Dave Grohl

Public festival cooking rewards clarity: heat, aroma, fast recognition, and food that can move through a crowd without explanation. In 2021, on the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage at BottleRock in Napa Valley, United States, that register framed Dave Grohl’s appearance alongside José Andrés: barbecue, bold flavours, and a crowd-facing style built for sharing rather than plating-room refinement. Barbecue, in this lane, is a service craft as much as a cooking style: fire, smoke, appetite, and the practical work of feeding people at scale. The idea for Backbeat BBQ followed Grohl cooking for people displaced by the 2018 California wildfires and for firefighters, placing the project in the context of relief cooking rather than restaurant performance. Large-format public cooking depends on dishes that read immediately. At BottleRock Napa, United States, the cook with Andrés put gambas al ajillo and gazpacho in front of a crowd of 10,000: hot garlic seafood against chilled soup, aroma against refreshment, both suited to an open-air audience gathered close together. The working pleasure of cooking is stated plainly in Grohl’s line: “It’s kinda cool that I’m able to do that – and it’s f***-ing fun!” In this public food work, the through-line is utility: barbecue, bold flavours, and a shared cook with José Andrés used to feed people directly and create a warmer room, field, or festival crowd.