Everything Smells Like Bacon Now: Baconfest 2013
By Anthony Todd in Food on Apr 22, 2013 3:00PM
Every foodie in Chicago woke up Sunday morning with meat sweats - at least, every foodie lucky or fast enough to get tickets to Baconfest 2013. The UIC pavilion was filled with a record amount of pork fat as more than 3,000 people streamed through looking for their salty, fatty fix.
We were right there in the middle of the fray, taking pictures of our favorite dishes so everyone who couldn't get tickets could get a little bit of bacon happiness in their Monday. Dish descriptions and restaurants of origin are in the photo captions - if you see one you particularly like, call the restaurant; many establishments have added their baconfest offerings to their menu.
This year, we finally took our own pro tip: Don't wear anything to Baconfest that can't go straight into the washing machine. The amount of pork fat in the air meant that, even after only an hour, everything we owned (including our camera strap and messenger bag) smelled like bacon. Something to remember the festival by, we suppose.
The event had a happy ending - it raised more than $50,000 for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Good job, bacon lovers.