DERRY – Gallons of milk and quarts of cream, 20 pounds of cheese, 8 pounds of butter, 60 pounds of chicken, 40 pounds of beef short ribs, and 30 dozen eggs: That’s what it takes to feed Dave Matthews Band and its crew.

For Melissa Dolloff and her family – father Phil Ferdinando and husband Tony Dolloff – owners of J&F Farms Inc. in Derry, that long list meant a long day of work Tuesday, as they prepared their locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats for the band’s catering company to prepare before the band’s Wednesday night concert at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

“It’s pretty cool,” Dolloff said. “We’re lucky we had so much food on hand.”

It’s not the first time the family farm has provided the food to celebrities. Dolloff’s sister, Amanda Ferdinando, works for Live Nation, a company that puts on concerts around the country, and is charged with organizing food services for performers.

When those performers head to New Hampshire or another nearby state, Dolloff said, her sister comes back to the family farm.

J&F Farms Inc. fed Bruce Springsteen and his crew when they played at Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium this summer and also sent some food to country singer Kenny Chesney.

Dolloff said bands often look for fresh food options when visiting a region, and that the farm is happy to provide it for any groups coming to the Granite State.

“It’s a great opportunity for us, and I think it’s good for them to experience local food,” she said.

The farm has been in Dolloff’s family since 1906, she said, adding it sold just hay and similar products out of a wholesale store for years. It was in the 1980s that her family began growing and selling vegetables and the business grew.

Today, the farm grows vegetables, raises chicken, pigs and cows, and sells dairy products from Contoocook Creamery in Contoocook.

Now Dolloff said she’s hoping the farm’s celebrity experience could help boost business for the family.

They didn’t talk about their food service to Springsteen or Chesney, Dolloff said, not realizing how many people would be interested. But when she posted on Facebook about the farm providing food for Dave Matthews Band, more than 100 people “liked” the announcement.

Since then, the farm has gained several Facebook fans and had dozens write on their Web page.

“It’s definitely cool, but I was overwhelmed by how many people were interested,” Dolloff said.

The J&F Farms Inc. food was served for breakfast and dinner Wednesday for Dave Matthews Band and crew.

Dolloff, her father and husband spent Tuesday getting the food ready, and her sister picked it up for delivery to the band Wednesday morning.

Dolloff said she hopes to continue giving visiting celebrities a taste of the local food scene in the years to come.

And while the experience may not be a new one for her and her family, she said it never gets old.

“To us, we’re just farms, we’re just growing food,” she said. “So it’s pretty cool to know that celebrities are eating it.”

Danielle Curtis can be reached at 594-6557 or dcurtis@nashua
telegraph.com. Also follow Curtis
on Twitter (Telegraph_DC).