#crownsalts

What am I most looking forward to at Osheaga 2014? Good food and good company, of course!

The break-of-dawn start time (thankfully I'm not one of the people who actually has to camp on site) is definitely nothing to look forward to (although the bike ride over to Ile Sainte-Helene is really something at that hour). Getting in gear for extremely early mornings and some pretty late evenings is inevitable.

When break times roll around, I really just want a moment to sit down and grab a bite to eat. (What bands?) If it was a sandwich and pickle I brought from home, whatever. But this... this is Osheaga we're talking about. The food is the best part!

This is the fourth year that Artists' World, the festival's backstage -- or really VIP village nestled in a corner of Parc Jean-Drapeau -- has been catered by the Crown Salts crew, led by Montreal's favorite celebrity chefs, Chuck Hughes and Danny Smiles.

Picture mountains of BBQ chicken and ribs, pizza, poutine, salads of all kinds, pasta, paella, a raw bar, tacos, a deli station, a juice bar, desserts galore... How can you not get excited?

The only thing that rivals my excitement over the catering is the sense of camaraderie that this festival brings. This is one of the few times a year that many of MTL's movers and shakers in the industry come together for one giant collective effort. Standing around the catering tent asking event creator Nick Farkas how the day was, or Technical Producer/ Artist World den mother Nunya Beckley if everything has been running smoothly, or shooting the shit with friends from various venues and production companies across Montreal, all while munching on a plate of ribs served to you by Chuck Hughes? Doesn't get much better than that. 

Let the countdown begin!

Osheaga 2014 runs from August 1st to 3rd at Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau. 

For a little sneak-peak from Chuck Hughes, click here.