Bayfest chef says rock stars are surprising eaters

Bayfest chef says rock stars are surprising eaters
Steamed veggies? For KISS?
By TYLER KULA • Sarnia Observer

SARNIA — There’s no predicting how things might unfold at Sarnia Rogers Bayfest. Just ask head chef Alastair Mackay.

When the legendary rock band KISS rolled into Sarnia earlier than scheduled this morning, he had to lay out a massive breakfast for band and crew well before the sun rose over Centennial Park.

“We didn’t find that out until about 10:30 p.m. (Thursday) that they were going to have a continental at five-thirty in the morning,” he said. “You just have to be pretty versatile.”

The well-known Sarnia chef has worked Bayfest the past three years while preparing meals for some of music world’s biggest stars.

Everyone has to be ready to go at a moment’s notice, he said. And some of the food requests aren’t what people might expect from rock stars.

“Some of the older bands, they’ve certainly made a health-conscious shift,” he said. “A lot of vegetarian, a lot of vegan items.”

For their stay in Sarnia, KISS ordered various fruits, steamed vegetables, fresh fish and chicken, along with plenty of water and Gatorade, Mackay said.

“The guys like to be refreshed. The odd bottle of wine, but not too much.”

Most meals are prepared on-site in a makeshift area Mackay and his team of chefs have assembled backstage. They also cook for the roadies and Bayfest crews.

“You’re feeding 150 people per meal, per day,” he said.

The setup makes use of the Smokin’ Joes catering mobile that Bayfest and Ribfest fans might recognize from years past. It has refrigeration and storage facilities, two large barbecues in back, wet bar and mixers, portable burners and blenders.

“Believe it or not, although it’s an outside catering event, we have almost every luxury that you’d have in your normal kitchen,” Mackay said.

“Sometimes it takes a little bit longer but we’ve got to get the job done.”

The rest of the food is prepared at Stokes By the Bay, with the bill totaled about $7,000 in past years.

Working 20-hour days isn’t unusual, said Mackay, who runs a catering business and teaches at Lambton College.

But it’s a nice change, and less stressful even with the unpredictability, he said. “Listening to the music is obviously a big key to it all.”