Osheaga's karma police expect ecofriendly catering
Vegan, raw foods and salads may rule, but Osheaga's catering gurus provide something for every star's palate
Evidence of the changing face of rock and roll is everywhere in the VIP food tent at Montreal's Osheaga Music and Arts Festival.
Riders once replete with high-maintenance requests for mauve M&Ms and six-packs of new tube socks are now dominated by demands that everything be ethically sourced and recyclable.
Nothing shows the shift more than with headliners Red Hot Chilli Peppers who in the 1990s would challenge each other to eat the most disgusting dinner food they could find, according to the Anthony Kiedis' biography Scar Tissue. Now, they are leading the push for a more sustainable backstage experience.
"Radiohead and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, their requests are strictly ecological," says celebrity chef Chuck Hughes, who together with Danny Smiles, heads Osheaga's catering operation.
Now in his seventh year, Hughes said such concerns have been top of mind in the planning of this year's dining area.
"This year's theme is low [ecological] footprint," Hughes said.
The decor features wood recycled from delivery pallets, repurposed shipping containers and flower pots fashioned from tins of tomatoes.
"Our mandate is to make this a unique experience."
Hughes said the food selection this year offers something for every diet and taste.
Thai, Italian, smokehouse BBQ, vegan, salads, raw foods, pizza, deli hamburgers and poutine, fresh-pressed juices and even donuts made on the spot are being offered. Hughes has an army of 40 chefs to serve about 2,000 to 2,500 plates of food a day.
So what kind of food does the world's rock elite prefer? Are the decadent days of Elvis and his fried peanut butter sandwiches really a thing of the past?
"The salad bar is the most popular section," Hughes said.
