Jon Louie
“Hey Busboy, I have been a tour chef for the past 6 years, doing tour catering and private chef work for some A list artists (Beyonce, Jay Z, The Weeknd); currently on the road with Justin Bieber. In my off time, I'm a private chef based out of NYC.
So I'm going to do my best to give you a sneak peak into my breakdown routine. It's quite a bit more intense and elongated than your typical chef gig. The amount of logistics that go along with being a tour chef is insane - you're constantly moving; with the changing surroundings come so many variables that can make your night hell or a breeze depending on the competence and efficiency of the city you're in.”
Breaking Down With Jon Louie
“Dinner Push. You have been working for 12 hours at this point so you know the end is near. You have spent all day waiting for this 2 hour rush of dancers, fueling up before hitting the stage. If aftershow food is needed, you’re preparing something to box up. Many artists tend to be peckish after the show. But seeing as how you started setting up at 5 am, you put it into high gear and try to slowly consolidate all of your mise, to make clean up a breeze”
“Dinner is over. At this point, you have boxed up all your leftover food and began breaking down your station. I usually smoke a spliff at this point to center my chi because the breakdown is half the struggle. You need to muster all of your energy for this clean up. It’s not like in a restaurant where you clean things and put them in their rightful place. We break down a restaurant, take down the electricity, box up our ovens, flat tops, all of our pans, and plates, into travel cases, to get on a truck for the next city”
“Dinner is over. At this point, you have boxed up all your leftover food and began breaking down your station. I usually smoke a spliff at this point to center my chi because the breakdown is half the struggle. You need to muster all of your energy for this clean up. It’s not like in a restaurant where you clean things and put them in their rightful place. We break down a restaurant, take down the electricity, box up our ovens, flat tops, all of our pans, and plates, into travel cases, to get on a truck for the next city”
“Where the fuck is a fork lift? You have found local pushers to get most of your gear onto your truck for you as the thought of doing it yourself is close to death. You find a forklift to get the final nicknacks.”
“Close the truck, Send it!
”
“All hug and rejoice that you made it through the day victoriously.”
“Party like it’s 1999.”
“Party’s over, time to find a shower in the stadium. Cardinal rule of roadie life - no dirty bus rides, only scummers do that. I try to find the shower of the first artist’s dressing room that leaves.”
“Take a power shower, then run to the bus as fast as you can while smoking as many spliffs as possible to prepare for the bus ride you are about to take to the next city.”
“Get on the bus and eat whatever takeout was brought for bus food - usually some nice takeout, so tacos or burgers. Because a tour chef barely gets high on their own supply, you are so busy through the day, chances are you basically have quit eating. So you demolish this food.”
“Call my girlfriend up, tell her how much I miss her and how horny I am.”
“Everyone’s on the party bus heading out of town to the next city. Depending on if you have to do a show the next day and wake up at 5am or if you have the day off, decides whether you go into the time continuum transporter aka bunk or stay up through the night. I personally go into a coma at this point.”