5 Perfect Pairings for the Big Feastival

This weekend at Burl's Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte

The Big Feastival is coming to Canada for the first time after six iterations in the UK starting Saturday! Going down at the Burl’s Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte, the Big Feastival is a weekend of great food, tunes and children’s entertainment. Did we mention that tickets for children under the age of 12 are free?

The entire music line-up and list of chefs have been announced. Here are five suggested chef-concert pairings for the festival.

Chuck Hughes and Weezer

We’ve put together a pair of showstoppers to wet your whistle. Chuck Hughes is an award-winning chef and television personality. He owns two restaurants in Montreal: Garde Manger and Le Bremner and also appears on television in both Canada and the United States (in English and French). He hosts Chuck’s Day Off, Chuck’s Week Off, Chuck’s Eat The Street and À couteaux tirés. Hughes was the youngest Canadian chef to win Iron Chef America defeating Iron Chef Bobby Flay in 2011.

We have paired the Montreal rockstar chef with Weezer. Weezer needs no introduction. The American rock band lead by River Cuomo has been rockin’ since the early 90s. Their biggest singles “Buddy Holly”, “Say It Ain’t So” and “Beverly Hills” have cemented their legacy in alternative rock. They play the Big Feastival on Sunday.

Rob Gentile and MAGIC!

Rob Gentile, is the Chef Director/Partner at The King Street Food Company. He believes that the key to crafting his signature Italian cuisine is using local ingredients and also thinks Toronto is a great place to be, especially for those in the restaurant business due to an unmatched camaraderie in the city.

Also hailing from Toronto is MAGIC!, playing Saturday at the Big Feastival. The pop-reggae band from the GTA released their sophomore album Primary Colours (thank you for spelling it the Canadian way) last summer. They are well-known for their hit singles “Rude” and “Lay You Down Easy” with Sean Paul.

Matthew Demille and The Strumbellas

Matt was raised in rural Ontario and was surrounded tons of locally sourced food when he was growing up. Fast forward to now, and Demille hosts the CBC’s All Things Food, exploring the stories, philosophies and creators of the most delicious food in Canada.

The Strumbellas share a similar story as Demille originating in small-town Ontario. Starting out in Lindsay, The Strumbellas are now a Juno winning indie rock band that came together all thanks to a Craigslist ad. The Strumbellas get Young & Wild on the Big Feastival stage on the Saturday of the festival.

Afrim Pristine and Dwayne Gretzky

Afrim Pristine is the Cheese King… or rather a Cheese Master (maître fromager). In 2013, Afrim became the world’s youngest maître fromager by the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers in France. This feat cements Pristine as one of the most informed experts in the country; there are only 6 Canadians that hold this honour. Pristine uses his expertise to run the Cheese Boutique, a gourmet cheese emporium that has been serving Toronto for almost 50 years.

“Dwayne Gretzky is everyone’s favourite supergroup loosely named after a hockey legend.”

Dwayne Gretzky brings their boundless energy to the nearly 400 covers that they perform and  band alumnists include musicians from July Talk, Our Lady Peace and Arkells. They are almost exclusively a live entity and have been known to throw extremely unique shows. Their next big theme show, Dwayne 2000 takes place September 22nd and 23rd and features covers exclusively from the 2000s. Cheesy… but awesome.

Devin Connell and Dragonette

Devin Connell opened Delica Kitchen in Toronto eight years ago. The cafe specializes in gourmet sandwiches, soups, salads and baked goods. Devin has appears often on the radio and television as a food expert on Breakfast Television, Metro Morning and Top Chef Canada. Recently, Connell and her restaurant, Delica Kitchen circulated the hashtag #4ingredientchallenge to create easy recipes in support of Community Food Centres Canada.

Toronto-based Electropop group Dragonette have collaborated with some of the biggest names in music including Martin Solveig and have toured with Major Lazer and Duran Duran. Their biggest singles have been featured in countless movies and commercials. They play on the main stage at the Big Feastival on Sunday afternoon.