Baconfest Chicago

Dear Bacon-nation:

Whew.  What an insane day.  INSANE.  Today is one of those days that will be lodged in my memory till I hit the grave.  A year and a half ago, three dudes who love bacon had a dream.  Today we took one giant step towards it’s realization.  Baconfest Chicago April 10th 2010, 2 shifts sold out – and so rapidly it gave us whip-lash.

First, I must address those who (with a certain degree of hostility) maintain that we somehow have failed you bacon-nation, because we did not think bigger sooner.    To you critics out there, I can only say… perhaps you are right.  (Well I’m sure I could find more things to say, but in the spirit of contrition, let me leave it at that.)

Listen, until 12:15, we weren’t sure anyone would by tickets – “do people know about it?, are the tickets too expensive?…” self-doubt and trepidation plagued us (and plagues us still).  We are three dudes, friends from varied vocations, who share a love of bacon.  We are not professional food-fest throwers.  We had an idea.  We started small last Fall with 100 guests, and we grew the event to include 750 attendees (press/sponsors included).  And to us this seems HUGE.  It’s our first year.  Cut us some slack.

Could/should the event have been bigger? – sure.  But I just want to be perfectly clear what we at Baconfest Chicago are about.  We are curators of culinary excellence – NOT purveyors of gluttonous anarchy.  We never envisioned a taste-of-chicago style free for all.  We have curated for you 24 great artists who will prepare for a finite number of guests, tasting portions of the bacon-creation of their choice.  This intimate interaction of guests with chefs, with each other is central to our conception of the Baconfest Chicago experience.

Did we ever dream we would be deluged by such a tidal-wave of response? Sure.  Were we certain the flood would arrive?  No.  Have we learned some lessons for next year?  Of course.  We will continue to work to find the balance between the communal charms of an intimate food rave, and the sprawling (often joyous) cacophony of a street-fest.  For those left out thus far, our apologies – and we hope you are locked and loaded on that wait list.

To those of you coming, congratulations!  We’re thrilled you are joining us.

And make no mistake, Baconfest Chicago is NOT EVER going to apologize for the work we’ve done thus far in defining this event as a premier culinary oasis/summit in this great City of Chicago.  We would not be here, on the virtual eve of Baconfest without the early devotion of our sponsors, vendors, supporters in the foodie-community, and most importantly, our 24 AMAZING FANTASTIC chefs – artists… great artists who have agreed to share with us a window into their minds, to create for us their culinary 5th Symphony with bacon at its foundation.

To all of the chefs and restaurants who generously offered their time and support of our event, we say THANK YOU.  Your trust in us newbies and your willingness to donate your time and talent affirms in us our steadfast resolve to give you and our guests the greatest experience possible.  The support of so many amazing restaurants was vital to our ability to make April 10 happen.  We just wish there had been more room to accommodate every restaurant who offered to participate.  And we can’t wait for next year (fingers crossed!) where we hope to present even more fantastic Chicago chefs!

(As I finish this, Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles comes on my ipod – apropos to say the least.)

I’ll say one more thing:  Against the wise counsel of my colleagues, we will announce one more bacon-competition – the prize of which will be two of my personal tix to the event.  It will not be for the faint-of-heart.  It WILL require a committed creative outpouring of some form worthy of two tix to the NOW SOLD OUT Baconfest Chicago 2010 (Gosh it feels good to type that.)

Stay tuned!!

Bacon-nation – Thank you and goodnight.

Andre Vonbaconvitch

Oh, and did we mention tix go on sale in T-minus 2hrs:50min.

And The Winner of the 48hr Bacon-poetry/song competition is:

BRIDGET FALLON for the following poem:

Hot Streaks

It aint made out of turkey, that aint natural

Keep the poultry in the pasture lookin pastoral

It aint pounded out of tofu or dried, dyed soy

Those processed freezer strips strip away all joy

It aint Canadian-just gonna call that out

As one more thing to feel sorry for them about

Bacon is pork belly, crisp and cured

The best part of breakfast, rest assured

Not limited, however, to those uses

It’s nearly impossible to find abuses

Go with the gut-it never leads you astray

In cupcakes, in ice cream, in peanut satay

If your food’s in a rut, there’s always one sure way

To juice up your weary S-A-L-I-V-A

So we gather to glut our appetites today

With bacon, real bacon, in so many a way!

(c) 2010 Bridget Fallon

*****************

Congratulations Bridget.  (Let me tell you all the competition was STIFF!!!)  Lot’s of great stuff came in.  This was my favorite.  Why?  Dunno, it really read aloud beautifully, (and in the words of W, “I’m the decider!”  I’ve no poetry-qualifications other than I have the password to this site, so non-winners take comfort.  You work was all fun.)  Some point soon, I’ll post a compilation of all the material we received – with due credit to all authors!  Thanks everyone for the submissions.  We’ll likely do one more fun contest as we ramp up closer to the event so stay tuned.  Maybe this next one will involve some form of on-line voting so it’s more democratic… maybe.  Meanwhile, Bridget, please be in touch!!

Ok two and a  half hours from tix going on sale.  I’m NERVOUS!!

Hi Bacon-nation,

As we ramp up towards the big ticket-release day tomorrow, I just wanted to post a rebuke to some food journalist named David Tamarkin who got me all riled up last year when he wrote some article in Time-Out Chicago claiming bacon was over.  He’s a nice guy, I don’t mean to slam him.  I know he’s just trying to make his way as are we all.  But I was reminded of his article by a friend today and it made me dig out this:

Dear Mr. Tamarkin -

In response to your article anti the holiest of meats, I must say this:

Whilst dismissing the nation’s bacon-zeal as a mere “fad”, please remember, the Beatles too were a “fad”.  But their essence, versatility and joy will outlive us all.  Though Beatlemania has receded, new generations of music-lovers still continue to discover their genius.  So too will new generations of food-lovers continue to discover and to relish the endless flavorful wonders inherent in the very essence of Bacon.  During these halcyon days of Baconmania, do not let cynicism mute love.  For to us and to many, Bacon IS Love.  And Love, in all forms of expression, should be encouraged to flourish.

Just as the Beatles once sang “All you need is love” as a palliative to the darkening global landscape around them, we at Baconfest, joined by our amazing Chefs from some of the best restaurants in Chicago, as well as a chorus of bacon-loving attendees, sing loudly and proudly: “All you need is Bacon!”

-Andre VonBaconvitch Pluess

****************

Bacon-nation, on a separate note, we’ve been getting some truly unbelievably great and high-larious poems (and a few songs) in for the ticket give away contest.  Keep them coming.  We’re choosing a winner in the a.m.  The winner will be announced here by 9am Thursday March 4th – so if you don’t see your name – get ready to buy tickets at noon if you want to come!!  But we’ll listen to/read stuff until 8:55am.

Introducing the 24 Guest Chefs for Baconfest Chicago 2010:

See the “Tickets!!” Tab (up and to the right) for more info on purchasing tix.

Shift 1:  11am-2pm

Big Jones – Chef Paul Fehribach

Boka – Chef Giuseppe Tentori

Café Matou – Chef Charlie Socher

Hearty Boys – Chef Dan Smith

Longman and Eagle – Chef Jared Wentworth

Province – Chef Randy Zweiban

Socca – Chef Roger Herring

Sable Kitchen and Bar – Chef Heather Terhune

Otom – Chef Thomas Bowman

Veerasway – Chef Steven Hubbell

One sixtyblue – Chef Michael McDonald

The Bristol – Chef Chris Pandel

Shift 2:  3pm-6pm

Atwood Cafe – Chef Derek Simcik

Southwater Kitchen – Chef Chris Lateano

Balsan – Chef Jason McLeod

Chalkboard – Chef Gilbert Langlois

David Burke’s Primehouse – Chef Rick Gresh

Eve Restaurant – Chef Troy Graves

The Purple Pig – Chef Jimmy Bannos Jr.

Lula Cafe – Chef Jason Hammel

Paddy Long’s – Chef Chris Latchford

Vie – Sous Chef Nathan Sears

The Signature Room – Chef Patrick Sheerin

Piccolo Sogno – Chef Tony Priolo

(Both shifts subject to change.)

Dear Bacon-Nation,

It’s hard out there for a bacon-pimp – let me tell you.  I never write blog entries with random musings about what’s on my mind, but this is what planning the Bacon-bash to end all Bacon-bashes has driven me to:  sharing my feelings with complete strangers.

Yet strangers are we not since we share in common a mutual love and impenetrable devotion to the holiest of meats.

This is Andre Vonbaconvitch saying: I can not wait for Baconfest Chicago!!!!!  There, I’ve said it.  All I want to do is have it happen right now, all around me, engulfing me in it’s awesomeness.  This event is going to be so bacon-tastic, I can’t even see straight.  And I’m not just saying that cuz I’m planning it with my pals Mike and Seth.

I just wish tickets could go on sale right now, cuz I know it will sell out in a day!  But alas, my comrades are a little more realistic than I, and they want to cross a few more “t”s and dot a few more “i”s before we unleash on Bacon-nation the opportunity to secure tickets.

So I thought I’d update you friends on where we are in planning, a little sneak-preview, an appetizer if you will, of the glory that will be Baconfest Chicago April 10th at the Stan Mansion in Logan Square, 11am-6pm.

Our appeals to local chefs to participate in an event called Baconfest Chicago have been deliriously successful, proving once again that Bacon is the Helen of Troy of meats.  So deluged were we by chefs eager to join us, to donate their culinary talents, to bring their bacon-creations to the bacon-nation masses, asking nothing in exchange but the mere gratification derived from sharing the joy of Bacon, we decided a week ago to move to a two shift model expanding our day from one 3 hour shift, to Two!!

The Mansion is just not big enough.  Our mistake, won’t happen again.  Baconfest Chicago is now from 11am-6pm.  More time, more chefs, more food, more room for you all to come join us!

Next week we’ll be announcing a line up of 24 chefs from some of Chicago’s finest restaurants across all spectrums of culinary proclivities.   The range and diversity of chefs is simply glorious – so many variations on our bacony theme, whether one prefers raucous punk-rock or elegant chamber strings, a fan of bacon will BELIEVE they are in heaven.

Seriously, these chefs ROCK and they are excited.  They are professional chefs who love bacon, who are cooking it for a bacon-festival, filled with bacon-loving freaks!  IT CAN’T NOT BE AMAZING!!!

As if that is not enough, there will be beer.   I repeat, there is going to be bacon, there is going to be beer and it is going to be AWESOME!  Steve Mosqeuda of the Drinking and Writing Brewery has joined us as our Beer Czar, ensuring that a wide variety of local craft-beer will stock the Baconfest Bar waiting to quench the throats made parched from all that bacon.  All.  That.  BACON.

And if that is STILL not enough, the Bacon-Expo in the downstairs gymnasium is going to have a KILLER line-up of merchants giving out samples and selling all sorts of Bacon-stuff!!!!  You name it, we got gourmet meat-markets, bakeries who specialize in bacon-based sweets, hog farmers, bacon-distributors, this dude who makes bacon t-shirts, this lady who makes bacon pillows and bracelets and jewelry… and the list goes on and on.

Gonna be insane.  I wish it were tomorrow.  Thank God it’s not.  Planning this thing is kicking our butts.

So stay tuned.  You, anyone who cared enough to still be reading this, you are the Baconfest Chicago Faithful.  And you will get first crack at tickets cuz you will see it here first, the second tickets go on sale.  Hang in with us bacon-lovers.  We’re ALMOST THERE.  Tix will go on sale by the end of February, or I don’t love bacon.

A year and a half ago, Mike, Seth and I had a collective vision shared over late-night drinks, the vision of a festival dedicated to nothing but bacon.  It was a luminous (if a bit hazy) mirage.  Last Fall at the Publican VIP cookoff, we made “first contact”.  On April 10th, the dream will become reality.

This is why in spite of it all, God Bless America!

Thank you Bacon-nation for letting me get this off my chest.

Get April 10th in your calendars.

I feel so much better.

Andre Vonbaconvitch
andre@baconfestchicago.com

Greetings Bacon-nation:

We at Baconfest Chicago wanted to help get the word out about this great event that our friends at THE PUBLICAN are putting together.  They’ve been AMAZING to Baconfest Chicago.  Let’s get out there and help make their efforts for charity a huge success!

Andre Vonbaconvitch and the Baconfest Chicago Team.

*******

From Kim Phillips at THE PUBLICAN:

Hello everyone!

Kimberly

–
Kimberly Phillips
General Manager, The Publican
312-733-9555

Every now and then you have a conversation that rejuvenates your faith in the communal power of smoked meat.
I had the pleasure of starting my day today with a joyous conversation with Ed Resier of Dreymiller and Kray.
He’ll be joining us as a vendor at the Stan Mansion in Logan Square on April 10th.
Fantastic!

From Chicago Magazine:

Heaven is a ripe heirloom tomato, crisp lettuce, and Dreymiller & Kray bacon on toasted sourdough. Nestled in the northwest corner of Kane County, this old-fashioned butcher shop dates from 1929. The remote location probably explains why word about owner Ed Reiser’s cured and smoked meats has only lately begun to get around. Cut thick, and smoked for at least 15 hours over either hickory or applewood, his bacon marries deep smoke flavor with a subtle sweetness. Some folks know him simply as the Bacon Man, but Reiser is no one-trick pony: he also turns out a fine smoked pheasant, pork chops, ribs, and hams cured with honey from a nearby producer, plus corned beef and an array of fresh, smoked, and dried sausages. In Chicago, Fox & Obel and Treasure Island carry Dreymiller & Kray products including the bacon (the business also takes orders over the phone and through its Web site). But if ever there was a reason to drive miles past corn and soybean fields, this is it. 140 S. State St., Hampshire; 847-683-2271

At Saturday’s Pro Bacon Cook-off, we were lucky to eat ten outstanding bacon-centric dishes.

During our video shoots, we tried to get the chefs to act macho and competitive about the Golden Rasher competition. We thought it would make good Baco-TV. But almost to a one, the chefs declined to crow and posture.

Giuseppe Tentori of Boka put it particularly well when he said, “It’s not really a competition. It’s fun. I’m just excited to see what the other guys come up with”.

That spirit of respect for the cook’s craft and respect for bacon as an ingredient made our event a special one. Every dish that was there was delicious; each one used bacon in a creative and exemplary way; each chef opened our eyes a little further to what is possible from our favorite smoked meat.

That said, two chefs did take home Golden Rasher Awards for Best Use of Bacon By a Culinary Professional, one selected by the judges and one selected by the people.

The winner of the Golden Rasher Judges Award was Chris Pandel of The Bristol, whose “breakfast braciole” endeared him to the judges’ hearts – his dish was simultaneously one of the most focused and one of the most complex entries with layers of bacon and pork fat mingling with bitter cavolo nero and unctuous breakfast sausage.

The winner of the Peoples’ Choice Golden Rasher was Troy Graves of Eve Restaurant. I think Mike Sula put it aptly in his recap: Graves won with a “pumpkin-bacon waffle and belly, whose fatty richness was offset with a judicious use of tart pomegranate.”

These guys may have taken home the trophies, but all of the chefs deserve great praise for their ingenuity and hard work.

We had in the Baconfest gift bags:

Chocolate-Covered Bacon from Bleeding Heart Bakery

Bacon Bourbon Caramel Corm from Salted Caramel

Bacon Salt & Bacon Lip-balm from J and D’s

Bacon Maple Man-Bait Lollies from Das Foods

Bacon Maple Doughnuts from Glazed Chicago Donuts

Bacon Sea Salt Caramels from  Floriole Bakery

Bacon Peanut Brittle from Fig Catering

Coupons & Tchotckes from Provenance

Apologies  if you’re missing from this list – I shall aim to remedy.

We’ll be posting much more info in the days to come, but for now feast your eyes on the delicious dishes and tasty beer pairings that our intrepid chefs put together for today’s wildly awesome cook-off:

Chef Giuseppe Tentori of BOKA
Black mole-infused pork belly, quince sauce, bacon and semolina gnocchi
Beer: Brasserie à Vapeur, Pipaix-Leuze, Belgium. Vapeur Cochonne

Sous-Chef Nathan Sears of VIE
Fresh bacon boudin blanc, braised lentils, butternut squash aigre doux, grilled onions, pickled garlic and rye breadcrumbs
Beer: Brasserie à Vapeur, Pipaix-Leuze, Belgium. Saison Pipaix

Chef Chris Pandel of THE BRISTOL
“Breakfast Braciole” – house cured alderwood-smoked bacon, with house made maple-sage breakfast sausage, braised greens, and hard-boiled egg. Braised, sliced and served with maple scented juices
Beer: Private Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH, Kelheim, Germany. Aventinus

Chef Michael McDonald of ONE SIXTYBLUE
Chicken-fried bacon on a pretzel bun with a garlic chili mayo with bacon fries
Beer: Weissbierbrauerei Hopf, Miesbach, Germany. Hopf Spezial Weisse

Chef Patrick Sheerin of THE SIGNATURE ROOM
Fresh bacon in the style of carbonara, includes pasta, bacon, belly, guanciale, pecorino romano and eggs
Beer: Brasserie St. Feuillien, Le Roeulx, Belgium. St. Feuillien Saison

Chef Rick Gresh of DAVID BURKE’S PRIMEHOUSE
Bacon apple fritter, reverse pigs-in-blanket, bacon fun dip
Beer: Primehouse Bacon Beer

Chef Jason Paskewitz of GEMINI BISTRO
“Belly Up Breakfast” – Glazed pork belly, over-easy quail egg, buttermilk blini, apricot syrup
Beer: Brasserie Lefèbvre SA, Rebecq-Quenast, Belgium. Blanche De Bruxelles, Witbier

Chef Gilbert Langlois of CHALKBOARD
Vanilla-bacon ice cream with caramel-lard swirl, bacon crumble and maple-sage infused gastrique
Beer: Brother Jacob, New Holland Brewing Company, Holland, Michigan
(Alternate pairing: New Holland Charcuterie Rye)

Chef Troy Graves of EVE
Pumpkin-bacon-waffle with pomegranate-glazed pork belly, infused with maple syrup and bacon
Beer: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V, Ertvelde, Belgium. Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Red Ale

Chef John Manion of GOOSE ISLAND CLYBOURN BREWPUB
Swan Creek Farms bourbon barrel bacon, frijoles charros, carrots and chiles ‘en vinagre’
Beer: Goose Island Brewery, Chicago, IL. Smoked Bock