For six years, Chicagoans have embraced bacon every April – tickets to the annual Baconfest Chicago sell out in minutes. In an attempt to satisfy Chicago’s bottomless bacon appetite, organizers have added a third exhibition session and are featuring more chefs than ever before.
Today, Baconfest Chicago is excited to release its 2014 chef roster. From every corner of the city and beyond, more than 150 restaurants will gather to create the ultimate bacon paradise. There’s nowhere else in the world where so many high-profile chefs devote so much culinary firepower to the celebration of bacon. For the first time this year, Baconfest will unfold in three shifts over two days, dinner on Friday, April 25 as well as lunch and dinner on Saturday, April 26.
General Admission tickets ($100) for each shift will be available for purchase on Monday, February 24. Ticketholders get access to all the food offered during the shift selected, drink tickets redeemable for beer, wine, and cocktails, as well as a reusable Baconfest tote bag.
VIP Tickets ($200) are already on sale at http://baconfestchicago.com/chicago-tickets. VIP ticketholders get all the benefits of General Admission, plus access to the festival floor during the Cooking Channel VIP Hours, which start one hour prior to each General Admission period.
Here’s the lineup: (This list is accurate as of 1/17/14: roster is subject to change).
That’s 160 restaurants – more than ever before in Baconfest Chicago history! The cast of characters includes high-voltage celebrity superchefs like Stephanie Izard as well as neighborhood favorites like Baconfest-newcomer Carnitas Uruapan. The breakdown of which chefs will be at which session will be announced in early February.
Chefs at Baconfest conceive, prepare and serve tasting portions of bacon-centric dishes to ticketholders. Past years have featured an astonishing array of creative bacon dishes. A few examples from 2013:
As in previous years, Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats will provide a bacon allotment for chefs who wish to feature Nueske’s bacon in their dish. In 2013, Nueske’s provided more than 5,700 pounds of bacon to Baconfest Chicago’s chefs.
Baconfest Chicago continues to support the important work of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. A portion of the ticket proceeds go to the organization. As well, the food bank hosts a food drive at Baconfest, and sells raffle tickets with prizes provided by Chicago’s bacon community. Since 2009, Baconfest has donated $130,000 to the GCFD, which translates into more than 400,000 meals for hungry people in the area.
About Baconfest:
Baconfest Chicago holds its sixth tasting event on April 25 and 26, 2014 at the UIC Forum (725 West Roosevelt). Ticketholders gain access to a bacon-wonderland where the city’s best chefs hand out amazing creative bacon snacks. Luxury brands, artisan bacon-makers, and bacontrepreneurs display, sample, and sell a multitude of bacon products. The best mixologists and brewers hand out bacon-inspired cocktails, beer and wine. To celebrate special achievement in the bacon arts, Baconfest gives out Golden Rasher Awards (the Oscars of the bacon world). Best of all, Baconfest is good for America. In addition to hosting a food drive and raffle at the event, Baconfest Chicago donates a portion of proceeds from ticket sales to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Since 2009, Baconfest has donated $130,000 to Chicago’s food bank, which translates into more than 400,000 meals for hungry people in the area.
Learn more: http://baconfestchicago.com
Buy tickets: http://baconfestchicago.com/chicago-tickets
Read about exhibiting restaurants: http://baconfestchicago.com/chicago-chefs
Read about past events: http://baconfestchicago.com/chicago-past-events
See (and use!) photos of past events: http://baconfestchicago.com/photos
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