It was only a matter of time before it was time for my first Eat & Greet as a member of the ZBB team – it’s a rite of passage.

Cookie, the band’s enormous, glistening trailer/mobile kitchen was parked last Saturday outside the Meadowlands, back doors flayed open, with the aromas of Chef Rusty’s beef tenderloin, fresh baked bread, and chocolate peanut butter biscuit pudding wafting outwards.

Cookie

What struck me most, though, was not the smorgasbord of southern grub, but the casual interaction between the band and the select group of lucky fans. Had I not known what they looked like, I could never have picked the band out of the crowd chowing down at one of the long tables.

Zac, Clay, Chris, Coy, John, and Jimmy completely blended in with their fans, carrying on conversations over savory mouthfuls as if they were just a group of mostly-bearded guys who like country music.

ZBB thinks about touring differently. It’s not just important to them that they put on a killer show (though, indeed, they do), but that every fan feels like they’re getting the ultimate experience… because they are. From taking the time to shake every single fan’s hand to the belt-busting array of home cooking, to the hardest-hitting set this side of arena rock, ZBB created a space where nothing was as important as their fans.

And it was delicious.

The Menu:

Heirloom tomato salad with smoked corn, edamame, pickled cucumbers and moonshine vinaigrette
Fresh bread with agave fig butter
Braised Brussels sprouts with country ham and red-eye gravy
Wild mushroom and snap pea spoon polenta with smoked gouda
Grilled cauliflower, broccoli and okra with a saffron chardonnay butter
Beef tenderloin with Zac’s Georgia clay rub
Pork tenderloin with “Zac’s Love Sauce”
Chocolate peanut butter biscuit pudding
Zac’s famous cole slaw

ZBB rocking the Meadowlands