Baconfest 2011 Announces Stellar Lineup of Chefs

Who's ready to get their pig on? We were before and now that the organizers behind Baconfest 2011 have announced the lineup of chefs for this year's event, we're salivating even harder.

Baconfest, being held at the UIC Forum on April 9, will see more than two times the number of chefs that participated last year. The list seems to include every big-name chef in Chicago, including Carrie Nahabedian, Stephanie Izard, Jared Wentworth, Randy Zweiban, Chris Pandel, Chris Curren, Sarah Grueneberg, Jimmy Bannos, Sr., and so many more. We're excited to see Chizakaya, Lillie's Q, Piece and Wow Bao on board, and especially geeked to see what Jessie Oloroso from Black Dog Gelato will turn out.

This year, more than 50 chefs will prepare dishes incorporating bacon in some form and compete for a Golden Rasher award. And this isn't just about eating great bacon; a portion of the proceeds from Baconfest 2011 will benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository so you can feel better about clogging your arteries with all of that porcine goodness.

The $65 tickets for the event will go on sale in late February (all the VIP tickets sold out in minutes). Sign up for the Baconfest mailing list to stay abreast of the news.

So without making you wait any longer, here is the list of participating chefs:

· Atwood Cafe – Derek Simcik
· The Bedford – Mark Steuer
· Big Jones - Paul Fehribach
· Black Dog Gelato - Jessica Oloroso
· The Black Sheep – James Toland
· Blokes & Birds – Greg Cannon
· Blue 13 – Chris Curren
· Boka – Carl Shelton
· The Bristol – Chris Pandel
· Cafe Spiaggia – Sarah Grueneberg and Aaron Diener
· Chalkboard – Gilbert Langlois
· Chizakaya – Harold Jurado
· Custom House Tavern – Perry Hendrix
· The Forest Grill – Brian Polcyn
· Gemini Bistro – Jason Paskewitz
· Girl & The Goat – Stephanie Izard
· Hearty Restaurant - Dan Smith
· Heaven on Seven – Jimmy Bannos Sr.
· iNG Restaurant – Thomas Elliott Bowman
· Inovasi – John des Rosiers
· La Madia – Jonathan Fox
· Lillie’s Q – Charlie Mckenna
· LOKaL – Artur Wnorowski and Ruben Torres
· Longman & Eagle – Jared Wentworth
· Magnolia Cafe – Kasra Medhat
· The Meatyballs Mobile – Phillip Foss
· Miramar Bistro – Gabriel Viti
· Moto Restaurant – Christopher Jones
· Naha – Carrie Nahabedian
· Old Town Social – Jared Vancamp
· One SixtyBlue – Michael McDonald
· Paddy Long’s – Pat Berger and Chris Latchford
· Park Grill at Millenium Park - Bernie Laskowski
· Perennial – Ryan Poli
· Piccolo Sogno – Tony Priolo
· Piece – Bill Jacobs and Jonathon Cutler
· David Burke’s Primehouse – Rick Gresh
· Province – Randy Zweiban
· RB Grille – Christopher McCoy
· Red Canary – Neal Harper
· redFLAME pizzeria – Marty Gallagher
· 694 Wine & Spirits – Chris Dunstatter
· Sable Kitchen and Bar – Heather Terhune
· Signature Room – Patrick Sheerin
· Small Bar – Justin White
· Socca/Redd Herring – Roger Herring
· Southern – Cary Taylor
· Spacca Napoli – Jonathon Goldsmith
· Terzo Piano at the Art Institute of Chicago – Margaret (Meg) Colleran Sahs
· Uncommon Ground – Daniel Jacobs
· Steven Hubbell (free agent)
· Vie – Nathan Sears
· WOW BAO Hot Asian Buns – (They’re doing a Bacon Bao!)