Culture Traditions

BaconFest 2013 Lineup Announced

Ashley Henshaw|

It's that time of the year again – time to celebrate a food that most people hold very near and dear: bacon. This year's Baconfest, which will be held at the UIC Forum on April 20, is sure to be even more popular this year due to the recent uptick in bacon-related news. Today, bacon is to the food industry as mustaches are to hipsters – it has a no-nonsense, low-brow appeal that endears it to the cool masses. Not to mention, it's just damn good.

That said, Baconfest is the place to be if you're on the cutting edge of the bacon craze. This event will offer up some of the most creative bacon concoctions known to man. Expect everything from bacon bourbon to bacon pho to ice cream cones made out of (you guessed it) bacon.

Recently, the roster of participating restaurants for this year's Baconfest was announced. Alongside some of the Chicago staples, there are a few noteworthy newcomers to the event this year. Glazed and Infused, a leader in the recent doughnut trend, is one of this year's rookie participants. It's a certainty that attendees will be lined up to find out what kind of bacon-laden creations they'll bring to the table. Slurping Turtle, the trendy River North Japanese restaurant, will also make their debut this year.

Wondering who else is showing up? Here are some of the highlights from the 2013 BaconFest roster:


  • Atwood Café – Derek Simcik

  • bellyQ – Bill Kim

  • Big Jones – Paul Fehribach

  • Bridge House Tavern – Mark Hemmer

  • Bristol/Balena – Chris Pandel

  • Café Spiaggia – Sarah Grueneberg and Chris Marchino

  • Chicago q – Lee Ann Whippen

  • DMK Restaurants – Michael Kornick

  • Hubbard Inn – Bob Zrenner

  • Lockwood Restaurant – Joseph Rose

  • LOKal – Artur Wnorowski

  • Mercadito – Patricio Sandoval

  • Peninsula Hotel – Kai Lermen

  • Perennial Virant – Paul Virant

  • Piece – Bill Jacobs and Jonathan Cutler

  • Public House/Bull & Bear – David Blonsky

  • Rosebud – Michael Ponzio

  • South Water Kitchen – Roger Waysok

  • Sunda – Jess De Guzman

  • Table Fifty-Two – Art Smith

  • The Bedford/Carriage House – Mark Steuer

  • Three Aces – Matt Troost

  • ZED451 – Curtis Hawk

Interested in getting tickets to your very own bacon-induced coma? General admission tickets ($100) go on sale Feb. 20. VIP tickets ($200) are available now.

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