Read our event recap: http://baconfestchicago.com/it-happened

Check out photos of the event:

• Candids by Ben Collins-Sussman
• Candids by Anne Petersen
• Candids by Alex Kramnik
• Glamour Shots of Every Dish by Anne Petersen
• Formal Chef & Team Portrait by Ben Collins-Sussman

Check out the menu and roll your own Baconfest at Chicago restaurants: http://baconfestchicago.com/rollyourow

Read our Manifesto: http://baconfestchicago.com/about/manifesto

Read some press coverage: http://baconfestchicago.com/resources/press

Watch the Chicago Reader’s promo videos: Bacon Noir & Bacon: The Cure-All

Sign up for our mailing list to hear about future events: http://baconfestchicago.com/contact/join-mailing-list

Learn about our sponsors:

• Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats
• Chicago Reader
• Fig Catering
• Zagat
• Smeraldina
• EventBrite
• Mosefund Mangalitsa
• The Cooking Chicks
• Chefwear
• Bakon Vodka / Drum and Monkey
• The Fifty/50 & Reyka Vodka: The Official Bloody Mary of Baconfest
• Sable & Plantation Rum
• Templeton Rye: The Official Whiskey of Baconfest
• Goose Island Brewery
• Greenbush Brewery
• Pabst Blue Ribbon
• Candid Wines: presenting Tenuta Santome (the official Bubbles of Baconfest Chicago) & Girasole

Like us on Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter.

Email for info on sponsor opportunities for future events!

Photo Credit: Ben Collins-Sussman

Our guests bought $2,660 worth of raffle tickets and donated 2,298 pounds of food to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

We handed over a 5-foot wide check for $50,000 to the GCFD!

We gave away 7 Golden Rasher Awards.  For the food, we had one main award per shift – Most Creative Use of Bacon.  Rather than try to come up with a “best” dish from among 50odd different unique options, we asked our judges to select the dish that blew their minds with its out-of-the-box approach to the use of bacon in a delicious context.  Three quarters of the restaurants opted to participate in the judging.  We also gave awards for each shift for the Best Front of House Table Presentation.

Lunch Session Awards

Best Front of House Presentation: 
Zed 451, Kate Milashus

Photo credit: Ben Collins-Sussman

Photo credit: Ben Collins-Sussman

Most Creative Use of Bacon: 
Red Butter, Monica Sehgal Sharma 
Bacon-chile gulab jamun topped with bacon-pistachio brittle

Photo Credit: Anne Petersen

Photo credit: Ben Collins-Sussman

Photo credit: Alex Kramnik

Finalists:

• Big Jones, Paul Fehribach:  Bacon fat biscuit with crispy bacon, pea gravy, and piccalilli
• Hearty, Dan Smith & Jason Mousseau:  Bacon Rice Crispies with assorted “cereal milk”
• Inovasi, John des Rosiers: Quick cured & braised belly, Anson Mills farro verde, Argyle St. spice, wild ramp salsa
• Lillie’s q, Charlie McKenna: “Bacon on Bourbon Street” – bacon custard filled bacon beignet with a Cafe Du Monde coffee and chicory bacon syrup
• Moderno, Phil Rubino: Homemade bacon cannoli, shaved reggiano, crushed pea powder
• Spaccanapoli, Jonathan Goldsmith: Pea, Bacon, and Pecorino Salad - bacon, fresh peas, sugar snap peas, pea shoots, pea sprouts, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, pecorino romano
• Zed451, Kate Milashus:  Bacon pancake pops in a bourbon glaze

Dinner Chef Awards

Best Front of House Presentation
676 Wine Bar, Daven Wardynski

Photo credit: Ben Collins-Sussman

Photo credit: Ben Collins-Sussman

Most Creative Use of Bacon: 
Three Aces, Matt Troost
Shake ‘n Bake: Bacon “Steak” ‘n Bacon Shake: A bacon “shake ‘n bake” with our own special blend, with bacon bolognese and a vanilla-bacon-bourbon milkshake

Photo Credit: Anne Petersen

Photo credit: Ben Collins-Sussman

Finalists

• Atwood Cafe, Derek Simcik: Willy Wonka meets Bacon – an array of Wonka-inspired candies done with bacon
• The Bedford, Mark Steuer: Bacon beignets, bacon sugar, bacon/walnut/bourbon infused maple caramel
• J Lafayette Catering, Alexander Martin: New Orleans-style sweet cayenne bacon bread pudding with coconut praline sauce, topped with sweet cayenne bacon crumbles
• Saigon Sisters, Matt Riordan: Bacon pho with black garlic noodles, pickled quail egg and micro Viet herbs
• Sunda, Jess de Guzman: Braised applewood smoked pork belly ssam with crispy bacon, apple kimchi, rice with a spicy miso paste
• Trenchermen, Mike and Pat Sheerin:  Bacon kimchi mortadella, pickle aioli and bacon tater tots

Other 2012 Golden Rashers

Best Poem About Bacon
Ryan Myers – The Quantum Dance
http://baconfestchicago.com/and-the-winner-of-the-baconfest-chicago-2012-bacon-poetry-contest-is

Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats Amateur Bacon Cook-Off
Finalists: http://baconfestchicago.com/the-5-nueskes-amateur-bacon-cook-off-finalists-for-2012-are
Winner: Judith Singer – caramelized banana (instead of figs) sorbet over warm caramelized bananas in a bacon cone, topped with bacon sponge toffee

Our friend Michael Killmer, TR’s brand manager, was manning the booth on Saturday, shaking up the Rusty Doorhinge, a cocktail formulated for the express purpose of pairing with our chefs’ bacon offerings.

Killmer told us that he’d received a lot of requests for the Rusty Doorhinge recipe, so here you are!

The Rusty Doorhinge
1.5 oz Templeton Rye whiskey
.75 Fresh orange juice
.25 Fresh lemon juice
.25 Simple syrup
.25 Carpano Antica sweet vermouth

Build all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake hard for 8-10 seconds. Strain in a cocktail glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with orange twist express orange oil.

For added effect when serving you can add the sweet vermouth last as a floater and not include in the build pre-shake.

Check out the Templeton video, which lays down a little TR history!

Follow Templeton on Facebook and Twitter

Sign up for their newsletter at http://www.templetonrye.com/subscribe/

More about Templeton Rye:

When prohibition outlawed the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in 1920, many enterprising residents of tiny Templeton, Iowa, population 350, came together to create an American classic known as Templeton Rye Whiskey, or “The Good Stuff” to those in the know.

Over the course of its storied history, Templeton Rye became Al Capone’s whiskey of choice, quickly finding its way to the center of his bootlegging empire. Speakeasies in Chicago, New York and as far west as San Francisco poured Templeton Rye as the “Best Whiskey in the House”.

Later legends suggest that a few bottles even found their way inside the walls of Alcatraz to the cell of prisoner AZ-85. Available legally for the first time, the infamous small batch rye whiskey returns.

Aged in charred new oak barrels and produced from the original Prohibition Era recipe, Templeton Rye provides a smooth finish and a clean getaway.

Templeton sponsored Baconfest Chicago Satellite Dinners at both CHALKBOARD RESTAURANT, THE SOUTHERN and HEARTY RESTAURANT.

Love,
Seth, Andre and Michael

This information is for those who already have tickets.  The event is SOLD OUT.  Do not come if you do not already have tickets.

Those of you who already have tickets to Baconfest Chicago should have received a confirmation e-mail with pertinent details, but in case there are questions, here is some general information.  (e-mail seth@baconfestchicago.com if questions).

Location:
UIC FORUM
725 West Roosevelt Road
For directions, see: http://www.uic.edu/depts/uicforum/directions.shtml

AND TO BE 100% CLEAR, Baconfest Chicago 2012 is happening at the UIC Forum (not the UIC Pavillion).

When should we show up?

That depends on which session (Lunch or Dinner) you purchased tickets for and if they are VIP or General Admission.  You should definitely make sure you have your tickets to confirm when to attend.  Here is the schedule:

10:30am – VIP and General Admission check-in desks are open for the LUNCH SESSION.

11:30am – Doors open for LUNCH SESSION VIP ticket holders.

12:30pm – Doors open for LUNCH SESSION GENERAL ADMISSION ticket holders.

3:00pm – LUNCH SESSION ends.  Event is closed.

4:30pm – VIP and General Admission check-in desks are open for the DINNER SESSION.

5:30pm – Doors open for DINNER SESSION VIP ticket holders.

6:30pm – Doors open for DINNER SESSION GENERAL ADMISSION ticket holders.

9:00pm – DINNER SESSION ends.  Event is over.  (Come to the after party at the Cobra Lounge).

Some Tips:

1.  BRING YOUR TICKET AND YOUR GOVERNMENT-ISSUED PICTURE ID – We need to see your ID for two reasons: We will be checking IDs against names on tickets and we will card hard for drinks at the fest.  If you cannot demonstrate that you are of legal age, you will not drink.

2.  WHAT IF MY NAME’S NOT ON MY TICKET? – If somebody else bought your ticket and didn’t put your name on it, please be with them when you go to check in.  We will not be able to check in anybody whose name is not on their ticket unless the purchaser is present.

4.  BRING CASH FOR THE EXPO- Your ticket includes tasting portions from the Guest Chefs, samples from the vendor expo, as well as drink tickets for beverages from our assorted booze sponsors.  BUT you are going to want to buy stuff from the amazing bacon-vendors, I G-U-A-R-A-N-T-E-E!  And bring smallish bills – some vendors will have credit card processing but the expo is primarily cash-only.

5.  WEAR COMFY CLOTHES  - and clothes that you won’t mind terribly if some one bumps into you and spills bacon grease on you.  We’re sold out.  There are gonna be a lot of bacon-crazed freaks running around.  Not saying you need to wear a Hazmat suit or anything – but you know what I mean.  Dress is casual.  Wear COMFY SHOES – it’s a milling around eating and moving kind of event. We do have high boys and some chairs, but it is NOT a sit-down dining situation.  Wear whatever you’ll be comfortable standing and moving in for your time with us.

6.  BRING CANNED FOOD for the Greater Chicago Food Depository Food Drive.  Those who donate food will be rewarded with free raffle tickets.  The more non-perishable food you bring, the more raffle tickets you’ll receive.  If you don’t bring food, you can also buy raffle tickets for cash. And the raffle prizes are INCREDIBLE! More info here: http://baconfestchicago.com/raffle2012

Other Recommendations

PARKING:  Ample parking is located in a pay lot two blocks west of the UIC Forum at 1135 S. Morgan St. Lot 5. ($9)  http://g.co/maps/4y77t

PUBLIC TRANSIT:  Options are plentiful.  The Blue line stop is (UIC HALSTED) and the Halsted Bus stops right at the corner of Halsted and Roosevelt.

See you Saturday!!!!!

Love,

Andre, Michael and Seth
www.baconfestchicago.com
facebook.com/baconfest
twitter.com/baconfestchi

In case you don’t already know this as a fact, Baconfest Chicago 2012 is 100 % SOLD OUT! It has been since shortly after tickets went on sale on February 20th.  There are no more tickets available and no one without a ticket will be admitted to the fest.

We’ve been reading some tweets and Facebook posts indicating that folks are thinking of  “stopping by” etc. We’ve also been getting tons of e-mails from people inquiring about purchasing tickets.  We’ve even gotten people asking if there will be people walking around the venue the day of with tickets for sale.  They won’t!

In the interest of saving anyone without tickets heartache, misery and a wasted trip to the UIC Forum on Saturday April 14th, if you do not already have tickets, please do not come. We love you all, but we will have to turn you away.

Sorry to be so blunt about this, but we just want to make sure everything is clear.  There will be no additional tickets issued.   Folks without tickets will not be admitted in the building under any circumstance.

Happy warm-weather April!

The Baconfest Chicago Team

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again:  Baconfest Chicago is NOT merely a celebration of Bacon-gluttony, (though yes, that’s undeniably the huge selling point – we understand.)  For the third straight year, we, the Baconfest Triumvirate, along with our roster of fantastic sponsors, vendors and guest chefs are coming together to support a charity partner we deeply believe in: THE GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY (GCFD).  We are thrilled to collaborate with an organization doing such valuable and necessary work providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community.  Feel free to read more about our partnership with the GCFD here.

In addition to our donation from proceeds, we are also co-hosting a Food Drive and Raffle for the GCFD at the event.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

On April 14th, please bring donations of non-perishable food with you to Baconfest Chicago 2012 for our Food Drive.  Why?

• If Karma is not reason enough, guests who bring non-perishable food for the drive will be given raffle tickets to win some truly amazing prizes.  For every 2 cans of food donated, guests will receive 1 raffle ticket.
• Not into schlepping food?  Rest assured you can still help by purchasing raffle tickets at the event.  Tickets will cost $5 per ticket.  $20 will purchase 6 tickets (2 extra for the bulk purchase).  100% of raffle sales goes directly to the GCFD.
• What are these raffle prizes?  See the glorious list below.

BFC will be raffling mega-gift-packs to include items from the following Baconfest Chicago 2012 generous vendors and sponsors:

• Baconfest Chicago Tshirts/caps
• A la Card Chicago – deck of 52 cards–just like playing cards–each describes a unique chef-driven, owner-operated restaurant and is also a $10 gift certificate to that restaurant.
• Big Fork Brands – Big Fork Cooler & Grill kits (1 lb. Big Fork Bacon Sausage, tongs, thermometer, and towel all in a portable Big Fork cooler)
• Burton’s Maple Syrup - Variety gift packs featuring their delicious bourbon-infused syrups
• Cabot Creamery Cooperative – $75 gift certificates for gift packs of assorted Cabot cheeses
• Candid Wines - 3 packs of assorted Girasole Wines and Santome Prosecco
• Chefwear – Awesome aprons with the embroidered BFC logo
• Chicago Reader – Day Passes to the Pitchfork Music Festival
• Dreymiller and Kray – Gift boxes of an assortment of their bacons (all delicious).
• Greenbush Brewing Co. – Gift packs including 6-pack, pint glasses, Gift Cards, and other fun merch
• Jo Snow Syrups – Bottles of hand crafted syrups for cocktails, coffee, sodas & snow cones
• Mozo Shoes – Offering pairs of shoes (bacon themed chef clogs) from their chef signature series
• Nueske’s – Ari Weinzweig’s book, “Zingerman’s Guide To Better Bacon”, signed by Tanya Nueske
• Paulina Meat Market – $50 gift boxes of assorted smoked snack sausages
• Pigchaser BBQ – BBQ sauce gift packs, each set comes with 3 different flavors, an apron, & a basting brush
• Reyka Vodka – Bottles of Reyka
• Spencer’s Jolly Posh Foods – Packs of his amazing artisan gourmet sausages and meats
• Templeton Rye – Bottles of Templeton Rye

Got tix for BFC on Saturday?  Toss a few cans of food in a bag and bring them down to the Food Drive for some raffle tickets!  Best, most Bacony raffle in town, guaranteed!

Thanks Bacon Nation.  See you Saturday!

Andre, Michael and Seth

SIDE NOTE:  Don’t forget, we are hosting the first ever Baconfest Chicago Volunteer Day on May 5th at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.  Please consider joining us on for a 3 hour volunteer session from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm.   The GCFD is on the southwest side at 4100 W. Ann Lurie Place.  We’ll go have a beer after!  It’ll be fun!  Click here to RSVP

www.mozoshoes.com

Have you had your bacon and eggs this morning?  A popular shoe from MOZO is the Sharkz Bacon style…a slip-resistant chef shoe designed with bacon on the upper vamp.  Gotta see the Egg shoe as well.  MOZO is part of Deckers Outdoor Corp, makers of premium footwear brands including UGG Boots, Teva Sandals and Sanuk.  MOZO shoes are certified slip-resistant and have gel insoles for cushioning and shims to adjust fit.

Ticketholders – enjoy this preview of the fest; plan your route around the festival floor; fuel your bacon dreams.

If you’re not a ticket holder, we’ve got something for you too.  For the first time, we’re releasing a Roll-Your-Own Baconfest Guide.  This handy PDF tells you which participating restaurants are offering their Baconfest dishes as specials or on their regular menus.  You can use it to design your own independent Baconfest Chicago eating itinerary.

Download the Guide

Here is the list of all restaurants and dishes ordered by shift:

Website – Facebook – Twitter

Taste and smell are the two senses that can immediately transport you back in time.

Our handmade Caramel, Brittle, and Toffee will take you back to a time when life was simple and candies were made with care.

AlterImage Confections is all about classic confections.  We’re bringing candy production back to its roots, as a carefully crafted confection using traditional techniques in small batch production.  Each batch is handcrafted using only the finest, freshest, and all natural ingredients. We hope you love our products as much as we do, and as always, your satisfaction is guaranteed.

AlterImage Confections is based in Chicago.

They run the gamut from artisan bacon-makers, to hip designers of bacon apparel and craft confectioners mixing salty and sweet.  We hope you’ll check them out at the fest, purchase their goods and seek out their products wherever quality bacon merchandise is found.

A la Card Chicago - http://baconfestchicago.com/a-la-card-chicago – Coupon decks for a consortium of 52 great Chicago restaurants.

Cabot Creamery Cooperative – http://baconfestchicago.com/cabot-creamery-cooperative – In addition to sampling their bacon-cheese, they’re collaborating with Marion Street Cheese market on a dish to sample.

Crystal Bacon – http://baconfestchicago.com/crystal-bacon – “Acrylic sculptor” Greg Kiesow captures bacon’s taste in visual form.

Diffraction Chicago - http://baconfestchicago.com/diffraction-fiber – Offers a handmade line of eco-friendly bacon-themed pillows and jewelry.

Dreymiller & Kray Quality Meats – http://baconfestchicago.com/dreymiller-and-kray-quality-meats – This Hampshire, IL smokehouse offers up incredible artisanal bacon in a variety of styles.

Drink Deck – http://baconfestchicago.com/drink-deck – An indie travel guide for creating bar crawls.

Enjoy – http://baconfestchicago.com/enjoy-urban-general-store – ENJOY carries a wide variety of fun, functional, and inspirational items, including a complete line of bacon novelties.

Halo’s – http://baconfestchicago.com/halos – Local spice maker offers a custom blend that goes great with bacon.

JDY Gourmet & Big Fork Bacon Sausage - http://baconfestchicago.com/jdy-gourmet-and-big-fork-bacon-sausage – JDY presents a highly curated selection of quality meats; at Baconfest they’re teamed up with Lincoln Square bacon-sausage maker, Big Fork Brands.

Jo Snow Syrups – http://baconfestchicago.com/jo-snow – local maker of artisanal flavored syrups.

Jones Dairy Farm – http://baconfestchicago.com/jones-dairy-farm – WI maker of quality bacon and smoked meats.

Know Your Flag – http://baconfestchicago.com/know-your-flag – designer of incredible Chicago- & pork- focused prints and apparel.

House of Caramel – http://baconfestchicago.com/house-of-caramel – brand new craft confectioner offering bacon-maple caramel and bacon brittle.

Mosefund Farm – Mangalitsa – http://baconfestchicago.com/mosefund-mangalitsa – raises free-range heritage-breed Mangalitsa pigs.

Nosh This – http://baconfestchicago.com/nosh-this – Bay area confectioner makes Bacon Crack – chocolate-covered, bacon butter-toffee.

Pigchaser BBQ – http://baconfestchicago.com/pigchaser-bbq-sauce – Grayslake-based creator of Bacon BBQ sauce.

Salted Caramel - http://baconfestchicago.com/salted-caramel – artisanal producer of “sweet meets savory” treats; including outstanding bacon-bourbon caramel corn.

Spencer’s Jolly Posh British and Irish Foods – http://baconfestchicago.com/spencers – British transplant Nick Spencer makes Irish Back Bacon and traditional British bangers.

The Bacon Lady - http://baconfestchicago.com/the-bacon-lady – Sweet and salty treats from handcrafted maple marshmallows to buttery bacon pecan toffee.