Updated May 6, 2019. Live Nation, the nation’s top ticket-selling concert promoter, has teamed up with Grammy-award winning musician Questlove to launch cheesesteaks made with vegan Impossible meat.
Called Questlove’s Cheesesteak, the namesake sandwich features Impossible Foods’ updated plant-based meat, called Impossible 2.0. Made from soy protein, the vegan meat has a taste and texture similar to beef thanks to heme, an iron-rich compound derived from soybeans. A Live Nation representative confirmed that the cheese on the sandwich is dairy-based.
The meatless cheesesteak will be available at 40 music venues across the nation this summer. According to Dallas Eater, it will land at the Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas later this month.
The Questlove Cheesesteak was first served at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park for all 81 Phillies games during baseball season — a nod to the musician’s Philadelphia roots.
“To have the Phillies and Live Nation as our initial partners is great as it speaks to my love for my hometown of Philadelphia combined with my love of music,” Questlove stated regarding his product’s launch.
The “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” musician stands behind Impossible Foods’ mission of curbing climate change through sustainable plant-based meat, according the company. He has also been an investor since 2017.
“As a Philadelphian, of course, I take pride in a great cheesesteak,” he continued. “My team and I have developed a recipe using Impossible Meat that we hope will offer a delicious and sustainable alternative for all cheesesteak eaters.”
Impossible Foods x Live Nation
Questlove’s Cheesesteak isn’t the first collaboration between the Silicon Valley-based Impossible Foods and Live Nation.
The relationship between the two companies was first announced last July, when Live Nation became the first live entertainment company to serve the Impossible Burger, all in the name of sustainability. According to Pat Brown, CEO of Impossible Foods, the company’s plant-based meat uses 75 percent less water, 95 percent less land, and emits 87 percent less greenhouse gases than a beef burger.
“As the world’s largest live entertainment company, we want to inspire the millions of people who come through our venues each year to make a positive change,” Tom See, President of Live Nation Venues for U.S. Concerts, said at the time.
Live Nation aims to reduce its carbon footprint through other means, including using locally-grown produce, venue-wide compost programs, and a goal of going zero-waste by 2020.
Questlove’s vegetarian Cheesesteak will be served at 40 Live Nation venues across North America this summer.
