BottleRock Exclusive: Here’s what’s really cooking on Culinary Stage in 2023
BottleRock Napa Valley announced the star-studded 2023 lineup for its incredibly popular Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage, where chefs join forces with rock stars and other celebs to have fun and make food.
The bill includes Wu-Tang Clan, Sammy Hagar, Lil Nas X, John Taylor & Roger Taylor of Duran Duran, Bastille, Keanu Reeves and his Dogstar pals Bret Domrose and Robert Mailhouse, José Andrés, Giada De Laurentiis, David Chang & Chris Ying, Roy Choi, Andrew Zimmern, Aarón Sánchez and the Voltaggio Brothers.
Yet, what promoters didn’t mention in the news release sent out on May 24 is what those celebrity chefs and rockers will actually be doing onstage during the three-day festival, which runs May 26-28 in downtown Napa.
In an exclusive interview with our publication, organizers detailed what to expect to see on at the stage.
“Every kind of food will be cooked, fried, grilled, tasted & tested — from C.R.E.A.M.sicles by the Voltaggio brothers to fish & chips with a kick by Chef Aaron Sanchez,” says Liam Mayclem, the longtime host of the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage.
Here’s a look at some of the fun mashups happening at the culinary stage:
Sammy Hagar, Jose Andres
Get ready to scream “Tequila!” as the Bay Area’s own Red Rocker and chef Andres shake things up and make margaritas. (4:15 p.m. May 27)
Duran Duran’s John Taylor and Roger Taylor, Andrew Zimmerman
Zimmern is a definite meat guy. This time around, however, he’s going veggie — given that the two Taylors are reportedly both vegetarians. (5:45 p.m. May 27)
Lil Nas X, David Chang, Chris Ying
The hip-hop star, who headlines the big Verizon Stage on Sunday, and Momofuku restauranteur Chang and food writer Ying will be cooking up lobster pasta. (6 p.m. May 28)
Bastille, Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, Aaron Sanchez
Mayclem is referring to Bastille and Beckham collectively as the “Spice Lads,” a nod to the latter’s mom Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham’s fabled Spice Girls group. Chef Sanchez will be leading the group in making fish tacos as well as fish & chips, with the key word of “spice” coming into play in the preparation of the dishes. (7:45 p.m. May 26)
Wu-Tang Clan, Warren G, Voltaggio Brothers, Amirah Kassem
One of the most important rap music acts of all time, which performs on Sunday at the festival, will be making C.R.E.A.M.sicles (a nod to the group’s famed “C.R.E.A.M.” song) with fellow hip-hop star Warren G, baker Kassem and the Voltaggio Brothers. (3 p.m. May 28)
Jonny Moseley, Charles Woodson Aaron May
Olympian Moseley, an American freestyle skier who attended both UC Davis and UC Berkeley, and Raiders legend and Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson will be making whisky-soaked “Dinner Roll” bread pudding with chef May. The dish’s name references Moseley’s famed aerial ski move “The Dinner Roll.” (4:30 p.m. May 26)
Tiffani Thiessen, Derek Hough
The “Beverley Hills 90210” icon and cookbook author, who currently appears on the MTV comedy clip show “Deliciousness,” will be mixing up hurricane cocktails with dancer Hough. (4:30 p.m. May 28)
Killer Mike, Giada De Laurentis
Hip-hop star Killer Mike and chef De Laurentis, who was the host of Food Network’s “Giada at Home,” will be making Giada’s Tuscan pork ragu. (3 p.m. May 26)
It’s quite an impressive lineup. And the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage only seems to grow more popular each year — not only with festival-goers but with the participants as well.
“Our secret sauce is that the rock stars and sports stars are super excited to meet the rock star chefs,” says Kendell Coleman, producer of the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage. “The end result is a culinary stew like none other on the biggest food stage in the country — if not the world ”
The culinary activities have moved to a bigger stage setup — one with a bigger sound system as well — for 2023.
“You will not be able to escape the Culinary Stage,” Mayclem says. “We are cranking the sound — and everything else — to 11.
“We may even go to 12.”
For more information, visit bottlerocknapavalley.com.