It’s the end of January! Temps outside have risen to a balmy -8 degrees F from the polar vortex’s bitter lows, but if you’re like me, you’re still hunkered down in your house, wrapped in three thermal layers and listening carefully to your furnace for any signs of trouble.   What better way to spend these remaining frigid hours than with the chefs of Baconfest Chicago’s 11th Annual event?

April 5 & 6 may seem like a long way away – but we’re just over two months out from the city’s premiere celebration of America’s favorite cured meat.  Over here at Baconfest HQ we’ve been working overtime to line up a knockout roster of talented chefs to provide the menu for Baconfest. Today, we’re very happy to provide you with a first look at the fruit of that labor – the Baconfest Chicago 2019 chef roster.

If we had you at bacon, then don’t keep scrolling.  Click on the button to get your tickets to Baconfest Chicago.

Every year, the list of chefs changes from the previous year – this year is no exception.  We’ll have thirty restaurants at Baconfest exhibiting for the very first time, joining our stalwart cast of returning chefs.

First-timers include the brand new Taureaux Tavern, the swanky Loop French restaurant whose kitchen is helmed by Mike Sheerin (formerly of Blackbird, Embeya, Trenchermen and more).  Matt Troost, who won back-to-back Golden Rasher awards for his work at Three Aces, will return, this time heading up the team from Good Measure, the new punk-rock gastropub which immediately earned a spot on the Eater Chicago Bar Heat Map.  We’re also delighted to welcome the Swill Inn, startender Dustin Drankiewicz’s new bar/restaurant project with Lamar Moore (of Currency Exchange Cafe and Smoke Daddy).  Chef Eric Damidot of haute American mainstay NoMI will descend from his perch atop the Magnificent Mile to share fancy riffs on a bacon theme.

Wily veterans returning this year include Chef Guy Meikle of Heritage Restaurant and Caviar Bar, who’s eager to defend the 2018 Golden Rasher award for Most Creative Use of Bacon that he won with his incomparable bacon-pelmeni. Josh Kulp and Christine Cikowski have three Golden Rashers to defend – the only chefs in history to pull off a Baconfest Hat Trick – so Honey Butter Fried Chicken will be back at the fest.  They’re joined by fest favorites The Duck Inn,The Signature Room, Vie, Le Bouchon and Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse– among others.

If you like to sit around in your PJs and fantasize about the incredible food that these chefs will create for you at Baconfest, well, heck, we’re not going to judge.  So, peruse the list below and let your bacon imagination run wild.  Then grab your tickets to Baconfest – they won’t last forever!

312 Chicago – Luca Corazzina
676 Restaurant & Bar – Joshua Hasho
90 Miles Cuban Cafe – Alberto Gonzalez — NEW FOR 2019
About Last Knife – Dan Weiland — NEW FOR 2019
Angry Pig Tavern
Ara On – Jimmy Kim
Atwood – David Fingerman
Bangers & Lace – Evanston – Forrest Bedke
Baptiste & Bottle – Emilio Gonzalez
Bar Roma – Fred Ramos
Bar Takito/Takito Kitchen
Batter and Berries – Ken L. Polk
BBQ’d Productions, INC
Beavers Donuts — NEW FOR 2019
Bistro Campagne
Bliss Culinary Heaven – Tyler Nelson
Blue Door Kitchen & Garden – Ian Flowers — NEW FOR 2019
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! – Eric Jorgensen — NEW FOR 2019
Candyality – Terese McDonald
Cantina Laredo – Damon Workman
Carnivore Inc – Erik Williams
CheSa’s Gluten Free Food Truck – Chesaree Rollins
Chicago Chop House – Martin Martinez
Chicago q – Fila Lopez
City Barbecue – Brian Carney
Community Tavern – Joey Beato
Concrete Cowboy – Esteban Garcia — NEW FOR 2019
Cooking Skills Academy – Paul Guerrero
Copper Fox Gastropub – Cortney Pierce — NEW FOR 2019
Crīo – Luis Guzman — NEW FOR 2019
Current Restaurant – Jonathan Meyer
Davanti Enoteca – James Day
Drawl Southern Cookhouse & Whiskey – Justin Stadler — NEW FOR 2019
Earl’s Drive Thru BBQ
Edzo’s Burger Shop – Eddie Lakin
El Tapeo – Matthew Cappellini
Farmhouse Chicago
Fig & Olive – Mathew Mirza — NEW FOR 2019
Firecakes Donuts – Maria Duron
Flight Club – Jeff Sauer — NEW FOR 2019
Flo & Santos
Flo Cafe & Bar – Leonard Sanchez
Fred’s Garage – Geo Tapia
Gather – Ken Carter — NEW FOR 2019
Good Measure – Matt Troost — NEW FOR 2019
HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen – Thai Dang
Half Day Brewing Company – Bob Zrenner
Half Sour – Graham Akroyd
Hearth Restaurant – Michael Elliott
Heritage Restaurant and Caviar Bar – Guy Meikle
Honey Butter Fried Chicken – Christine Cikowski and Josh Kulp
Imperial Lamian – Alan Tan
Italian Village Restaurants – Jose Torres
Jam – Ian Voakes
Jordan’s Food of Distinction
Kaiser Tiger
Kimski – Won Kim & Anthony Baier
Kitty O’Sheas – Mario Garcia
Latinicity – Marcos Flores
Le Bouchon – Oliver Poilevey
Links Taproom – Dimitris Mallios
Low & Slow BBQ – Gary Wiviott
Market House on the Square – Dan Marquis
McWethy’s Sports Bar (formerly McQ’s Bar & Grill) – Dan Casey
Michael Jordan’s Restaurant – Gary Baca
Michael Jordan’s Steak House Chicago – Craig Couper
Midnight Mac and Cheeserie – Brittany Howell
More – Patty Rothman
Morton’s The Steakhouse – The Original Location – Tim Soldat — NEW FOR 2019
N’awlins Edibles Traveling Personal Chef Srvcs – Cheryl Bowman
NoMI – Eric Damidot — NEW FOR 2019
Orso’s Restaurant
Osteria Bigolaro – Anthony Gargano — NEW FOR 2019
Paddy Long’s
Piece Pizzeria
Pink Taco – Alex Romero — NEW FOR 2019
Pinstripes – David Ho
porkchop – Jovanis Bourgoub
Public House – Jeremy Tannehill
Rack House Kitchen & Tavern – Bryant Anderson
Roanoke Restaurant – Greg Elliot
Sheekar Delights – Diane Joseph
Showplace Icon Lobby Lounge – Jake Ziegler
Simone’s Bar – Rafa Lopez — NEW FOR 2019
Smack Dab – Axel Erkenswick
Smylie Brothers Brewing Company
Son Of A Butcher – Rick Rodriguez
Soul Kantina – Turon Cummings — NEW FOR 2019
Sparrow Coffee Roastery – Chris Chacko
State & Lake Chicago Tavern – Nathan Sears
Steadfast – Ender Oktayuren
Steingold’s of Chicago – Aaron Steingold — NEW FOR 2019
Stone Fox – Greg Hageli
Swill Inn – Dustin Drankiewicz / Lamar Moore — NEW FOR 2019
Table, Donkey, and Stick – Justin Moser
Tap House Grill – Bob Zrenner
Taureaux Tavern – Mike Sheerin — NEW FOR 2019
Texican – Kim Dalton — NEW FOR 2019
The Ashburn – Loews Chicago O’Hare – Jose Garay
The Broken Barrel Bar – Bryant Anderson — NEW FOR 2019
The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant – Alejandro Soto
The Dawson – Jordan Parker
The Dearborn – Aaron Cuschieri
The Delta – Michael (Mike) McCants
The Duck Inn – Kevin Hickey and Kris DeLee
The Fat Shallot – Sam Barron & Sarah Weitz — NEW FOR 2019
The Feller – Adam Wendt — NEW FOR 2019
The Florentine – Zachery Walrath
The Grill on the Alley – Geordan Stenson
The Heritage – Michael Spiewak
The Roaming Hog – Eddie Aguilar
The Royal Grocer & Co. – Lisa Doshier — NEW FOR 2019
The Ruin Daily – Tony Famania
The Signature Room at the 95th – Cardel Reid
Three Floyds Brewpub – Pat Niebling
Travelle at The Langham – Jeff Vucko
Twain – Tim Graham — NEW FOR 2019
Uncommon Ground – Aaron Stanton
Velvet Taco – Grant Morgan
Victory Tap – Joseph Farina
Vie – Dan Compton and Frank Hutman
Vinci – Paul Loduca — NEW FOR 2019
Whirlyball – Larry Donahue
WHISK – David Rodriguez
Wood Fire Counter – Kevin Whittier
World of Whirlpool – Luke Creagan
Wow Bao
Wrigley BBQ – Mitch Liebovich
XO Marshmallow – Melissa Humphrey
Yolk