.
This is when the seeds were planted for today’s roving culinary adventure – the Zac Brown Band “Eat & Greet.” With their 50-foot mobile kitchen “Cookie” in tow, the Eat & Greet is an opportunity to serve great food to approximately 150 of the band’s biggest fans in an intimate backstage setting before each show. Eat & Greet prep – and the ticking clock – starts around 8am each morning as the tour bus rolls into a new city. While his crew configures Cookie and begins baking, Hamlin searches local farms and markets in each new city, gathering up fresh ingredients and creating a menu for that night’s event.
Through it all, Rusty is mindful that he’s not just representing Zac Brown Band; he’s also an ambassador for local farmers and a tradition of southern hospitality, encompassing the South’s traditions of sharing and camaraderie around the table, even as the cuisine at the center of it changes.”