What do Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Michael Bublé, the Jonas Brothers, and Nine Inch Nails have in common? Delaware’s own Billy Lucas, of course.
From 2006 to 2013, Billy Lucas – now the head chef and co-owner of Taco Reho in Rehoboth – was a rockstar roadie chef, cooking for dozens of famous musicians. His résumé includes Weezer, Tool, Jay-Z, Drake, Blink-182, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Prince, and Santana … just to name a few.
Billy worked for Latitude 45 Catering, a tour catering company based in Oregon, where he rose to the role of principal chef.
“I’ve always been a live music freak and loved to cook, so this was a perfect fit,” he said.
Before that, he spent seven years working as a chef on the island of St. Croix before joining Latitude 45.
The schedule was intense – typically three months on tour, followed by two weeks off to sleep and travel before heading back out.
“We were a caravan of 6 to 10 tour buses filled with supplies, and I had $25,000 in cash when we arrived in a new city to prepare three meals a day, snacks, and a full meal after the show. Typically, we fed 75 people, but it could go as high as 200.”
Billy explains that they always prepared whatever the principal artist requested, feeding not just the stars, but the entire stage crew, orchestra, and everyone else working behind the scenes.
“The effort that goes into a tour is mammoth,” he said.
Each day, Billy and his team of seven prepared a chicken dish, a fish dish, a meat dish, a fruit spread, salads, charcuterie, and dessert.
“Some artists were really easygoing. The best was Michael Bublé – he was always first in line with his plate and appreciative of everything. He also always played ping-pong before dinner – he is a master ping-pong player and never lost a game,” Billy says with a smile.
“Oh, and Beyoncé is more beautiful in person than words. She was very sweet. She loved my turkey bacon, and we used to call each other ‘B’ as a nickname,” he laughs.
Billy mentioned Gene Simmons of KISS as one of the more difficult talents, along with the New Kids on the Block.
“New Kids took advantage – they always wanted filet mignon with four lobster tails… and Donny got what Donny wanted,” he laughed.
When asked how he managed all the egos, he said: “With celebrities, you learn to never say ‘no,’ and you just gotta be cool.”
Billy wrapped his final tour with Drake in 2013.
“I just knew then that I’d had enough.”
He returned to his parents’ condo in Dewey, eventually relocating permanently to Southern Delaware.
This year, he’s celebrating Taco Reho turning 11. The restaurant started as a well-known food truck and grew into a brick-and-mortar location on Coastal Highway, where it’s been operating for the past three years.
You can still find Billy in the kitchen, where he serves up what he calls “SoCal-style tacos and burritos.”
“We just want to be known as a local, chill taco spot,” he said.
Taco Reho continues to operate two food trucks, and the restaurant is open for full-service lunch and dinner, drive-thru, counter service, and delivery.
Billy says the fish tacos are his personal favorite.
CRUSH QUESTIONS:
Q: What is your favorite part about living in Coastal Delaware?
Billy: “The beach! I love windsurfing.”
Q: Tell us something about yourself we wouldn’t otherwise know?
Billy: “I filmed a pilot called ‘Dark Side of the Spoon’ which was going to show behind the scenes of a chef on tour. We filmed for 1 week, but it didn’t get picked up.”
Q: By definition, a crush is a brief infatuation with something … what are you currently crushing on?
Billy: “Live music in all its forms. I’m driving to Philly to see Phish next week, but we have so many great venues here at the beach – Coastal TapRoom, Rocking the Docks and Cork!”
