EAST EDEN, NY -- Last Friday was just like any other in the rural hamlet of East Eden, New York. Brian Mathews wasn’t here. Fifteen years ago, Brian met country music superstar Toby Keith by chance in Florida, and the two struck up a friendship over food and football. Friday night Keith was playing at Darien Lake State Park, and it was no surprise that Brian had backstage passes to the show.
“We were backstage after the show saying “Man, I’m hungry,” Brian explains. A year ago, Brian bought and renovated a building in Eden that was originally built in the 1850's. He reopened it last Thanksgiving as the East Eden Tavern and Smokehouse. “I had left the restaurant open, the kitchen open later, just in case, and he said, “Is your place open?”, and I said, “Yeah, it’s open.” He said, “Well, let’s go.”
So Toby hopped in Brian’s truck and the two hit the road, with the musician's traveling crew in tow. They arrived around a quarter after midnight. Toby sat right down and got to work on the menu, including a local favorite. “Pulled pork, ribs, brisket," Brian listed, "He had no idea what beef on weck was so we gave him some roast beef and he didn’t understand how the horseradish worked, but I kind of explained that to him as well.”
But the food was just the night's first course.
“He had his meal, and when he got up, he said, “All right Bri, let’s go see what the band has that I can use,” and we walked over to the corner, and he grabbed a guitar and started playing songs," Brian detailed. So Toby played a few tunes, covers and his own "Rum Is The Reason", chatted and took photos with the packed crowd, and even took the time to sign a picture of a corn combine on the wall.
“He knew what he was doing for me," Brian said of his friend. "He knew I had a new restaurant, and the friendship that we have, he was willing to take the fifty five minute ride in the back of my pickup truck to come here to have dinner.” When asked to describe the reaction of the people in the bar that night, Brian could only shrug. “Everybody was kind of in awe that here Toby Keith is in the town of East Eden, New York.”