This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
The organizations behind major events like Osheaga, ÎleSoniq or Lasso in Montreal, the FestiVoix in Trois-Rivières or the Festival d’été de Québec, put a lot of effort into feeding their guest artists well. The elaborate food offerings they receive focus on the freshness of seasonal products and the expertise of renowned chefs. Here’s what artists eat in festival mode.
Feeding festival stars requires a good dose of logistics, preparation and agility in order to meet all their small and large requests. By working with renowned local restaurateurs who showcase Quebec products, organizers ensure that their event stands out on the long summer circuit while positioning la belle province as a gourmet destination.
Spotlight on restaurants
In Montreal, Groupe CH, which handles catering logistics for artists at major festivals in Parc Jean-Drapeau, has commissioned Montreal restaurateurs—Bar St-Denis, Mon Lapin and Elena—to concoct the dishes that will be offered in the “Artist World.” This area is reserved for those who perform on stage. “We’re showcasing Montreal’s culinary culture, like a business card,” explains Yves Lowe, corporate executive chef at Groupe CH.
At the Festival d’été de Québec, it’s the collective of restaurateurs behind the popular establishments Sushibox, Hono Izakaya and Restaurant Colibri that feeds the artists. And for the first time in the event’s history, there’s a place to bring them together: the “Dôme.” “We’ve been dreaming of this for a long time,” admits Louis Bellavance, the festival’s programming director. “Without this space, the artists had little chance of connecting with each other and with their technical teams.”
In Trois-Rivières, several restaurateurs — Le Buck, Sushizo, Le Mezcal, Stratos, le Manoir du spaghetti, among others — share the task of providing a good meal to those who perform at FestiVoix. “We deliver them either in a formula take-out in the dressing rooms or we take them on site, to the dining room,” explains Naomie Rousseau, communications coordinator for FestiVoix. Imagine the surprise when popular rapper Flo Rida showed up this summer at the restaurant La maison de débauche for dinner…
Eat local
Concretely, what do artists eat? Healthy, fresh and delicious meals. And poutine, of course.
In Quebec City, they’re banking on a Japanese-inspired offering, explains Thomas Casault, co-owner of the restaurants that feed the event’s guests. “Sushi in festival mode is always surprising,” he notes. They also offer cold ramen, filled sandwiches and more. For his part, Yves Lowe has noticed that artists “often have gourmet requests for theafter showlike a Montreal bagel or a smoked meat sandwich,” he reveals.
In Montreal and Quebec City, in the sections reserved for performers, salad bars filled with seasonal produce are among the favorites. In addition to the full food offering, stars can order platters of local cheeses, charcuterie and fresh fruit delivered directly to their dressing room.
In Trois-Rivières, the motto is the same: “The idea is to have choice and to make the region’s restaurateurs shine,” explains Naomie Rousseau.
Outside the festival
When they have time, stars sometimes leave the site of an event to go eat in town, under the good advice provided in advance by the hospitality teams of the events in which they participate.
Mathieu Bibeault, editor of the blog 99scenes, which is dedicated to music and festivals, never misses a single artist’s coming and going. He cites several examples of personalities who have been spotted in establishments in the province, before or after their show. This is the case of the Foo Fighters at the bistro Chez Boulay, in Quebec City, in 2015, Rammstein at the Conti Caffe, in 2016, and Green Day at the Louise Taverne & bar à vin, in Quebec City, in 2023.
“When Paul McCarthey played on the Plains in 2008, he ate at the restaurant Le Saint-Amour,” Mathieu Bibeault remembers very well. “It was covered everywhere in the media here and elsewhere.” Incredible visibility for the establishment, the city and the Festival, all while promoting Quebec culinary culture internationally.
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