Greetings Bacon Nation,
Long time no speak. We hope you all had a great summer and are ready for the winter ahead. Though it may seem like a long way off, April will be here before we know it and you know what that means: Bacon Month in Chicago!!
So here are a few major pieces of news from Baconfest Chicago Headquarters to get you through the impending polar vortex.
Mark your calendars if you haven’t already: Baconfest Chicago 2015 will happen on April 17th and April 18th 2015 at the UIC Forum
Baconfest Chicago 2015 will unfold over the course of three tasting sessions:
Friday Dinner – April 17
6:00PM – 7:00PM Cooking Channel VIP Hour
7:00PM – 10:00PM General Admission Period
Saturday Lunch – April 18
11:00AM – 12:00PM Cooking Channel VIP Hour
12:00PM – 3:00PM General Admission Period
Saturday Dinner – April 18
6:00PM – 7:00PM Cooking Channel VIP Hour
7:00PM – 10:00PM General Admission Period
Each session will feature:
- 50 of the city’s most creative chefs, handing out delectable bacon-centric morsels to a ravenous crowd of 1,500 ticket-holding bacon-lovers.
- Luxury brands, artisan bacon-makers, and bacontrepreneurs display, sample, and sell a multitude of bacon products led by our premier bacon sponsor – Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats.
- The best mixologists and brewers hand out bacon-inspired cocktails, beer and wine. In essence, it is Bacon-nirvana.
- New for 2015: each general admission session will be a full three hours, giving guests an additional thirty minutes over prior years to have ample time to enjoy everything on offer.
Give the Gift of Baconfest Chicago! Have a foodie in your life who loves bacon? There is no better gift than Baconfest VIP Tickets.
Baconfest Chicago is pleased to welcome back The Cooking Channel as our presenting sponsor of the Baconfest VIP Hours preceding each tasting session. Tickets to the Cooking Channel VIP hours will go on sale at noon on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 just in time for holiday gift-giving. Supersize your commitment to Bacon and to our charity partner the Greater Chicago Food Depository by securing your VIP Tickets. VIP tickets will cost $200 plus ticketing fees and allow guests early access to the bacon bacchanalia – a full hour of quality time with chefs, bacon-makers and mixologists before the general admission guests may enter. General admission tickets ($100 plus ticketing fees) will go on sale in February 2015.
Each $200 Ticket to the Cooking Channel VIP Hours includes:
- Entry to Baconfest Chicago one hour prior to the general admission crowd for the shift for which it was purchased
- All the bacon dishes and beverages you can handle before the crowds descend.
- Mingle with press, bloggers, judges and other VIPs and enjoy access to the chefs and their dishes in the quiet of the pre-game environment.
- We will sell no more than 175 VIP tickets total per session.
You may choose one of the three Cooking Channel VIP session times listed above.
WARNING: This VIP offer is for die-hard Baconfest Chicago Fans only. REPEAT, we have not finalized the chef line-up yet, and do not typically announce the exhibition schedule until mid January prior to General Admission Tickets going on sale. Repeat: There are absolutely no promises as to who the exhibiting chefs will be and we do not yet know who will be exhibiting at each session, but for a list of last years chefs, see Chefs 2014. To see last years menu, see Menu 2014.
Stay tuned for more info on Cooking Channel VIP Ticket Sales in the coming weeks.
And finally, are you a Chef/Restaurateur or PR person out there wondering “Hey, where is the invite for me or my client to exhibit at Baconfest?!” Worry not. Chef/restaurant/vendor recruitment for the big April event is now in full swing! Simply e-mail andre@baconfestchicago.com to request more info. And members of Bacon Nation, please feel free to e-mail us any suggestions you have as to who you’d like to see exhibiting at Baconfest Chicago 2015.
Wishing you all a happy November, and a Happy Thanksgiving!
Cheers,
Andre, Michael and Seth
co-founders, Baconfest Chicago