rock-n-rollin' with chef rusty hamlin:

the gastro-maestro

Setting a new standard for fan-based appreciation perks,  Zac Brown Band's touring chef, Rusty Hamlin, smothers his culinary creations in Louisiana love while supporting and promoting local farms and farmers, fishermen and purveyors of artisan ingredients at each tour stop. Everything that he hand-picks just hours before showtime is transformed into a Five Star feast that Zamily fans and honored guests will never forget. Read all the Low-Country lowdown as The Muse-Sick chats with the man behind the meals. 

The always-evolving all-star chef is going global with

"Rusty's Rockfeast"

on FYI, an A+E network channel

"My house, it's not much to talk about -- but it's filled with love that's grown in southern ground -- and a little bit of chicken fried, cold beer on a Friday night, a pair of jeans that fit just right and the radio up."  

"Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band

To watch episodes of "Rusty's Rockfeast" online, copy and paste the link below into your browser:

www.fyi.tv/shows/rustys-rockfeast-backstage-with-zac-brown-band

Marlins & Martins

The Zac Brown fan club is affectionately known as Zamily, and this group's mantra is: "We came for the music, and stayed for the people." 

That slogan isn't just referring to the other Zamily members, it goes for the boys in the band too. They all possess the kind of southern charm and hospitality that melts away the 'fame barrier' that stars of their caliber usually have.

My first Eat & Greet experience happened in Punta Cana, DR, a little over one year ago. As we made our way through the buffet line, all the ZBB guys were on the other side, placing forkfuls of Georgia Clay Rub pork tenderloin and Zac's own Pocket-Knife coleslaw on our plates. At the end of line, Zac was there to shake your hand and listen to you ramble like a fanatic groupie. Some fans brought presents for his expectant wife, Shelly (who's first boy -- after four girls) was due any day. Others gave him hand-knitted beanies, and a few shed tears of joy as they hugged the gifted crooner who has found a direct line to so many hearts through his music.

As far as I was concerned -- I had gotten my money's worth right there. Once I sat down and tasted the incredible food, however, I was shocked at the quality execution of our meal. My husband (an executive chef in AZ) and I spoke with Rusty afterwards about the challenges of procuring the food, prepping, and cooking it all while ensuring that nothing suffers in the process.

Chef Rusty explained that because they didn't have Cookie with them (it's hardly cost-effective to ship an 18-wheeler to the Caribbean), his staff had been scattered all over the many restaurant kitchens across the resort grounds. It's his ability to go with the flow that allows this chef to flourish under pressure. Every day is an improvisation and we are the lucky ones who relish in his culinary skills and commitment to excellence on all levels.

So, the bang for our buck was huge! And it didn't stop there. While we were treating our taste buds to Rusty's world-class cuisine, Zac Brown sauntered up to our table with a full plate of food in his hand and asked if he could eat with us! He talked with all of us for the next 20 minutes. We laughed at his story about going Marlin fishing the previous day ... how he thought his arms were going to fall off after wrestling a 'big one' for half an hour. I got to ask him about one of my favorite songs he wrote called, "Martin," and he revealed that it's about his first guitar he got as a kid, an acoustic C.F. Martin & Co., hand-made beauty, given to him by his dad.

At this point, our Eat & Greet experience turned into a priceless memory filled with phenomenal food, new friends, and soul-touching, feel-good music. Did I get a picture or selfie with Zac? No. Did I get Zac's autograph? No. Do I care? Not in the slightest! ~ DA

The song that started the snowball rolling ... "Chicken Fried," is still a fan favorite. One of the most patriotic people you'll ever meet, Zac always honors the men and women of our military forces at every concert by bringing active and retired soldiers onto his stage when this song is played. It's a goose-bump moment that reminds us all to be thankful for the stars and stripes, and what they stand for.

When you're visiting the beautiful countryside near Nashville, TN, you're bound to see some deer, some turkeys, and maybe a beaver or two. This visitor, however, was coming to dinner whether he was invited or not! ~ DA

... THE GASTRO-MAESTRO ...

When Chef Rusty Hamlin and his self-proclaimed life partner -- Cookie,a 54-foot mobile-kitchen -- ride into town together, folks gather from far and wide to indulge their taste buds in the down-home goodness of this stellar southern chef's restaurant on wheels.

The road that led this good ol' boy from Baton Rouge to the wide open spaces of Zac Brown Band's Eat & Greet events, is one paved with a passion for food and a love of music ... all mixed together with a hefty dose of good timing. 

Chef Rusty ~ "In 1998 I went to work at Atkins Park Tavern in Georgia as the executive chef. The first person I hired was a bartender named Wyatt Durrette. A week later, he introduced me to Zac Brown, who was rocking the Dixie Tavern in Marietta, Georgia, where Durrette managed the bar and booked the entertainment." 

TMS: That bartender became a chart-topping, songwriting-collaborator with the burly-faced guitar player who dreamed of someday bringing together great music and delicious food like it had never been done before ... and that's where Rusty comes in. With infectious personalities and a zest for giving their all, the chef and the beanie-clad musician found a lot of common ground between them.

Back to the beginning ...

Chef Rusty ~ "When I was a little kid, Mom was a great home cook with a limited budget. Louisiana food was her focal point. The kitchen was the main room in our house. It had a huge bar that wrapped around it; I would sit next to the stove, fascinated. I've always been interested in cooking."

TMS: As a child, Richard Ryan Hamlin spent hours in the kitchen with his mother. He was partially motivated by the dimes and nickels she bestowed on him when he correctly guessed the ingredients in a recipe after tasting a spoonful of the finished dish. The fair-haired lad earned one coin for each correct answer. Even as a toddler, Rusty was already being paid for his exceptional palate.

Earning his chops ...

* When he was a young teenager, Rusty worked in a local grocery store as manager of the seafood department. His larger-than-life personality shined across the whole market when he'd announce the daily specials over the intercom.

* Rusty's first cooking job was that of line cook at Belle of Baton Rouge -- a downtown riverboat casino hotel in Louisiana. He soon advanced to executive sous chef, overseeing all of the on-site restaurants.

* Following his graduation from high school, Rusty attended the Culinary Arts Institute of Louisiana, completing degrees in Culinary Arts, and Gourmet Nutrition.

* Rusty went on to earn a total of seven culinary degrees, and become the executive banquet chef at The 1848 House in Atlanta, GA -- an original, grand plantation home built by Marietta's pioneer family, the Glovers. 

* When Chef Rusty was hired to rethink the Atkins Park Tavern kitchen, he revitalized the menu, incorporating the Cajun/Creole style of his favorite chefs ... Paul Prudhomme and Justin Wilson.

The passion to 'Super-Serve' ...

Chef Rusty ~ "Zac and I have been cooking together for a long time; we are best friends, but I am not his personal chef. Back in 2002, we were talking about the pros and cons of concerts ... and how to make the band more accessible to fans than the standard meet and greet allowed."

TMS: The idea to 'super-serve' a down-home dining experience was born out of the friends' desire to create something unique. After Zac honed in on the Eat & Greet idea, he let his buddy take the reins. And Chef Rusty has never disappointed his good friend, or the thousands of fans who enjoy the privilege of feasting on locally farmed ingredients with a Louisiana/Georgia twist.

A free-range Chef ...

Chef Rusty ~ "Zac has let me make it my own and I really want folks to know that this experience is way more than most other band's fan club members get. It's important for us to serve high-end food ... we didn't want to serve funnel cake." 

TMS: In place of a state fair staple like funnel cake, Chef Rusty sizzles up warm beignets delicately dusted in powdered sugar. If you're really lucky, you might get to enjoy his chocolate and peanut-butter bread pudding with caramel. This is not 'heat-n-serve' food, y'all.

As a former food critic, I've eaten at myriad Five Star and Five Diamond restaurants from New York to Washington state ... each one deemed a 'special occasion' restaurant because most of us can only afford to eat there once a year.

Instead of dropping $400-$500 just on dinner for two in a celebrity-chef's restaurant, Zac Brown fans spend far less and get to truly 'break bread' with the guys in the band. They also get Early AcZess into the concert, where the majority of them make a beeline for the pit, right in front of the stage.

Cooking with Cookie ...

Far outside the boundaries of a standard commercial kitchen, Cookie is seriously-equipped and custom-designed by Zac and Rusty. Here is a rundown of what this girl is workin' with ...

* a six-burner stove * a 36-inch flat top grill

* 2 convection ovens * 2 traditional steel ovens

* a tilt skillet (great for cooking large amounts of braised meats, stews, soups, etc.)

* double-size deep fryer

* a full-size walk-in refrigerator

* a 3-sink dish-washing station

* 5 air-conditioning units

* generators and water

*upstairs storage for additional equipment, 2 Big Green Egg smokers/grills, awnings and Chef Rusty merchandise

* Initial cost to build: $750,000.00 in 2011

*COMING SOON ~ a contest to revamp Cookie's pin-up girl pose! Watch Chef's website (chefrusty.com) and his Facebook page for more details.

Chef Rusty ~ "The love that goes into our food is tremendous! We make fresh bread every day. We make all of our own desserts.

"Food is important to me ... knowing where it comes from ... being able to hand-pick every item fresh from the farms and farmers markets each morning. It doesn't get any fresher. My recipes span the globe and I try to use different techniques along with the local ingredients." 

TMS: Chef Rusty's extensive knowledge of food, and his hardcore traveling kitchen is still only part of the equation. Every great chef knows the value of surrounding himself with a stellar staff -- people he can count on to be there. People who will get the job done every day because ... The show must go on!

Up to 200 fans are anxiously waiting to be fed; many of them have traveled across the country for this moment in time. 

Chef Rusty ~ "I'm an old-school chef. When I was learning how to cook, up until the early 2000s, there weren't many open-kitchen restaurants. Now I work in a restaurant with no walls. And, being able to go on the road to local farms is a huge amount of freedom that connects me to people.

"Over the last six years, the process has evolved in many ways, but it's also stayed the same in other ways. We've been doing it for awhile and touring at the level we do ... it's like a carousel, and we always go back to the same spots."

"How ya durin'?"

TMS: That southern salutation is one way Chef Rusty engages his Eat & Greet diners before each dinner service. It's also his signature slogan that you'll find on his highly coveted t-shirts. If you were to ask him the same thing -- no matter how many bumps in the road he had to overcome that day -- he would never let you see him sweat.

In case you're curious, though, an average day for this chipper chef begins around 7:30am. He looks at the daily calendar that his Culinary Logistics Manager, Jessica Cross, has put together for him. It includes all the pertinent information for local farmers' markets, vineyards, or other purveyors of artisan ingredients for the town they are currently in.

His runner, who returns with a rented vehicle (a van preferably) at 9 a.m., drives Rusty to each location. As the chef peruses the local harvests, his mind is formulating the menu for that night. As often as he can, Chef Rusty invites these farmers and craftsmen to the Eat & Greet as his special guests ... which often come with great seats to that night's Zac Brown Band concert.

Once he arrives back at Cookie, he and his team begin prepping and cooking ... hopefully, they have about four hours before service begins. It's the mother of all 'market-basket' cooking challenges. The margin for error is so tiny, and failure is not an option.

Meet the Zamily Momma Bird ...

Jenny "tbird" gabriel

Chef Rusty ~ "TBird is a huge part of the Eat & Greet success. As fan club president, she is so accessible to everyone. No one could do what TBird does, quite like she does it."

TMS: While this southern sweetheart quite possibly has the coolest job in the world ... it also requires the same kind of unwavering dedication that Zac, Rusty, and the rest of their envoy have.

She may be a little bird, but her heart fills thousands of members, literally, with the Zamily well-wish ...

 Love, Peace & Chicken Grease.

Those three words are the driving force behind everything TBird does. Love everyone ... Spread Peace ... and bring the people to the food!

Earlier this year, Zamily showed their Momma Bird how much she means to them when they went on a #LetsGetTBirdOnEllen campaign. 

Ellen Degeneres, comedian and talk show extraordinaire, has been TBird's hero forever. So through the powers of social media, Zamily took to the airwaves.

In addition to Twitter, they organized a good old-fashioned email blast, where everyone filled out a nomination form on ellentv.com for their fearless leader. And just so the 'powers that be' in Ellen's camp understood how deep Zamily love grows, they also included a video montage of their own photos and personal testimonials of TBird's devoted and compassionate spirit.

And their efforts did not go unrewarded. TBird has received a call from Ellen's 'people' ... Now, we're all waiting patiently, hoping her dream of meeting her hero in person comes true.

... The Hit List ...

All of these toe-tapping Zac Brown Band songs reached #1 on the US Country music charts. Here's how they rank compared to one another; the scores listed in parentheses are based on record sales, downloads and airplay.

1. "Chicken Fried" (97)

2. "Knee Deep" (91)

3. "Colder Weather" (65)

4. "As She's Walking Away" ft. Alan Jackson (61)

5. "Toes" (58) 

6. "Highway 20 Ride" (54, tied with #7)

7." Keep Me In Mind" (54, tied with #6)