Valerie Jones runs a company called Peanuts whose job is to look after pop stars and pop groups when they go on tour. She is the person who feeds the stars and she’s been doing it for the past ten years.
When the stars are playing at a festival, Valerie may have to cook for up to a thousand people which includes all the crew and the people who work backstage. She erects a marquee-a huge tent-and the food is served buffet style from a central serving area. She has to cater for different tastes, so there are normally four or more choices of menu. She also has to look after people who may be on special diet or some singers don’t eat dairy food before a concert.
She drives an enormous truck full of kitchen equipment and hires at least three walk-in refrigerators, a dishwashing unit and portable cabins which act as storerooms and office.
All the bands have to queue up to be served and everyone has to have a meal ticket. The stars are usually more relaxed when they are eating as no one is bothering them for autographs, although Valerie says that sometimes the security men and the stars’ managers are more trouble than the stars themselves.
There are certain things which she always has to keep in stock like herbal teas and her own particular mixture of honey, lemon and ginger which singers like to keep in flasks on stage with them when they are singing. Years ago bands used to drink quite a lot of alcohol, but these days they’re much healthier. Most bands drink fresh fruit juice and prefer to eat salads.
A lot of people in the bands are quite young and they’re not used to very expensive food, so Valerie prepares plain food unless a band sends her a "rider". This is a list of special requirements. When people are tired, unwell or homesick they like to have familiar" comfort" food so she keeps a stock of people’s requirements just in case. As a result of all this Valerie says she has become an expert shopper and in less than an hour in a supermarket she can spend £1000.
A lot of bands won’t eat before a concert because they’re too nervous, so Valerie and her staff can end up working very long hours as they have to be around to provide what people want at two or three in the morning. One thing Valerie has noticed is that the more mad a band is on stage, the more normal they are when they are off it. She says she is amazed at the change in behaviour. A really wild singer can turn out to be really quiet and polite off stage.